It’s a question we get asked a lot!
Hereâs the scenarioâŠ
Youâve found the fairway from the tee but youâre still a long way from the green.
The ball is sat on the tightly mown grass just waiting to be struck sweetly.
You pull out your 3 wood.
Already you can feel your body tensing up as your mind recalls the many terrible shots youâve played with this club in the past.
Nevertheless, you proceed to go through your routine.
Practice swingâŠswoosh.
Felt pretty good.
Set up to the ball, little wiggle and you start the backswing.
WHACK!
âFOR FLIPS SAKE!â or words to that affect come shouting out your mouth.
Once again, itâs another rubbish fairway wood shot.
Just why canât you hit your 3 wood off the deck?
Firstly, letâs check your set upâŠ
- Ball position
The ball should be positioned forward in your stance as indicated by the green line in this image. Not quite as far forward as a driver but ideally about 1-2â inside of your left heel (for a right handed golfer) - Width of stance
We want the feet a little wider than we would for an iron so position your feet a bit wider than your shoulders.
Swing
Think BIG CIRCLE when you swing. We want width but without swaying the body from side to side.
Feel like you rotate your spine on a fairly central axis and swing the club on the outside of the circle as pictured below.
Swing Image
I imagine my clubhead is a matchstick and the grass is the matchbox.
This gives me the right concept of how to swing a fairway wood.
Sweeping, not digging
There should not be any big divots when using a 3 wood.
Instead make your club just burn or bruise the turf.
But wait â there could be an even easier solution for you…
Introducing the long lost 5 wood.
A 5 wood is slightly shorter and more lofted than a 3 wood both of which combine to make it the best choice for most golfers.
Your swing is too slow to use a 3 wood.
If your driver clubhead speed is less than 82 mph then forget about a 3 wood.
It simply is not fast enough to get the ball consistently flighted with such a low loft without the assistance of a tee peg.
There are many devices out there for measuring swing speed like our GCQuad at Dunes. If you want to find out what yours is then click here or call us on 01346 510693.
Itâs not just for amateur golfers
Kris Nicol, PGA Professional has long been a fan of the 5 wood. âI love a 5 woodâ said Kris âIt provides me the perfect long second shot control and I also like it off the tee on short, tight par 4s too.â
Sam Griffiths, PGA Professional shares this view too. âI find a 5 wood, so versatile. Itâs great from the fairway but I also find it useful out of semi rough too as it performs much better than a log iron.
Try a 5 wood for free at Dunes
We carry demo clubs for you to try on the range for free just ask to try one next time you are at the range.
If you want to check your technique, or get fitted for new clubs you can book directly via the links below or call our friendly team on 01346 510693
Click Here to Book a lesson
Click Here to Book a fitting
