Hitting fairway wood

I shoot in low 90's due to good short game...I am having trouble hitting 3/5 wood from the fairway...I am taking way too much divot...Sometimes the club almost stops as I hit the ball due to hitting the ground. Is the wood swing different than an iron swing? Do I still hit down on the ball? Do I have the ball too far forward/backward in my stance??

Thanks for any help

I find that I get my best results with my fairway wood when I sweep the ball more than hitting down like an iron. I still try to get my hands in front of the ball at impact, but only hit down as required by the lie. I also pick a spot on the ball to focus on and hit that spot. I've read that you should swing around your right leg more like your driver, than around the left leg like an iron, but I stll swing more around my left.

Hi, to add to Mattins great answer,

taking a small divot with a wood is fine, don't worry about this it can shows you are a good player and by taking a divot you must be a very consistant ball striker.

That said, you may have the ball a little to far back in your stance(should be just inside your left heel) also you may be standing to close to the ball and swinging steeper, check you distance...........finally a wider stance will promote a shallower impact. Check all three and find which you one you maybe failing with.

From a mental point of view most golfers try to lift there fairway woods in an effort to get airbourne, the other half try to hit them to hard in an effort to reach the green, swing smooth and then see if it reached the green after you put a good swing on it.



Hope this helps


Ian.

__________________
Once you learn the swing, your next step is mastering golf psychology................

Dmar,

I shoot about what you do on a regular course. Fairway woods have been my nemesis since I started playing, to the point where even on long par fives I hit long irons on my second shot, just to avoid having to use them. My issue was not taking deep divots but topping the ball.

What Ian says is very true. When looking at a long tee shot or long second shot, the temptation is to attempt to kill the ball, which creates tension and destroys the swing, either by hitting it fat or thin. This year for the first time I've been hitting woods well, even from the rough. I think the biggest change I've made is really focusing on keeping my hands relaxed at address and then not tightening them through the back-swing or at impact. If I do that I find I sometimes take a very small divot and the ball flies off nicely and I'm amazed at how little effort it takes to get it a long way. I don't swing slow, but I focus on keeping things as tension free as possible.

Also, I believe Ian may have meant to have the ball off your right foot (your front foot)-assuming that since you posted here you're a lefty like me. I've read so many golf instructional books that at this point I automatically exchange left for right and vice versa in the text.

Hi Dmar,

The swing for woods and longer irons (through to 5 iron) is a sweeping motion. For the shorter irons swing down at the ball.

At address play the ball more so from your inner right heel for the woods.

With all full shots make sure you finish your swing. Pose - hold your finish, until the ball first hits the ground. This will help close the club face.