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Hitting my 3 wood off the fairway...

Busy P

Busy P

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This, I've always had trouble with. Teeing up my 3 wood is always fine, but off the fairway i always either chunk it, or hook it or something. I can never get my Under GIR when I need them -.-. Is there like a swing difference to when I hit it off the fairway compared to a tee, or is it just mentally?
 
i have to change my swing a little hitting it off the fairway because off the tee you have a little more of an upward swing because the ball is on a tee as were you need more of a flat swing for the ball on the ground. i always try to move the ball back a little bit when its in the fairway so i can make sure i hit the ball first and not top the ball or something like that. its just what i do and seems to work out for me.
 
bridges said:
i have to change my swing a little hitting it off the fairway because off the tee you have a little more of an upward swing because the ball is on a tee as were you need more of a flat swing for the ball on the ground. i always try to move the ball back a little bit when its in the fairway so i can make sure i hit the ball first and not top the ball or something like that. its just what i do and seems to work out for me.
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So I should try and swing it more like an iron?
 
man im not a swing expert at all, i didnt realize this was in swing tips. i dont want to tell you something and it be completely wrong lol its just what i do and it works for me because if i swing like its on a tee (even though i barley tee it up) i will top it a little so i guess you can say its an iron swing. i just try to hit down through the ball when its on the fairway and really focus on hitting the ball first and not worry about trying to kill it. sorry if i confused you lol
 
Busy P said:
So I should try and swing it more like an iron?
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Exactly. Your swing actually needs to change a bit from hitting off the tee (upswing contact) to hitting off the deck (downswing contact). Play it back a bit from where you would if it were on a tee, and then just swing easy. Let the club length and the loft do the work and just worry about delivering the sweetspot to the ball.

Easy, right?!
 
For me I swing the 3wd like a driver off the tee and more like a hybrid off the turf. I also put the ball a little closer to the hosel in my stance when hitting off the turf and take a downward hit on it instead of sweeping it. Works for me.
 
I say swing it like you would from the tee box, just take a practice swing or two and make sure you are contacting the ground a bit. Not chinking it. But I agree with bridges, if you are looking for a swing tip I would put this in the ask the pro sections. Let Andy, the smart one tell you what to do
 
It could be something as simple as ball position. Put it a slight bit back in your stance than when hitting off the tee. That's what worked for me.
 
Good tips so far, and I would add that you shouldn't try to kill it. That was my problem for a long time, it works much better when you swing smooth and worry more about center-face contact.
 
Thanks for the tips guys!I'll most def try this out next time im on the range or something
 
_JL_ said:
Good tips so far, and I would add that you shouldn't try to kill it. That was my problem for a long time, it works much better when you swing smooth and worry more about center-face contact.
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I agree with this. I would always chunk it because mentally hitting 3 wood off the deck I am thinking I need to get the ball to go long....

But if you just take a nice easy swing, the outcome is always much better.

To me, there is no better feeling than ripping a fairway wood off the deck well!
 
So:
Mentally don't try to kill it and just take an easy swing
+
Swing it more/less like a hybrid or an iron to have a downward striking on the ball
=
Under GIR?
 
Busy P said:
This, I've always had trouble with. Teeing up my 3 wood is always fine, but off the fairway i always either chunk it, or hook it or something. I can never get my Under GIR when I need them -.-. Is there like a swing difference to when I hit it off the fairway compared to a tee, or is it just mentally?
Click to expand...

I have this very same problem. Hitting off a tee (a short tee) no problems, but when its on the ground, I can't hit it at all. I'm figuring this out with my instructor...
 
I completely agree with those commenting that you should let the club do the work. Do not try to kill it. I think the reason hitting a fairway wood right feels so good is because it is such a pure shot. If you make good contact, you feel like you have put very little physical effort into the shot compared to the result you are getting. The ball is screamin’ toward the target, seemingly going such a long way for what seems like relatively little physical exertion.

One thing you might want to try to incorporate into a fairway wood swing is a slightly flatter swing plane than what you are using for your irons. To be honest that is what my fairway wood swing feels like to me. It feels like my iron swing with a flatter swing plane.

I have been just the opposite of you lately. I have been experimenting with the driver of late and it has gotten my tee shots so fouled up that I am hitting fairway woods off the ground really quite good (at least for me) and I am just miserable off the tee with anything that is a wood, driver or otherwise. I have gotten myself so fouled up now that I could put a grapefruit up on the tee and would probably miss it.

Not only that, but when I get into one of these experimental moods with driver eventually it starts screwing up my iron play.
 
If you are hitting little low runners then try and hit a cut. This adds loft to the club and helps get it in the air.
 
there was a point in my game when my 3w went 30yrds farther than my driver... so it was my 'go to' long stick but i had the complete opposite problem... i couldnt hit it off the tee...

here's my 2 cents...
its all about ball positioning when you hit any of your woods off the deck... i would actually go the opposite route some have suggested and play it forward(inside left armpit)... and id emphasize taking a shallow divot(hit down on the ball but not like an iron)
 
After putting the ball a little further back in my stance, swinging a tad bit flatter, and not trying to kill it, I've managed to actually hit my 3 wood off a fairway today! some successful shots, and not so straight shots, but nothing as bad as before! Thanks for all the help guys
 
man we are some smart golfers, now if our games would only show it hahaha.

busy p. that will be 50 bucks please for your first lesson lol jk!
 
bridges said:
man we are some smart golfers, now if our games would only show it hahaha.

busy p. that will be 50 bucks please for your first lesson lol jk!
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exactly right? ahahaahahah.

ill paypall you right now :p
 
Busy P said:
After putting the ball a little further back in my stance, swinging a tad bit flatter, and not trying to kill it, I've managed to actually hit my 3 wood off a fairway today! some successful shots, and not so straight shots, but nothing as bad as before! Thanks for all the help guys
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Congrats!! That's a wonderful breakthrough :) I just got a new 3W today and its so much lighter than my current one that I didn't have a problem hitting it today on the simulators when I was getting fitted for it!
 
Golf Chick said:
Congrats!! That's a wonderful breakthrough :) I just got a new 3W today and its so much lighter than my current one that I didn't have a problem hitting it today on the simulators when I was getting fitted for it!
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Nice GC!

Well, today wasn't all that good for me. :(. Had 1 decent shot, 2 shanks. Really contemplating a Nickent 1 hybrid now...
 
how are you hitting your other woods?
is the 3wood the only one youre having issues with?
 
Its funny because I cannot for the life of me hit my 3w. My instructor worked with me a few times already with my 3w, we have a long journey ahead. I still can't hit it. I can drive fine and have no problems with my irons. My 3w and 4h, PROBLEMS!! I even pretend my 3w is my driver and my 4h like its an iron to get my swing to hit it and with the proper shift weight- doesn't work :banghead:

On the plus side, even when I hit the ball off the toe of my 3w it still goes straight :clapp: but only a few yards in front. Lol

Posted from my BlackBerry using BerryBlab
 
I used some of these tips at the range last time and had pretty good success with them. I played the ball back a bit and put a smooth swing on it. I think that I spend too much time trying to kill the ball and that is why I have had problems with this.
 
Busy P said:
So:
Mentally don't try to kill it and just take an easy swing
+
Swing it more/less like a hybrid or an iron to have a downward striking on the ball
=
Under GIR?
Click to expand...

I've always had a problem with the 'swing easy' concept because for me, that is where I get into trouble.. I take off too much, and end up favouring one arm and hooking the hell out of the ball!

I think a better way of looking at it (for me) is to go after it off the tee, but take a a crisp cut that is well within your means on the fairway. If you're chunking, it seems like you're playing it too much like an iron... Me personally, my swing doesn't change all that much aside from a bit of speed from tee to fairway, but I also tee up my 3 wood about a quarter inch or less out of the ground.

Do you have your ball up high on the tee with a 3 wood?
 
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