Whether it’s a tight tree-lined fairway or a short par 4, there are times when using your driver off the tee is unnecessary – or just plain foolish. Instead, consider using your 3-wood for better accuracy. You might lose some distance, but hitting your second shot from the fairway is going to greatly reduce your chance of making a bad score. Follow these steps to find the short grass with this club.
1. Tee It Low
Most 3-woods have a fairly shallow face, so you don’t need to tee the ball very high. A good height for the tee is about a quarter of an inch above the turf. This gives you the perfect lie to hit it solid.
2. Grip down
The shaft lengths on 3-woods are longer now for more distance. However, the longer the club, the harder it becomes to hit it straight. Because you don’t need extra distance, focus on accuracy by gripping down on the handle about an inch.
3. Play it back
To help ensure you make solid contact, address the ball about an inch behind where you set up to a ball with a driver. This adjustment also gives you a better chance to accomplish step four.
4. Squeeze it
The best fairway-wood players strike the ground in front of the ball. That’s the feeling you want. Don’t try to pick it off the tee. Hit down on the ball and squeeze it off the turf. You’ll square the clubface at impact and find the fairway.
David Leadbetter operates 34 golf academies worldwide.
