Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

[30yearlayoff]

This is a major missing piece to my game. I don't know why I can't consistently connect. When I do, the shot is long and pretty. Most the time, I hit big fat shots or really low ground skimmers that don't go 1/2 as far as they should. Then, 1 outa 5 times, I hit that beautiful 200 yard 3 wood that's amazing.

Today, I totally screwed up my driver and mid/short iron swing chasing this fairway wood/long iron swing.

I am begging for help here!!! If I can get some confidence on this shot, I think I can get down about 10 strokes a round.

[ph_kingston]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

Ok, firstly a question. Do all your shots go straight? Even the fat 20 yard shots and the topped 100 yard ones? If so then your alignment is probably pretty good but a couple of other things could be going wrong:

1) You're not consistent in your distance from the ball (too close and you hit it fat, too far away and you top it).

2) You're not maintaining a constant spine angle or knee flex so you're either dipping into the ball (fat shots) or lifting up (topped shots)

A third alternative is a combination of the above 2.

At this stage I'm dismissing lateral movement on the basis that your shots are going straight rather than intermittently hooking or slicing.

The solution to 1 is very much work at the range. You need to determine the correct distance for your height, swing plane, ball position and shaft length. This takes some experimentation but you need to develop some check points in your address so that you can be consistent.

My personal solution to 2 is to ensure an athletic posture at address. A lot of people talk about this but to me it's about activating the major muscles in my thighs and back using some knee flex and ensuring a straight spine; your body should feel poised and balanced but not stiff. I find this enables me to feel what my body is doing during the swing and maintain a constant spine angle and knee flex. In a sense like tightening an elastic band; when it's good and taut you can sense a small change in tension which you can't do when it's slack.

Hope this helps

[aparhar]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

Similar, but slightly different problem here. I have worked out all my irons quite well, but I just can't seem to hit my woods off the tee. As a consequence, I am always teeing off either with my 4 or 5 iron. I usually end up hitting the fairway teeing off with the irons and get distance around 180 yars. This is ok when on par 4's but on 500 yards+ par 5 holes this leaves me with another 330 yards just to get the green. What differences if any should there be between the swing for long irons and woods? I am so desparate to get a good tee shot with my woods as I think i can shave off one stroke per hole if I could do it.

[GreeBoman]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

I am always teeing off either with my 4 or 5 iron. I usually end up hitting the fairway teeing off with the irons and get distance around 180 yars. This is ok when on par 4's but on 500 yards+ par 5 holes this leaves me with another 330 yards just to get the green.

so hit two 5 irons and then a 7?

What differences if any should there be between the swing for long irons and woods?

None really; low, slow, wide, shoulder driven turn and sweep the ball.

I am so desparate to get a good tee shot with my woods as I think i can shave off one stroke per hole if I could do it.

if only.
chances are you will add on shots before you lose them.
180 in the fairway is so much better than 250 in the trees.
the best way to lose a shot per hole is to work on your short game.
its easier to remove a shot of 100 inches than 100yds.

To the OP, stick an umbrella either side of you when you swing, you should maybe brush them, I reckon you wil hit the out of the ground.
Fat then thin says swaying to me.

I would use a mat to solve this, a mat will hide fat shots.

[Simon Woo]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

Huge inconsistencies usually derive from huge movements. That usually comes from trying to hit too hard I think. I made a lot of adjustments to my woods in order to hit it further and further, but after that it screwed up all my iron shots. People say the same swing should apply to all clubs (more or less), so I'm going back to basics to get my irons nice and consistent, and then try to apply that to the woods. All in all, check for huge movements, I'm sure there are some there to cause such inconsistencies in the shots.

[ubizmo]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

I've also mostly heard and read that one (full) swing fits all clubs; only the setup differs. And that's what I try to do.

Having said that, I think at least some pros take a bigger backswing with the driver than they do with the irons. I think they just plain hit the ball harder. If their iron swing is 80% of what they're capable of, their driver swing might be 90% or more. This makes sense to me, because the driver is the only club where there is a good reason to hit it as hard as possible. And they can get away with it because (a) they're good; (b) the fact that the ball is teed up and the driver face is large creates a little more wiggle room than there is for irons; (c) they're good.

[30yearlayoff]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

I dialed in part/most of the problem. For some reason, I was too far away from the ball. I moved in and stayed tall and the driver is rockin' , the 3 wood is coming around.

THanks for all the comments!

[pnearn]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

I find a good way of staying tall is concentrating on having your chin up off your chest such that you can freely turn you left shoulder underneath

This almost forces you into the right posture so as you can see the ball at address

[Mr_Change]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

I can either use a driver or irons and still have confidence of reaching the green in reg. Even our long par 4 of 410 metres i use my 1 iron then 6 iron into the green.

here is one to think about, if you rather be hitting from the fairway more than ruff then a iron off the tee is a good idea, but remember if you are missing fairways you are better off missing them as close to the green as possible.

[GreeBoman]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

if you are missing fairways you are better off missing them as close to the green as possible.

Couldnt DISagree more.
The closer you are to the green, but not on the fairway the more your approach is going to be blocked by trees, etc.
If you are 50Yrds back because you hit a 5i off the tee than you can go over, but if you are stuck right under the trees you are punching out and then (hopefully) on in 3.

Its not how far its how many.

[Simon Woo]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

Actually it depends on how you see it. If you are looking at a close approach shot, then definitely you would rather be on the fairway. But if you are driving off the tee, Mr Change's statement does have some truth in it. This is what happened to Tiger Woods in the Tour Championship. I remember on one of the holes, he out drove his partner by up to 80yds or so, and he found the rough. So he was something like 200yds away in the rough, while his partner was 280yds away on the fairway.

I've asked before, why Tiger chooses this strategy of ripping with the driver when he's clearly not being very consistent with it lately. The commentator that day put it very well. When you're driving this kind of distance, it doesn't really matter if you are slightly off the fairway

Of course that statement is not meant to be a general one, but in certain situations, it's not too ridiculous really

[learning]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

Sweep, Sweep, Sweep, everybody tell me to Sweep.

I hear:

1. Slow (I already take all my clubs back very slow, slow motion where you can go to sleep, and this really keeps my movement down)

2. Low (when I take it back too low, it changes my natural swing that I try to do for all clubs, and it feels like I am reaching low and down with the club then lifting it up. So I am not sure, what I should be feeling but it feels different and makes me think just enough to alter my shot and misshit the ball.

3. Sweep (I haven't a clue what this feels like)

any thoughts or ideas on what this feel likes would be appreciated.

[GreeBoman]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

3. Sweep (I haven't a clue what this feels like)

any thoughts or ideas on what this feel likes would be appreciated.

Think "U" not "V"
Swing with a yard brush on concrete and see how the brush sweeps the ground a foot either side of where the ball would be.
You are not hitting into the ball or down on it, imagine the ball is a soap bubble, you want to brush it away not hit into it.

[Simon Woo]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

Quick clarification. Does the "U" apply to all (or most) of the clubs? We are told to hit down with the irons, is that still a "U" hitting down or does that mean a "V"? Is the "V" to be avoided at all cost as it implies casting and lack of lag? My understanding is that hybrids should be hit just like the irons, ie. hitting down. Only with the woods do you sweep. Right?

[GreeBoman]

Re: Cant consistently hit fairway woods/long irons/hybrids....

Quick clarification. Does the "U" apply to all (or most) of the clubs? We are told to hit down with the irons, is that still a "U" hitting down or does that mean a "V"? Is the "V" to be avoided at all cost as it implies casting and lack of lag? My understanding is that hybrids should be hit just like the irons, ie. hitting down. Only with the woods do you sweep. Right?

Well you need to be hitting down on all shots to be honest
(all except driver, though you can technically catch a driver not on the up swing)
However there are levels of "down"
The higher loft the more you should hit down on it.
This is not something that you really need to do consciously though, as you widen your stance (the ball is always in the same relative position, ~ just inside your left heel) you effectively move the ball relative to where your swing bottoms out.
The further "back" the ball the more vertical your swing is when it hits the ball.
The further "forward" the shallower your swing is.

The "V" is fine for the higher clubs, it promotes a more descending blow to the ball, but its easier to sweep the lower irons/fairway woods than to get too involved with the turf.
Jack Nicklaus sweeps most of his irons, I'd take his iron play.

The U, V image is nothing to do with wrists or lag its to do with the direction the clubhead is taking as it hits the ball - down or across. (though in reality its always a combination)