5 Tips to hit your 5 wood better:
- Set up properly
- Control the low point of your golf swing
- Develop a stock shot
- Have enough distance
- Have a plan
The great news about golf is that there are plenty of options with the advancement in today’s technology.
While much attention has been given to the driver in today’s golf market, the revolution in fairway woods, hybrids and utility irons started around 20 years ago.
The end result for the golfer are golf clubs that are easy to launch higher and further than the long irons of the past.
The golfer no longer has to try to hit a 3 iron through thick rough or to a difficult pin placement. Instead the golfer can opt for a club like the 4 wood, which is a fantastic golf club for many golfers.
How To Hit A 4 Wood?
Update: Tip #2 above seems to be such an important tip with every club in the bag. The better the golfer, the better he or she controls the low point. Take your game to the next level by learning to control the low point and the direction your club is at impact.
Tip #1: Set up properly
Whether you are hitting a 4 wood, 4 iron or pitching wedge, the key to any shot starts with the proper setup. Make sure you have an athletic stance, quality grip and the club is aim where you want the ball to start.
If you are someone that plays a slight fade or a slight draw make sure you aim a bit left or right to play for the shape shot that you most often hit.
As far as ball position, your standard ball position with a 4 wood will be between the middle of your stance and the front heel of your stance. I believe in moving the ball around based on the lie, the shot you are trying to hit and the current conditions of the course.
I would highly recommend testing this out at the driving range and seeking a variety of lies so you can learn how the ball will react out of longer rough and with different ball positions.
3 wood vs 4 wood: Complete Overview
Tip #2: Control the low point of your golf swing
With any fairway wood, it is essential that you control the low point of the golf swing. If you hit the ground too early, you are going to chunk the shot and only have it fly between 20-60 yards potentially. The drill we have below will help with all clubs, but especially those fairway woods that some people might fear.
The Drill: The Low Point Control Dril
- Take some yard paint and patina a 1-2 yard long line.
- Setup with 55% of your weight on your front side.
- Try to hit the target side of the line and see how many times out of 10 you can do this successfully!
- Repeat this drill every day for a month, tracking your progress and your ability to do this successfully in trials of ten.
- You may need to start with half swing and progress to full swings.
If you are struggling, put more weight forward and work on keeping your head still to help control the low point in the swing.
Repeat this drill as often as needed. If you run into a rough patch in your game with making clean contact, keep this drill in mind and get to work!
Tip #3: Develop a stock shot
Every golfer should have a go to stock shot. A stock shot is one where you know the pattern of the shot. Many of the best golfers will play either a fade or a draw and use this shot under pressure. It is fine if your ball only curves one way, if you know which way it will curve 90% of the time, you are well ahead of the rest of the golfing world.
With the 4 wood, you are typically going to be hitting this club from between 180 and 220 yards. A stock shot is perfect in this situation. Know your ball pattern, aim accordingly and let it go!
Here is another drill you can use.
The Drill: Stock Shot Drill
- At the driving range, set up an alignment stick about 6-8 yards in front of you, straight down your target line.
- If you have a second alignment stick, set the stick 3-4 feet right of the first stick (for a draw) or left of the first stick (for a fade).
- Complete your initial assessment see how many times out of 10 you can start the ball to the right or left of your target. Pick one side and measure your game at this point.
- The goal is to eventually get 7 out of 10 shots to start to the correct side and draw back towards the target.
Here is the dril being explained by Kyle Morris:
Tip #4: Have enough distance
Did you know that you can gain distance? You don’t have to settle for your current swing speed. In fact, golfers in their 50s and 60s can continue to gain distance with the proper training.
Recent training tools have started to change many minds. We have seen many of the professional golfers get longer and longer with their tee shots as a result of additional swing speed. You will find many touring pros using the SuperSpeed System, which I highly recommend.
As soon as the golfer starts to try to get more power by swinging harder on the course, they will often lose consistency.. Instead the golfer should train for additional distance and speed in specific training sessions.
Let’s face it, we all want to hit the ball further! The good news…there is a way to increase your driver distance that doesn’t include spending $500 on a new driver.
You can train for speed and get some amazing results with SuperSpeed Golf. It worked for me and I believe it can work for many (especially if you make a commitment and actually use it)
I believe many used to believe, well this is just how fast I can swing.
SuperSpeed Golf is one option to increase your swing speed through a science based overspeed training approach. In simple terms, you train by swinging a lighter club (20%) faster than you swing your driver. Over time, by training at a higher speed, your mind and body feel safe to swing that fast with your normal driver, resulting in an increase in driver swing speed.
The SuperSpeed System provides 3 different weighted sticks and takes the golfer through a training protocol every other day for about 15 minutes. The golfer can expect to see a 5-8% increase in swing speed, resulting in 20-30 yards for most golfers. The great news is that the 5-8% can be expected as early as the first training session. The additional speed will become more permanent after about 30-60 days of training.
My own experience has been an increase of 7-10 miles per hour on average from between 98-101 all the way up to 106-109. My goal is to hit the PGA Tour average of 113 mph in the coming months. I will continue to train every other day and watch in amazement as I am hitting drivers longer now than ever before!
Phil Mickelson has been known to increase his swing speed in the past year or so and is close to 120 miles per hour in his swing speed. There are potential results for golfers of all ability levels and age!
Check the current price on SuperSpeed Golf System, here!
| Original Swing Speed | After 4-6 Weeks | New Carry Distance | Total Distance |
| 95 | 102 | 245 | 265 |
| 100 | 108 | 259 | 279 |
| 105 | 113 | 271 | 291 |
| 110 | 118 | 283 | 303 |
Tip #5: Have a plan
Too often a higher handicap golfer will just pull the club out of the bag that matches the distances that they need. They step up to the ball with very little thought into the shaped shot or where they want the ball to finish.
Instead consider the following:
- Wind direction
- Lie
- Where you want the ball to end up
- What direction has your ball been curving during the round
- What the minimum and maximum distance you can hit the shot
Get into the thought process to help you make quality decisions. Once you make the decision, commit to the shot and execute your plan. Don’t start changing things up once you step over the ball. If this happens, back away and go through the process again.
Don’t forget your short game!
Other Related Questions about the 4 Wood
Is a 4 wood easy to hit?
Yes, the improvement in technology over the years makes it an easy club to launch high and far. The major advantages are the thicker club head, the ability to hit the ball high and hold a green or get plenty of distance.
The 4 wood is a great club between the 3 wood and 5 wood that will give some extra distance over the 5 wood and some extra height over the 3 wood.
How far should you hit a 4 wood?
Depending on your swing speed, you can expect to carry the ball between 180-220 yards with outliers on both sides. The key is swing speed and clean contact with the shot.
What is the loft of a 4 wood?
Most 4 woods will be around 16-17 degrees in the loft. Over the years, clubs have decreased in loft as the shaft has increased in length.
My Secret To Golf Improvement
Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage. I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.
This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.
It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.
Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:
Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better
What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:
1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:
Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:
3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:
We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.
4 – Practice Frequently
Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:
- Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator?
- What is the Best Golf Simulator?
- Golf Simulator Accessories?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for under $7000
- Top 11 Reasons to Buy a SkyTrak
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for Under $1000
- Why Build A Golf Simulator?
- What Space is Needed?
- Can A Golf Simulator Improve My Game?
- How Much Does A Golf Simulator Cost?
- Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.