The fairway woods of today provide some great options for the mid to high handicap golfer.
The overall versatility and the ability to hit the ball higher and further can help golfers improve their overall score. Being able to hit those shots between 150-200 yards into par 4s and par 5s or off the tee on a par 3 is essential to improving the score.
Too often golfers settle for continuing to play with a long iron that they struggle to hit. Our recommendation is to upgrade to a fairway wood or hybrid and give yourself a better chance of hitting a quality shot that can actually hold the green.
Here is a quick reference guide to how many fairway woods or hybrids you should carry base on the swing speed with your driver.
- Swing Speed < 90 = Carry at least 3 fairway woods/hybrids
- Swing Speed < 80 = Carry at least 4 fairway woods/hybrids
How many fairway woods should I carry?
The slower your swing speed the more fairway woods/hybrids you should carry. If you swing above 100 miles per hour with the driver, you might only carry a driver and a 3 wood. However, with the way fairway woods and hybrids are designed today, the golfer with the slower swing speed needs to take advantage of the technology.
Let’s dive in with some key tips on how to hit a 7 wood.
How To Hit A 7 Wood (5 Tips)
- Control your low point
- Develop a stock shot
- Maintain your tempo
- Make a confident swing
- Choke down for more control and when between yardages
Tip #1: Control your low point
The key with irons, fairway woods and hybrids is to control the low point of the swing. When a golfer is able to do this successfully, they increase their chances of striking the ball solid and maximizing their distance. Too often with fairway woods, golfers will try to help lift the ball, which leads to poor results.
Instead, depending on the type of the shot, the golfer should try to stay relatively neutral and hit the ball just at the low or even slightly just beyond the low point (slightly on the way up). This will depend on the type of shot you are trying to hit and the lie that you are faced with.
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 to 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.
This drill can help you take your game to the next level regardless of what club you might be struggling with.
How to hit fairway woods consistently (5 Tips)
Tip #2: Develop a stock shot
On these longer shots (150-200 yards) it is important to have a go to shape shot that you play. It doesn’t matter if you prefer the draw or the fade, but have a go to shaped shot that you can rely on under pressure. The goal for shots that are 150 yards or longer is to simply get on the green. Hit the green, go 2 putt and take your par! Don’t get greedy from this distance.
Too many golfers might have no idea what way their ball will curve or get carried away and try to hit a draw one time and then a fade the next. You can play some great golf settling into one shaped shot and hitting it time and time again.
The 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.
11 Golf Drills for the Driving Range!
Tip #3: Maintain your tempo
When you get the 7 wood in your hands, you need to maintain your tempo. Trying to slow down or speed up to take away distance or get extra distance can often lead to poor results. Instead, stick with your normal tempo golf swing and stay smooth through the shot. Hitting the shot 175 vs 180 isn’t going to make a major difference.
How to improve tempo in golf swing (3 Tips)
Tip #4: Make a confident swing
Make sure you commit to the shot and don’t try to manipulate the clubface or swing speed to get different results. Stay within your ability level, make a confident swing and live with the results.
The best shots in golf come from the commitment made to the shot and then swinging with confidence. A golfer who is doubting the swing, rarely hits a quality shot. When you pick your 7 wood and determine your start line the shaped shot you want to play, head to the ball with confidence and commitment.
How to improve ball striking in golf swing!
Tip #5: Choke down for more control and when between yardages
If you need to take some yardage off the swing, go ahead and choke down on the club and make a regular swing. Trying to slow down your arm swing or your body movement will lead to issues. Instead, simply choke down an inch or two and make a confidence, comfortable swing that will help you strike the ball solid.
7 wood vs 4 iron: which one is best for your game?
BONUS TIP: Build a Distance Chart
I would highly recommend each golfer create a distance chart like the sample below:
| Club | Carry Distance (100%) | 90% | 80% |
| Driver | 250 | ||
| 3 Wood | 230 | ||
| 3 Hybrid | 215 | ||
| 2 Utility Iron | 210 | ||
| 4 iron | 190 | ||
| 5 iron | 181 | ||
| 6 iron | 171 | ||
| 7 iron | 163 | ||
| 8 iron | 153 | ||
| 9 iron | 143 | ||
| P Club | 130 | 123 | 115 |
| Pitching Wedge | 118 | 110 | 102 |
| SW Club | 105 | 97 | 91 |
| LW Club | 90 | 82 | 74 |
How can you create your own chart?
Best Option: I would highly recommend a launch monitor!
These portable devices can be used at the driving range, golf course or set up in your home net or golf simulator. These devices are game changers not only on being able to map your bag and know your distances, but they also provide quality feedback after on every shot and provide the following information:
- Carry Distance
- Spin Rate
- Launch Angle
- Spin Axis
- Total Distance
- Ball Speed
This information will help you map your bag, decide on which clubs are best for your game, develop a stock shot and much more. I love using my SkyTrak 365 days a year in my golf simulator setup.
The process for mapping your bag can looking something like this:
- Hit 5 shots with each club in your bag.
- Log the carry distance and total distance for each shot.
- Eliminate any outlier numbers (poor hits or low spin rates).
- Take the average and create a map of your bag.
If you visit any PGA Tour event you will see plenty of golfers utilizing their launch monitors. While most can’t afford a Trackman, there are some very affordable options in the 500-2000 dollar range. I own the SkyTrak and think the world of it.
Here are the top 3 options to check out:
My Secret To Golf Improvement
Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About four 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.