It can be a challenge at times to get the ball airborne with your fairway woods. Mel explains the keys to achieving success with fairway woods in this video golf tip and demonstrates the “Extension Drill.”

Control the Bottom of the Arc

If you cannot control the bottom of the arc, you CANNOT hit fairway woods! Instead, swing a club at home in the yard and let the club brush the grass each time. Do this literally hundreds of times until you can consistently brush the grass without either missing the ground completely or hitting the ground too hard.

Ball Position

The ball position is directly off the lead heel. Put your feet together with the ball in the middle of your feet. Flare the lead foot out without moving the heel. Put your rear foot back to shoulder-width apart. You now have the correct ball position with the fairway woods.

If you practice on the range, use an alignment stick to get the ball position 100% correct 100% of the time. This also allows you to see the ball from the correct angle until it becomes a habit. Then, when you go on the course, and you cannot use the alignment stick, you will put the ball in the correct position every time!