Best Way to Do Full Golf Swing with Wooden Clubs

The shot from the fairway with a wooden club is a transport shot that should send the ball into a given target area from where you will have a straightforward pitch or chip on to the green. The average golfer should not attempt to pinpoint the green with this club but should concentrate on a particular target area.

Stance and posture for the wooden clubs from a fairway lie differ only a little from the stance and posture adopted for the long irons. The stance is a little wider and the body position is even more behind the ball, thus giving an even shallower arc on the forward swing, sweeping the ball from the grass on a lower trajectory and making it go further.

It might be advisable to practice fairway wood shots before practicing fairway shots with the long irons, because the size of the wooden club head makes it appear more suitable for sending the ball a long way. With long irons, you may feel the need to try to hit the ball harder. Practice with the wooden club will help you to create a smoother swing, which you can use then with the long irons.

Grip

Hold the club normally with the little finger of the left hand about 1/2 in (12 mm) from the top of the shaft. Never hold the club at the very end of the shaft. The grip pressure should come predominantly from the last three fingers ol the left hand and the middle two fingers of the right.

Stance

As for all shots, keep your weight on the balls of the feet, which should be about the width of the shoulders apart; as for all longer clubs, your weight should favour the right side. The ball is forwards in the stance.

Posture

Due to the fact that the wooden club is so long, you stand with a more upright posture. The swing plane is flatter because you stand further away from the ball.

Check very carefully that the club shaft is pointing at the left groin and that the club face is square to the intermediate target, thus helping you to place the feet correctly in relation to the ball (in this case, the ball is further forwards in the stance). Let the arms hang freely from the shoulders, which must be parallel to the target line.

The more the ball is forwards in the stance, the more you must think of keeping the shoulders parallel to the target line. When the ball is forwards in the stance, it is easy to commit the cardinal sin of ad­dressing the ball with the shoulders turned to the left of the target line, instead of dropping the right shoulder to ensure that the important parallel line is maintained.

Swing movement

Start with a forward press that continues into a full swing movement in which, at the top of the backswing, the shaft should be pointing parallel both to the target line and the ground, before returning down on the inside of the target line to the ball. With the ball placed forwards in the stance, the club head will now approach along a shallower arc, reaching its lowest point on or just after contact, giving the impression that the ball is swept away with a continuous, smooth movement.

Allow the hands and club to continue all the way with the club still in the same plane and the hips nearer the target than any other part of the torso. The head and back should be slightly arched away from the target, the head looking up at the flight of the ball from underneath. This position can be practiced easiest from an uphill lie, which assists in keeping the upper body behind the ball, even when you have reached the follow-through position. As with all full swing movements, the club should swing freely and smoothly from start to finish, with the momentum of the club head increasing gradually as it approaches the ball. Remember to use the same tempo as for the short clubs.