Crosshair Golf Blog
April 3, 2010
Meet the Clubs #2 The Fairway Woods
Why are they called Fairway Woods? The reason being they used to be made of wood. Now, they are made using the same materials as the Driver. The Golf Driver is also a wood, it is the #1 wood but it is referred to as the Driver. Sometimes people refer to fairway woods as fairway metals.
The most common fairway woods are the #3 and #5. Although you can find some fairway woods ranging from #2 up to a #15. Starting with the #3 Fairway Wood the loft is around 15 degrees (this varies +/- a degree or 2 depending on the manufacturer) the lofts get greater the higher the number fairway wood you have i.e. the #5 is around 19 degrees the #7 24 degrees and so on.
The Fairway Wood is designed for what it’s name implies, playing off the fairway. Because the head is larger and shaped like the driver you can expect to get some distance. You will not get as much distance as the driver but a #3 wood in the right hands will go 200+ yards.
Since the advent of the Hybrid Iron many golfers are opting out of the #5 and #7 fairway woods and going with comparable lofted Hybrid irons.
Deciding which fairway woods you will carry will depend on you and your personal game. I, for example, only carry a #3 fairway wood and a #1 Hybrid Iron, the #1 hybrid iron is comparable to a driving iron, more on that later. So, for the beginner, get the #3 and #5 Fairway Wood along with a Golf Driver for your wood set and once you start getting better, get rid of what you do not need and get other clubs you do need.
Take a look at our article covering all of the different kinds of clone golf clubs we offer that comprise a full set in our What are the Golf Clubs in a Set article. And be sure to follow our series with the next Meet the Clubs article where we discuss Golf Irons.
March 28, 2010
The Golf Driver and Distance
460 cc golf driver, the cc stands for cubic centimeters, 460 is the maximum allowable for playing golf. you can get your golf driver with a much larger head but it is illegal, so don’t bother. These larger driver heads are usually used for competitive distance drivingin which the rules of golf do not apply.
So, the first step in getting more distance from your golf driver is the ball. We will not, at this time, get into a deep discussion about the different golf balls and what they do. We will talk about that some other time. For now, just find a ball that you like that is designed for distance. Golf balls designed for distance have less spin when the club head initially strikes the ball.
Step 2 is to get a golf driver with optimum loft. Optimum loft is different for everyone so I can not really tell you what loft you should get. Experiment with drivers of varying lofts and when it is right you will know. I, for example, tend to hit golf shots very high with all my clubs, so to get optimum loft on my driver I had to drop to 8 degress of loft to get optimized. Slower Swingers might find that a 12 or 14 degree loft driver is optimum for them. A general rule of thumb is the stronger your swing, the lower the loft.
Step 3 tee it high and let it fly. Conventional wisdom is to tee the ball so the center line of the golf ball is about even with the top of the club head. Now, however, some instructors are saying the ball should be even higher. Tee it up so the club head only reaches about 1/4 the way up the ball. Now you know why 3 and 3 1/2″ tees are getting more and more popular.
Step 4 get the ball farther up in your stance. You want the ball at least even with your forward foot, (left for right hand golfers and right for left hand golfers) you can even go a inch or to forward of your lead foot. Just remember, the farther forward the ball is in your stance the less control you will have so your strike needs to be right on. You need to find what is most comfortable and accurate for you. You do not have to move the ball all at once, experiment and practice and slowly get the ball farther up in your stance.
Step 5 get a bulls-eye, hit the ball in the center. You are probably wondering why I say this. Well, it is simple, most of us do not hit the ball in the center. We line up in the center of the ball, but we do not hit the ball in the center. You tee the ball, you take a couple of practice swings, you address the ball, set the club head on the ground behind the ball to line it up, and then WHAM, the ball goes anywhere except the fairway. The reason is this, the club swings like a pendulum. It does not go up and down, it swings.The first thing to remember is that the ball is 3″ in the air. OK, with that knowledge, try this test. Tee the ball up, place the club head on the ground centered behind the ball, then with your arms outstretched lift the club head to the ball. Is it centered now?
This is not unusual, so chalk it up as a learning experience. Just start experimenting and testing. Move back a bit and do the test again and again until you find your own sweet spot.
Finally, you need to hit the ball on the upswing. Everybody’s swing is different, so you will need to have your swing observed. It might only take one lesson. Just tell the instructor you want to make sure you are hitting your drive on the upswing and then he or she will observe and make corrections for you. You might not need a lesson for this you might find that perfect swing on your own. Remember, your golf driver is your friend.
February 24, 2010
Meet the Clubs #1 The Golf Driver
The Golf Driver is the longest golf club in your bag in more ways than one, (Except if you use a Long Broomstick Putter). The Driver is long in both length of club and distance of shot. You will probably only use this club off the tee on a par 5 or a long par 4 hole.
The head is also larger than any golf club in your bag, usually around 460cc. Most golfers will carry a matching #3 Fairway Wood and possibly a #5 Fairway Wood. Although, with the advent of the Hybrid Iron many golfers are opting out of the 5 wood and are carrying a hybrid club.
The Golf Driver comes in several lofts ranging from 4 all the way to 16 degrees. Usually you will choose your loft based on how fast you swing. The slower you swing the higher the loft and vice versa. Competitive Distance participants will choose lofts between 4 and 7 degrees. Touring Pro’s will usually choose a loft range between 8 and 9 degrees, while the average male golfer and strong woman golfer will go for 10 or 11 degrees. Seniors and most women will opt for 14+ degrees loft. Most Pro’s and better golfers might have several different loft drivers for different occasions. For Example, you might usually carry a 10.5 loft driver but when you get to the course it is extremely windy, if you have a lower loft driver with you, you might opt for that so the ball does not fly as high and get caught up in the wind. Should I have more than one driver with different lofts? That all depends on your golfing ability. If you are new to the game or only play once in a while, I would say no. But, if you are a good golfer and play often, then you might want to consider it.
“Let the Big Dog Eat” Like I said earlier, the Golf Driver is the longest club in the bag. It is quite common to see 300+ yard drives nowadays, but it is also common to see these drives end up in less than perfect lies, such as the woods, or the deep stuff. Because the Shaft length on the driver is quite long, they average 45″, it is sometimes difficult to control the ball flight. Even the pro’s will send it into the woods when trying to get a few extra yards out of a drive. Smart golfers, if they have a couple of stroke lead in a tournament and only a few holes to play, will more often than not opt for a lesser club. Most of the time you will see these pro’s go to the #3 Fairway Wood on a par 5 just to make sure it stays on the Fairway.
The Golf Driver can be your best friend, but it will usually be broken over your knee.
Be sure to check out our Meet the Clubs #2 golf article, where we discuss the Fairway Woods.
