Three of the most popular questions I get asked as a swing coach are “How do I hit it farther, how do I take my range swing to the golf course, and why do I hit my 3-wood better than my driver?” If I had a dime for each time I heard these questions I’d be writing this blog from my Malibu beach house with a $20,000 pen on $500 paper. There’s a few reasons as to why the average player is more consistent and more successful with their fairway wood over their driver, and I’m gonna hit ya with the knowledge.

Loft is your friend and the higher the loft the more forgiving the club. This is why you hit your 7 iron better than your 5 iron, and so on. When I hear an amateur say that they hit their driver too high and want a loft around 8° I cringe. It may appear to them that they are hitting it too high because it isn’t going anywhere. This is due to too much spin. A lot of mid to high handicappers are too steep and hit down on their driver. This causes the ball to be struck high on the face with an incredibly high launch angle and the spin of an iron. Yes, this ball will go nowhere and your buddies will do the cute “popcorn, peanuts, cracker jacks” routine as you all watch your awesome pop fly into right field. But guess what club is actually designed to be struck with a negative attack angle, or hit down on…that’s right, your 3-wood! You tee it low, stay down and through it, and hit it with a high launch and low spin. Voila! You hate your driver. Plus, the higher the loft the less sidespin you will have on your miss-hits. Don’t be afraid to try 11° or 12° of loft.

In the never-ending battle to get off the tee long and straight, I suggest trying the following to get you on the right track. Don’t be afraid to try more loft, like 11° or 12°, especially if you struggle with a slice/fade miss. In the case of being a player that is too steep and hits “down” on their driver, you are actually going to want to adjust your loft lower to decrease the launch angle. Also, take a lesson from your local pro on flattening out your swing and hitting the driver on the upswing at a positive attack angle. Experiment with different shaft lengths as well. Choke down on your driver or have your local shop trim it a bit. It’s a quick and inexpensive trial and you may see huge benefits. Just remember, if you trim more than an inch you will change the swing weight and the shaft will play a hair stiffer.