To Strike Your Woods Always Do This Before Every Swing

Are you struggling with your fairway wood shots? You’re not alone. Learn how to transform your game with small adjustments that lead to longer, straighter strikes!
Struggling to hit clean fairway wood or hybrid shots from the turf? You are not alone. A few small setup and pre-shot habits will transform inconsistent contact into reliable, repeatable strikes. The focus is simple: keep the swing circle steady and maintain consistent head height. Follow the step-by-step routine below, and you will start to strike your woods more often — longer, straighter, and with far fewer tops, thin shots, and fat shots.

Table of Contents

• Step 1: Assess the Lie and Set Ball Position
• Step 2: Control the Swing Circle Radius
• Step 3: Use the Tilt-and-Turn Drill
• Step 4: Keep Head Height Steady
• Step 5: Create a Pre-Shot Routine
• Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Practice Plan: Short and Effective
• Summary: Strike Your Woods More Often
• Frequently Asked Questions

Step 1: Assess the Lie and Set Ball Position Consistently

Before every shot, take two seconds to read the lie and confirm ball position. This tiny habit prevents two of the most common errors: fat shots when the ball sits high and thin shots when the ball sits low relative to your stance.

If the ball is sitting up above your feet, the ground is effectively closer to your body. If you grip and stand as normal, you are more likely to catch the turf before the ball and produce a fat shot. Compensate by moving your hands slightly down the grip, or by adjusting your posture so the clubhead has room to work through the ball without hitting the ground early.

If the ball is below your feet, you will naturally be further from the ground. Without adjustment, you may thin or top it. Fix this with a subtle forward bend at the hips so you are closer to the ball. You do not need exaggerated moves. Small changes in posture give the club a better chance to strike the ball with the intended loft.

Ball position for a fairway wood should be slightly forward compared with a mid-iron. A useful visual is to imagine the center of the swing circle at your lead shoe. Place the ball about one clubhead width inside your lead heel — just behind the center of your swing circle. That location encourages a slightly downward strike but preserves enough loft for the ball to climb. If the ball is too far forward, the club starts to travel upward, and tops become more likely. Too far back and you might feel a crisp contact, but the ball will not get up because the effective loft is reduced.

Step 2: Control the Swing Circle Radius

The golf swing is a circle. Keeping that circle steady is the foundation of consistent ball striking. One of the most overlooked details is the radius of that circle — the distance between your hands and your body — and how it changes throughout the swing.

The golf swing is a circle. Keep it steady for effortless ball striking.

When the radius opens or collapses during the swing, the club moves in and out of the intended path, and the contact quality suffers.

• Arms spreading away from the body on the backswing so the club lifts and loses track of the ball.
• Collapsing the arms toward the chest with excessive tension, which shortens the radius and creates a jerky motion.
• An inconsistent radius through impact that produces thin, fat, or topped shots.

Step 3: Use the Tilt-and-Turn Drill

To make the radius feel even more stable, add a tilt-and-turn move that aligns your body so the club strikes slightly into the ground ahead of the ball. This helps fairway woods climb and prevents thin strikes.

• Hold the club out in front of you at address and tilt your upper body slightly away from the target. This creates a small shoulder tilt and a tilted swing plane.
• Turn your torso toward the target while keeping the arms fixed at the same radius. You are rehearsing the feeling of a tilted circle that still keeps the hands at a constant distance from the chest.
• Bring your back to the ball and make a controlled half-swing or three-quarter swing, still maintaining the radius and tilt.

Step 4: Keep Head Height Steady for Better Strikes

Once the radius is under control, the next common disruptor is vertical head movement. If your head bobs up or down during the swing, it alters your posture and the plane of the swing circle. A rising head tends to open the clubface and produces thin shots. Excessive lowering of the head can cause fat shots.

Use a practical, on-course drill before every fairway wood shot to keep head height locked in:

1. Use a driver or any long club in your bag as a visual reference and position it upright in the ground near your stance.
2. Set up to the ball with your normal tilt and posture. Note the relative height of your head compared with the reference club.
3. Make a few slow practice swings focusing on keeping your head at the same height relative to the reference. You are not forced to be totally rigid — small, natural rotation happens — but the vertical level should be steady.

Keeping the head roughly the same height preserves the inclination of the body and the tilted circle. That tilting keeps the club traveling on an arc that strikes the turf slightly ahead of the ball, which is exactly what you want with fairway woods and hybrids.

Step 5: Build a Pre-Shot Routine for Reliable Strikes

Take these steps and make them your brief pre-shot ritual. The routine should take no longer than 10 seconds and will help you build consistent motor patterns under pressure.

1. Read the lie. Adjust grip length or posture if the ball is high or low in the stance.
2. Confirm ball position: roughly one clubhead width inside the lead heel so you can strike slightly down.
3. Take one or two practice swings keeping your arms at their starting radius. Do not tense the arms.
4. Perform the tilt-and-turn rehearsal: club in front, tilt away from target, rotate to the target while maintaining the same radius.
5. Use the reference club drill to ensure your head height remains steady during the swing.
6. Execute the shot with a relaxed grip and intent to maintain the same circle and head level.

Repeat this sequence before every hybrid or fairway wood shot. The cumulative effect is substantial: fewer mis-hits, more consistent distance, and improved trajectory control.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Tensing the arms in an attempt to “hold” the radius. Tension reduces feel and timing. Keep arms relaxed and simply be aware of the distance between hands and chest.
• Ignoring the lie and not adjusting grip or posture. If the ground is closer or farther away, make a small adjustment.
• Letting the head rise during the downswing. The head can move slightly, but large vertical movement breaks the circle.
• Putting the ball too far forward for a fairway wood. That causes the club to be traveling upward at impact and increases the chance of topping the ball.

Practice Plan: Short and Effective

If you only have a few minutes before a round, use this micro-practice plan to lock in the feeling:

1. Set up three balls on the fairway or practice area.
2. For each ball, run through the 10-second pre-shot routine (read the lie, confirm ball position, 2 practice swings holding the radius, tilt-and-turn rehearsal, reference-head check).
3. Hit the shot with the intent to maintain the same circle rather than trying to hit it “hard.”
4. After three shots, reflect briefly on what felt different and what you saw. Small adjustments are fine; avoid over-coaching yourself mid-round.

This is a practical, on-course approach that delivers results because it trains the exact sensations you need to reproduce under pressure. It is especially effective for golfers who do most of their practice on the course rather than on the range.

Summary: How to Strike Your Woods More Often

To strike your woods consistently, focus on two primary elements: the radius of the swing and head height. Keep your arms at a consistent distance from your chest throughout the swing. Keep your head at roughly the same height so the tilt and circle remain steady. Add quick, intentional rehearsal maneuvers before each shot — read the lie, set ball position, make a couple of controlled practice swings holding the radius, tilt and turn to create the correct arc, and use a reference to keep head height steady.

These small, repeatable steps create reliable motor patterns that lead to cleaner contact, more loft at impact, and better ball flight. Execute the routine before every hybrid and fairway wood, and you will notice improvement within minutes and consistent gains over weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions