How to Hit a Drive With Your Three Wood

How to strike the driving shot in your Golf round with a three wood:

Its a very powerful shot that, when carried out correctly, is a great alternative to the driver if Big Bertha is playing up. More importantly however, Tiger, more often than not, finds the centre of the fairway with a three wood because it promotes further accuracy.

You will feel more in command and the ball trajectory that the shot generates is both piercing and ensures run on the fairway. In fact, there are many reasons to have this shot in your armoury. The little changes to your stance and swing it requires are well worth developing as follows:

Tee the ball up low and aiming a little left of the target – push the tee down low, take your 3 wood and place the golf ball in the middle of your stance with your weight a little more on your target side. In addition you need to aim left as the ball position makes the club collect the ball a little sooner, so the club-face will be to some extent open.

Hold the Grip further down the handle – this will give you much more control over the golf swing, but do not forget to keep your grip firm but not tight, at say number five on a scale of ten where ten is very strong.

Reduce the tension in your arms and hands to get the effect of a nice fluid golf swing. Do not forget to remember not to tense up, not only on this shot but on every golf shot.

Keep your Weight in the middle of your stance – your weight should stay in the middle in the backswing. Do not move it onto your back foot. Limiting your weight shift will allow you to stay over of the ball, fully squeezing it when it comes to impact.

This set up will provide a steeper direction of attack to create that lower, more powerful flight which we are trying to acquire.

Rediscover your club angle – at impact, the shaft of your club needs to rediscover the forward angle it had at address. Create this by keeping the hands a touch in front of the club-head as you hit the ball. This keeps the loft off the club-head, sending the golf ball on a lower more penetrating ball flight.

Shorten the follow through – holding back your follow through is a natural situation to get into when playing this kind of shot. This is because you are not allowing the club to fully release, caused by the club angle you used to get the lower trajectory flight.

Although you might not get the same yardage as a flawless hit with your Big Bertha, but this type of shot will only be a few metres behind. Importantly you will hit the short grass far more often and in nice shape to go for the pin with your next stroke.

Try this on the driving range first and build up your confidence with this shot; you will be amazed how successful it is.