Golf: How To Nip Fairway Woods Off Short Grass

By: Mason Kaho

Break Studios Contributing Writer

It can be very difficult to learn how to nip fairway woods off short grass, but mastering the task can take strokes off your game. Long par fours and par fives often you require to hit a long second shot, and being able to hit your woods from the fairway will get you closer to par.

Draw your club back slow. A good golf swing has a slow, steady backswing that helps keep the golfer focused on mechanics. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and jerk the club back, but to hit fairway woods off short grass consistently, a steady backswing is important.
Square the club face. The key to making contact in golf is to bring the club head around so that it’s square to the ball at impact. When trying to hit fairway woods off short grass, if you leave your club face open, you will slice the ball; if you turn it over too much, the ball will hook.
Shift your weight. As you draw the club back from the ball, shift your weight to the back leg. To hit fairway woods off short grass well, you must shift your weight to your forward leg, as you bring the club into its downswing. The swing should be similar to that of your driver, and you should hit the ball with a sweeping motion.
Ball placement. Unlike your irons, which should be placed back in your stance, to hit fairway woods off short grass the ball should be close to your front foot. This will help you finish your hand rotation and close your club face, so you can cleanly lift the ball off the ground.
Practice. Much about having success in golf has to do with muscle memory and repeating a swing enough times that you know, down to the slightest movement, what you need to do throughout your swing to hit the ball well. To nip fairway woods off short grass, this is especially true, since you are trying to get a large club head down to ground level and hit the ball cleanly without touching the ground. The only way to master this is with consistent practice.