Why Am I Topping My Fairway Woods And How To Stop It

Why Am I Topping My Fairway Woods And How To Stop It

Last year I played 18-holes with two students who were decent players. The one played off a 6, while the other was a 15. The 15-handicapper had a solid short game, but he topped about 20-shots during the round. This post looks at why I am topping my fairway woods.

I will explain to you what I told my mid-handicap companion. Plus, I address why you are topping it and teach you how to correct it.

Intro To Topping Fairway Woods In Your Personal Experience

There are few worse feelings than being in a position to reach a par 5 in two, only to duff your shot. In my experience, I have found that I top my fairway woods for two reasons. The first is my ball position, and the second and most important is weight shift.

It is essential to readjust the position of your ball based on the surface you are hitting off. Your ball should be towards your lead heel if you are on the tee box. However, off the deck, you need to connect the ball at the bottom of your swing. Therefore, you move it slightly back in your stance.

The second error I make when I top my wood shots is a lack of weight transfer. I fail to shift my weight from the back foot to the front, which causes me to lean back and bottom the clubhead out before the ball.

Complete Overview Of Why People Top Fairway Woods

According to teaching professional Todd Kolb, there are three reasons why golfers top fairways woods. They stem from weight shift, swing direction, and ball position.

Kolb explains that golfers struggle to shift their weight from the back to the front on the downswing. That causes you to lean back and bottom the clubhead out before the golf ball.

The second issue is swing direction. Because a fairway wood has a longer shaft than irons, you may stand further back from the ball than you should. As a result, you induce a shallow swing that sends the club around the body. When this occurs, you struggle to get your club on plane, and it bottoms out before the golf ball.

Finally, ball position is the simplest reason why people top fairway woods. When you are hitting off the deck, you need to strike the ball at the bottom of your swing. That creates compression and generates rapid ball speed, sending your ball long.

If your golf ball is too far forward in the stance, your club head will bottom inches in front of the ball and cause you to top it.

 

What Are The Main Reasons For Topping Fairway Woods

Wrong Club Length

Using the incorrect shaft length could cause you to top your fairway woods. If your shaft is too long, you may cast the club out and follow a steep angle of attack down to the ball. That can cause your low point to occur early.

Solution

My advice is to visit a club-fitter. They will get you set up on a launch monitor and run a few tests to identify the correct club length and loft for you. You could figure this out by trial and error, but it is time-consuming, and I do not suggest pursuing that wild goose chase.

Swing Mechanics Errors

Your swing direction and weight shift are two core swing mechanics errors made by amateurs. As Kolb explained, you may stand too far away from your golf ball when swinging a fairway wood. That prompts you to take your club low and around your body.

The angle of attack causes the low point of the swing to occur behind the ball. As a result, your clubhead bounces up and catches the top of your golf ball.

The second issue is weight transition. Failure to shift your weight forward on the downswing causes you to lean back and bottom the clubhead out early.

Solution

The first step is to stand the correct distance away from the ball, which I will touch on below. The second approach is to produce optimal weight shift from the back to the front on your downswing.

Standing Wrong Distance From The Ball

As I explained before, standing the incorrect distance from the ball prompts a swing that leads to a top. The further away from the ball you stand, the more likely you are to swing inside along a flat plane.

This direction makes it challenging for amateurs to get their clubhead back on path to compress the ball at impact. Instead, you send your clubhead crashing into the turf before connecting the ball.

In this video, Me And My Golf explains where you should set up your golf ball for fairway wood strikes off the deck.

Solution

Make sure that you can comfortably take the club away and produce your standard swing. If you feel you are restricted, stand slightly closer to the ball.

Incorrect Weight Placement

Another reason amateurs top their fairway wood shots is because they set up as if they were swinging a driver. I see golfers lean their shoulders back to get into position to sweep the ball into the air.

Placing your weight back causes the bottom of your swing to occur before the golf club reaches the ball. In addition, failing to transfer your weight from your back to your front leg causes you to lean back and ground the club short of the ball.

Solution

Do not set up as you would for a tee shot. Instead, keep your shoulders level at address and induce your standard swing. Ensure that you shift your weight from your backfoot to your front on the downswing. That helps you guide your clubhead into position to strike the ball at the bottom of your swing.

Backswing Too Fast

Many of my topped shots have stemmed from trying to smash the ball further than Kyle Berkshire. Unfortunately, my accelerated backswing causes my mechanics to implode, and I fall off the shot. As a result, I lean back, and my clubhead hits the turf before the ball.

Solution

Do not try and kill the ball. Take an easy backswing and follow through. Your ball goes further when struck out the sweet spot with a slow swing.

Ball Placement Too Far Forward

Todd Kolb explains that amateurs often position the ball too far forward in their stance. That is because they attempt to replicate the set-up of a tee shot with a wood. If your ball is too far forward, your club will bottom out before it reaches the dimples, causing a topped shot.

Solution

Kolb recommends you align your golf ball with the logo of your shirt. It is too far forward for right-handers if it aligns with anything left of your logo.

 

Top 5 Tips For Hitting Fairway Woods Well

Tip 1 – Align Ball With Shirt Logo

The first step to hitting a clean fairway wood is optimal ball position. If you are right-handed, use your shirt logo for guidance. The ball should be in-line with your logo. Left handers must ensure that the ball aligns with your right pectoral muscle.

Tip 2 – Stand A Comfortable Distance From The Ball

When you set up for a fairway wood shot, ensure that you are at a comfortable distance from the ball. Take a few practice swings to ensure that the clubface is positioned to strike the ball at the bottom of the swing.

If you can only take the club inside and on a shallow angle, you might be standing too far away from the ball. Move an inch or two closer to the ball for a more comfortable position.

Tip 3 – Do Not Setup For A Drive

Do not drop your back shoulder, and prepare to sweep the golf ball off the tee. You need to catch the ball at the low point of your swing for a clean strike and a powerful launch. If you position your weight back, your club will hit the turf before the ball leading to a topped shot.

Tip 4 – Swing Easy

There is no need for a lightning-quick swing. That will undo your mechanics and can prompt a topped shot. The answer is an easy swing, which leads to a strike out of the sweet spot.

Tip 5 – Transition Your Weight

The final step to hitting your fairway woods well is to transition weight from your back foot to the front. Failure to achieve this will destabilize your swing and bottom the clubhead out before the ball.

 

FAQ

How To Hit A Wood Off The Tee?

Hitting a wood off the tee is not as complex as it should be. The main difference from a shot off the deck is the ball and impact position. You need to place the ball further forward in your stance from the tee. That helps you sweep the ball off the tee and into the air.

How To Hit A Wood Off The Ground?

Move your ball in line with the logo of your shirt. Then prepare to strike the ball at the low point of your swing. Furthermore, you need to optimize weight transfer on your downswing to ensure you guide the clubface to connect the ball cleanly and not before.

How do you stop topping hybrids?

The core reasons golfers top hybrids are their ball position, and a lack of weight transfer. The shorter golf clubs require the ball to sit marginally towards the center of your stance. Next, you need to prompt optimal weight transfer to ensure you guide the clubhead to the ball at the low point of your swing.

Conclusion

There you have your guide on how to stop topping your fairway woods. It is a simple solution but challenging to execute. The next time you struggle to strike your fairway woods, think about ball position, weight transfer, and stance.

Align the ball with the logo of your shirt, swing easy, and transfer your weight from the back to the front foot. If you follow these simple steps, you stand a higher chance of striking your ball cleanly and optimizing your distance off the deck.