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Why does my 3 wood go so high?

Author

Daniel Moore

Published Jan 07, 2026

Hooking a 3-wood is a common miss, and it happens for a common reason: Players who struggle with this club tend to set up as if they're hitting a driver. The ball is positioned off their front foot, and the upper body is well behind the ball at address.

How high should a 3 wood go?

When you tee up a 3 wood, you want it just slightly above the ground. It doesn't need to be teed as low as an iron, but whatever you do…don't tee it up high like a driver. This will give you the best opportunity to make solid contact on the sweet spot of the club.

How do I hit my 3 wood lower?

  1. How do you hit a 3-wood well?
  2. Step 1: Make sure you have a good lie.
  3. Step 2: Position the ball forward in your stance.
  4. Step 3: Set up with your weight evenly distributed.
  5. Step 4: Keep your chest over the ball.
  6. Step 5: Don't overswing and maintain a smooth tempo.
  7. Step 6: Transfer weight into your lead leg in the downswing.

Why do I SKY my 3 wood off the tee?

Sky shots occur most often from the teeing ground, while the ball sits on top of a tee. Therefore, the first place to look at is the height of the tee itself. It is more than likely that sky shots produced from the teeing ground came as a result of a ball that was sitting too high on a tee.

Why does my 3 wood go further than my driver?

1. Players who hit their 3- or 5-wood as far or longer than their driver are typically using too little loft with the driver for their clubhead speed. You know, it's a funny thing with the driver and its loft compared to the other clubs in the bag.

24 related questions found

Should I swing my 3 wood like a driver?

A good swing with a 3-wood can create greater accuracy off the tee than a driver. According to Golf Magazine, amateur golfers use their 3-wood as many as eight to 10 times per round.

How far does the average golfer hit a 3 wood?

How Far Should You Hit Your 3 Wood? On average, recreational golfers hit their 3 wood 224 yards, but the range will typically vary between 210-250 yards. The distance you hit the ball will depend on your skill level, the weather, and whether or not you're using a tee.

Why do I struggle with 3 wood?

It's particularly hard to hit your 3 wood if the ball is well above or below your feet. The length of the shaft means it is going to flex down a bit in the downswing – you are used to that (subconsciously) on flat ground, but it makes things very complicated on side slopes.

Why do I hook my woods but not my irons?

When you have your left foot sticking out further than your right foot, you will close off your body to the target. This can cause hands and arms to swing around with a slightly closed clubface and make the ball head to the left. The alignment is one of the most common causes of a hook.

Is a 3 wood easier to hit than a driver?

The swing of a 3-wood is closer to your iron swing and much easier than hitting a driver. The shorter shaft on the 3-wood provides more control and consistency so if you are at that dreaded first tee and feeling the pang of nerves, don't be afraid ton attack it with a 3 wood.

Where should a 3 wood be in your stance?

Check Your Ball Position

The ideal 3 wood ball position is to have it directly below the logo of your shirt. This ball should be in the front-center of your stance, approximately one to two inches behind where you place your driver.

What causes pull hook golf shots?

Definitely the most terrifying of all the hook, a pull hook is when the ball starts left and curves more left. It happens when the club path is neutral or moving left, and the clubface is pointing even more left.

How do you hold a fairway wood?

Grip the club tightly with your right hand partly over your left.

  1. Hold on tight to the club so you keep the motion in check.
  2. To make sure you're gripping tightly enough, place a coin on your left thumb before placing your right hand over it. Keep the quarter in place throughout your swing.

Why am I hitting driver low and left?

Hitting the ball too low can be caused by shifting your weight to your left side. By consciously planting your right foot and keeping your weight on it, you will prevent shifting your weight to the right.

How hard is it to hit a 3-wood?

The 3-wood is the hardest club to hit off the fairway, so using it to just advance the ball is crazy. Hit your 5-wood instead. The 5-wood has more loft, so it's easier to get the ball in the air.

Is it hard to hit a 3-wood off the fairway?

It's no secret that a 3-wood is one of the most difficult clubs in the bag to hit, especially off a tight lie on the fairway.

Do pros carry a 5 wood?

Of the top 100 PGA Tour players only 2 use a 4-wood, 30 use a 5-wood and 12 use a 7-wood. The lofts of the different fairway woods used by the pros however do not always match the standard so a 4, 5 or 7-wood of one player may be the same loft of a different numbered fairway wood of another golfer.

How far should a 70 year old man hit a golf ball?

A 70-year-old man should be hitting a driver anywhere from 180 to 190 yards. This number has grown a bit in the last few years with the introduction of improved driver and shaft technology. At 70 years old, some golfers are having no trouble getting the ball to fly 200 yards or more.

Is it easier to hit a hybrid or wood?

The main difference between fairway woods and hybrids is that fairway woods have a broader sole and larger head than hybrids and are hit further, but with a lower trajectory while hybrids are often more forgiving and easier to hit than long irons or fairway woods.

How much longer is a driver than a 3 wood?

The standard length of a men's driver is 45 inches, making it two inches longer than a 3 wood. For women, the standard length is 44 inches, again making it two inches longer than a 3 wood. It may not sound like much, but those two inches make a lot of difference to the mechanics and output of a swing.

Why do I hit the ground with my fairway wood?

If your ball position is too far forward, like a driver, you may hit the ground before the ball, costing you good contact and distance. It can be helpful to take a practice swing that hit the ground and see where the club makes contact with the ground relative to your stance.

How do I stop topping the golf ball with fairway woods?

The three things you need to do to correct the issue of topping the golf ball is:

  1. Keep your head still throughout the backswing. ...
  2. Next, you need to make sure you take a divot at impact. ...
  3. Finally, in order to create that divot, you'll need to shift your weight forward to your front side throughout the downswing.

How do I stop hitting a pull hook?

To correct your timing and stop hitting a pull, focus on the sequencing of the swing. As you reach the top of your backswing, make sure your lower body is the first thing to move toward the target. When you get the order right for all of the moving parts in your swing, you should get right back on track.