If you have a good grip and a fundamental understanding of the basic swing, wood shots should not give you too much trouble. The full swing is employed in hitting both the fairway woods and the driver, but there is a distinct difference and, as a result, a different feeling between hitting a ball off a grassy lie and hitting off a tee.

The best way that I can describe the difference is this: When playing your fairway woods, you must have the feeling that you are hitting slightly down on the ball, just as you do iron shots, whereas in driving a ball from a tee, where you are striving for as much distance as possible, you must feel that you are hitting slightly up on the ball at impact.

Tests have shown that, to hit a ball with maximum distance and carry, the ball must fly on a 45-degree trajectory. Since most drivers are constructed with 10 to 12 degrees loft, this would mean that the driver must be slightly inclined upward at impact in order to achieve this 45-degree trajectory.

This does not mean that you must perform a lifting action with your hands and arms in the hitting area in order to get the ball into the air. On the contrary, the arms are merely extended fully in the hitting area, thus forcing the hands into a whipping action which creates a wide, low arc with the clubhead as it smashes into and through the ball. Assuming that you have positioned yourself over the ball correctly (it should be slightly inside your left heel) at the address and that you are in correct position coming into the hitting area, the clubhead will automatically be coming slightly up as it contacts the ball.

I do not believe you should consciously strive to hit up on the ball; rather, you should create the feeling of sweeping the ball off the tee with the clubhead.

THE DRIVER. Driving with controlled power is one of the greatest achievements in golf. If you have the physical ability to swing hard and can still control the ball, the game can be infinitely easier for you. However, distance doesn't mean a thing if you do not have control to go with it. It is far better to hit the ball 225 yards down the middle of the fairway than 250 yards and be in the trees or rough off the fairway.

Of the players on the PGA tour, I think Arnold Palmer exemplifies the professional golfer of this era who can hit for distance and yet not sacrifice accuracy. Palmer has tremendous power and uses it to great advantage, not only with his woods but in his iron game as well. Gary Player, the young South African who won the 1961 Masters title, is another player who hits the ball great distances, despite the fact that he is not very big. Both Palmer and Player employ the "power swing," in which they hit the ball as hard as they can on all of their full shots. Yet, they still have full command of their swing and of their shots. How do they do it? They both learned one very important thing early in their careers which has given them controlled power. It is simply this: you learn to swing hard first, and then you learn control by practicing and playing under the heat of competition.

Fig. 84. Address for a wood shot. The stance is slightly closed, and the feet are as far apart as the width of the shoulders. The knees are flexed, and weight is evenly distributed. The ball is about an inch inside the left heel.

Says Palmer, "My father [a professional himself] taught me to swing hard, and sometimes I would even fly off my feet trying to hit the ball. I was often criticized for this, but I figured I could learn control and balance as I became more experienced. The success I have had in winning tournaments, particularly ones of major importance, has proven that I was correct in learning the way I did."

Palmer's advice is not only sound but highly recommended. Remember, distance is directly related to the speed with which you swing the clubhead. Clubhead speed is achieved through a combination of movements involving the muscles of the body, arms, and hands. It all starts, however, with a good address (Fig. 84).

The ball is positioned just inside the left heel and the hands are just over, if not slightly behind, the ball at the address. The stance is slightly closed in order to permit a full, free turn of the shoulders and hips on the back-swing. Note in Fig. 84 the full extension of the left arm, while the right arm is relaxed and close to my right side. My hands, however, are a full finger span away from my left leg. This full extension of my left arm gives me the fullest arc possible during my swing. My knees are flexed in slightly to give me a tripod balance, and my weight is evenly distributed between both feet.

On the backswing, strive for a one-piece movement by taking the clubhead away from the ball first, followed by the movement of the hands, arms, shoulders, and hips, in that order, until you reach the top of the backswing. After the clubhead moves away from the ball, I feel that my arms and shoulders create the one-piece movement through a turning action of the shoulders and a lifting movement of the arms. As the hands reach a point about belt-high, the wrists begin a gradual cocking action which helps create the delayed-hitting technique that is so important for hitting the ball a great distance.

At the top of the swing (Fig. 85), the shoulders have turned a full 90 degrees while the hips have turned only 45 degrees in relation to their basic address position. The right elbow points toward the ground and the left arm is straight and firm.

At the start of the downswing, the left hip moves laterally (toward the target) first and then begins a turning movement around and to the left which "clears" the entire left side so that the arms and hands can lash out at the ball without the body blocking the force of the blow. Figures 86 and 87 should be studied carefully, for they reveal two of the most important body positions during the swing. Figure 86 reveals these important points:

1. The wrists are fully cocked as I enter the hitting area.

2. My right elbow has returned to my right side and is helping to lead the arms and hands into the hitting area.

3. My left heel is firmly planted on the ground.

4. My weight is shifting to the left side.

5. A strong pulling-down action is being exerted by my left hand, arm, and shoulder, yet my head is still behind the ball and in the same relative position as it was at address.

Fig. 85. Full power turn at the top of the swing. About 85 per cent of the weight is on the right side. The left knee is flexed inward, and the left foot has rolled inward with the heel about an inch off the ground.

Fig. 86. Turning on the power into the downswing. The wrists are fully cocked, the right elbow is close to the right side, and the weight is rapidly shifting to the left side. The shoulders are turning around the fixed hub of the swing, which is the neck.

Figure 87 shows a full extension of the arms after the ball has been struck. This releasing action is initiated by a slight turning of the left hand and wrist just as the hands reach a point opposite the right leg. The right forearm and right hand then take over to swing the clubhead through the ball with terrific force as the body completes the turn.

This movement takes place so quickly that it is almost impossible to try to do it consciously. The releasing action through the ball should be a completely natural movement, and this can be accomplished only through many hours of hard work and timing of the swing on the practice tee.

After the arms and hands pass by the body, the weight moves over and to the outside of the left leg and foot. The head remains behind the ball until the right shoulder and arm force it to come up. The momentum generated by the coiling and uncoiling action of the body brings the swing to a full, complete finish (Fig. 88), with the left leg firmly braced, the hips turned toward the target, the body in an erect position, and the hands about head-high.

Fig. 87. The ball is on its way after a powerful hit. The arms once again are fully extended toward the target, and the right hand is beginning to turn over the left hand.

Fig. 88. The momentum generated by the coiling and uncoiling action of the body brings the swing to a full, complete finish. The left leg is firmly braced, and the body is in an erect position.

THE FAIRWAY WOODS. In playing the fairway woods, the hands should be slightly ahead of the ball at address. This will not only help you take the clubhead away from the ball smoothly and to the inside of the line of flight going back, but it will also help you hit slightly down on the ball in the hitting area.

Aside from this, the swing is basically the same as for the driver. Most beginners tend to hurry the swing when hitting a fairway wood shot. Make sure to complete a full shoulder turn on the backswing; then start the downswing smoothly, and your chances of hitting the shot successfully will be much greater.

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