The Best Drills for Hitting Hybrids and Fairway Woods Consistently
We all know how important the short game is to scoring low, but that doesn’t mean we can overlook the long game. With skilled fairway woods and hybrids, you can shorten holes and give your short game the chance to shine.
Those who struggle with their fairway woods and hybrids are susceptible to big numbers on longer holes. If used correctly, these clubs can be a massive asset to your game.
Use these drills the next time you’re at the driving range and start making your fairway woods and hybrids a strength of your game.
Hitting Hybrids and Fairway Woods (Key Takeaways)
Keep these key elements in mind when working on your hybrids and fairway woods. These clubs are longer, so the margin for error is small and requires your attention and concentration.
- Casting the wrists is the most common error among recreational golfers.
- Train your swing to always be in a position to release the clubhead effectively.
- Optimize wrist action to maximize power and stabilize a square clubface.
- Avoid swaying your body and instead focus on rotating back and through the impact zone.
- The ground is your friend and can be used efficiently to produce more power with all fairway woods and hybrids.
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The Secret to a Better Golf Swing Starts with Your Wrists!
Your clubface angle at impact controls over 80% of your shot’s direction—and it all comes down to your wrists. Click here for the best drills to master your wrist mechanics and take control of your swing.
Drills to Hit Fairway Woods Consistently
Use these drills to address the most common mistakes amateurs make when hitting fairway woods off the turf. You won’t ever need a tee again after!
Avoid Casting Drill
It’s very easy to cast your fairway wood and unhinge the wrists too early in the downswing. This causes a loss of power and inconsistent ball striking.
Due to the length of the club, it’s crucial to maintain your wrist angles longer, and the best way to do that is with this drill.
- Video Timestamp: 8:44 – 10:54
Avoid Casting Drill – Step by Step
- Start at your normal address and take the club back to the top of the swing.
- Perform your downswing in slow motion while moving every aspect of your body, but not unhinging your wrists.
- Only at the point of impact do you allow your wrists to release and strike the ball.
- This drill is best performed with the Hackmotion sensor, as the app will alert you if you’re casting at any point during the downswing. You can also perform this drill at full speed when wearing the Hackmotion.
Hackmotion Release Drill
Almost as important as a proper downswing is a proper release. The length of the fairway wood makes the timing of this slightly more difficult than a regular iron shot.
This Hackmotion drill is unique because it tracks your every movement from your shoulder turn, wrist action, and tempo.
Doing this without Hackmotion is still beneficial, but it will take longer to see results and could cause confusion if not done correctly.
Perfect Your Release with HackMotion
Fine-tune your release for consistent contact. Start with a short swing to master control before adding power.
HackMotion Release Drill – Step by Step
- Take your normal address with your fairway wood and take the club back until it’s parallel to the ground.
- From here, initiate your downswing and follow all the way through to a full finish.
- This process gives you time to identify a full release and ensure your shoulders, arms, wrists, and hips are working together.
- The Hackmotion system will alert you if any aspect is out of position.
- This drill can be done with a ball once you’re comfortable with the practice swings.
Motorcycle Drill
Your wrists play a huge role in every aspect of golf, but especially with longer clubs. For amateurs and recreational golfers, it’s important to optimize their movements as much as possible.
The Hackmotion golf drills team has developed this comprehensive drill to pinpoint your wrist movements and ensure they are operating effectively at every point in the backswing and downswing.
Without Hackmotion, you would have to perform this drill with a mirror, and you still would not get the same detailed feedback.
HackMotion Motorcycle Drill – Step by Step:
- Take your normal address position.
- On the backswing, maintain correct wrist hinge and extension as per Hackmotion sensors.
- As you begin your downswing, begin to flex your wrists like you’re revving the throttle of a motorcycle. The key is to time it so you reach full flexion by the time your club head approaches the impact zone.
- Continue to release through the ball and into your full follow-through position.
- If you’re using Hackmotion, this can be done with a ball at full speed.
Prevent Swaying Drill
The foundation of a great swing is built on efficient body rotation. Coiling your hips and shoulders is a consistent method to create solid contact over and over again.
When swinging a longer club like any fairway wood, the tendency is to shift or sway back and then try to time the shift back into the ball. This has disastrous results.
You will need an alignment stick for this one, and it’s best to be done on a real grass practice tee. If you are indoors, you’ll have to get more creative to produce the apparatus in the video, but it can be done.
- Video Timestamp: 4:49 – 8:38
Prevent Swaying Drill – Step by Step:
- Insert an alignment stick in the ground at about a 45° angle so the top is a few inches away from your trailing hip.
- Take practice backswings that ensure your hip does not touch the alignment stick.
- You can hit balls with this drill, just make sure to adjust the stick as needed based on ball position after a few divots have been taken.
Drills to Hit Hybrids Consistently
Hybrids can be very beneficial to anyone’s game, but especially mid-high handicappers. They are much easier to hit than long irons and fairway woods and offer more versatility.
Use these hybrid-specific drills to master your hybrids and make them a strength of your game.
Ball Position Drill
The first step to improving your hybrids is to get set up correctly. Too many golfers misunderstand how to address hybrids and either treat them too much like woods or too much like irons.
The truth is, they are their own subsect. Use this drill to optimize ball position for any hybrid and give yourself the best chance at striking the ball consistently every time.
- Video Timestamp: 0:48 – 3:41
Ball Position Drill – Step by Step:
- Lay down an alignment stick perpendicular to your target line, just inside your lead heel.
- Line a ball up that is two ball widths inside the alignment stick.
- Allow your hips to drive the swing to create the optimal spine angle.
- Adjust the alignment stick position as needed based on the divots you take.
Use the Ground/Faster Backswing
This is a more advanced-level drill for those golfers looking to produce more power and increase their club head speed with the hybrids. It involves using your lower body and playing with the timing of your swing.
This drill may take some time to produce results, but it could be worth it for those who have yardage gaps in their set and need a few extra yards.
- Video Timestamp: 11:31 – 15:57
Use the Ground/Faster Backswing – Step by Step:
- Address the ball as you normally would with your favorite hybrid.
- Initiate your backswing faster than you normally would. You can measure this using the advanced sensors included in the Hackmotion system.
- During your downswing, feel like you are pushing into the ground, favoring your lead foot.
- At the point of impact, allow yourself to lift up to your original position.
- These movements should be slight, as you do not want to sacrifice solid contact.
- Maintain a balanced and complete follow-through.
Hackmotion Faldo Drill
It’s safe to say that any suggestion Sir Nick Faldo makes is worth taking to heart. As one of the premier swingers of a golf club, Faldo has proven over his illustrious career that he is not only skilled but also a student of the game.
Part of what makes his swing so dependable is how smoothly he transitions from the top of the swing, which is crucial when swinging hybrids. This drill, exclusive to the Hackmotion app, will help you access Mr. Faldo’s knowledge and apply it to your hybrids seamlessly.
HackMotion Faldo Drill
Reach a solid Top position with just the right amount of wrist hinge.
HackMotion Faldo Drill – Step by Step:
- From your usual address position, take your club back to parallel to the ground by only hinging your wrists. Do not turn your body yet.
- Once you’ve confirmed optimal wrist hinge with the Hackmotion app (it will make a chime sound, and the screen will turn green), you can continue to the top of the swing with your normal body rotation.
- At the top of the swing, the Hackmotion sensors will measure your wrist position, and if you are in the correct position, the app will instruct you to finish your swing.
- Each rep will be recorded automatically by the app so you can keep track of your progress over time.
Tees Under the Arms Drill
Putting all the right moves together is the secret to hitting your hybrids solidly and as consistently as possible.
This old-school drill can be combined with Hackmotion to ensure your hybrid swing is firing on all cylinders.
- Video Timestamp: 8:39 – 12:01
Tees Under the Arms Drill – Step by Step:
- Address a ball as you normally would, but place a tee under each arm.
- You may need to shorten your backswing slightly for this drill to work, and that’s ok.
- As you take swings, ensure the tees do not fall out. They may only fall once you’ve reached your full follow-through position.
- Use this drill on the range before each round to create a one-piece motion where all the moving parts of your swing meld together to make one harmonious swing.
Final Thoughts
Using hybrids and fairway woods can take your game to the next level. With these drills, you’ll be able to attack par 5s, score on long par 3s, and hit narrow fairways with ease.
Whether off the ground or the tee, you will be confident standing over the ball, which produces better shots and better scores.
Hackmotion plays a considerable role in improving all aspects of your game, but when it comes to the full swing, this system is like having a professional golf coach standing by your side at all times. With unique drills, personalized suggestions, and immediate feedback, you’ll see improvements right away.
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