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Fairway WoodsHybrids Hybrids Beginner / Intermediate ⏱ 9 min 🇫🇷 Video in French

Hitting Your Hybrid: Aim for a tee in front of the ball

Is your hybrid hitting the top of the ball? Lewis Wallace focuses on the moment between impact and the forward foot’s swing through. Keeping your chest facing the ground, keeping the clubhead close to the fairway, and using a simple tee placed in front of the ball will eliminate the “chicken wing.”.

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Lewis Wallace
Lewis Wallace · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.

To be continued

5 minNext Level UpFairway Woods: Keep the Club Low in the TakeawayDavid Bobrowski · Intermediate12 minSame problemHitting Your Fairway Wood: Start with Your StanceDanny Maude · Beginner / Intermediate14 minFrom the same proCombo Iron Set: Custom-Made Head, Shaft, and GripLewis Wallace · Intermediate / Expert

What the lesson shows

With hybrids, just as with fairway woods, two common flaws keep cropping up. The clubhead rises too quickly after making contact and hitting the top of the ball, with his left arm bent at chicken wing: The ball isn't compressed and doesn't take off well. And when trying to lift the ball, you stay on your back leg, with your upper body turned forward.

The correction consists of two images. First, the chest remains facing the floor from impact until the clubhead passes the front foot, even though the angle of attack remains more tangential than with an iron. Then, the clubhead travels as close to the ground as possible. The exercise: plant a tee about one and a half club lengths in front of the ball, toward the target, and aim to make contact with the ball after it has been struck. When using a hybrid, Lewis Wallace prefers a very shallow divot—or none at all.

The Exercise, Step by Step

  1. Place a tee about one and a half clubheads in front of the ball, in the direction of the target.
  2. During the practice swing, get into the desired position: chest toward the ground, clubhead close to the ground.
  3. Exaggerate the sensation slightly—your right knee moves toward the target.
  4. Hit the ball, trying to hit the tee as well.
  5. On the course, if you don't have a tee, visualize a point in front of the ball and aim for it.

Key Takeaways

The key moment is from the moment of contact to the clubhead passing the front foot.
Wanting to lift the ball encourages you to stay on your back leg.
Chest facing the ground upon impact, not facing the target.
The clubhead should travel close to the ground after the ball.
Left arm extended, even if slightly bent: never a "chicken wing.".
With a hybrid club, you brush the ground: a very shallow divot or no divot at all.

Mistakes to Avoid

  • A club head that follows through quickly after contact with the ball.
  • His left arm was bent at the moment of impact.
  • Stay on your back leg to get the ball off the ground.
  • The upper body facing forward at impact.
  • Look for a large divot, just as you would with a short iron.

Driving Range Mode

Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.

  1. Tee up in front of the ball, one and a half club lengths away
  2. A practice swing that marks the position after impact
  3. Hits aimed at the tee
  4. A variation suggested by a golfer: a small pebble instead of a tee

Your Questions

Where exactly should the tee be placed?

In front of the ball, toward the target, a little more than one clubhead length away—about one and a half clubheads. The goal is to hit it after striking the ball.

Should you take a divot with a hybrid club?

Lewis Wallace prefers a very shallow divot—or none at all: with a hybrid, you brush the ground rather than strike it as you would with an iron.

Can I keep my left arm slightly bent?

Yes, slightly. What you want to avoid is having your arm completely bent like a chicken wing, which is a sign that the clubhead is coming up too early.

Does this exercise also work with fairway woods?

The video demonstrates this for both hybrids and fairway woods, with the same concept of keeping the clubhead close to the ground.

Learn More

All “Fairway wood” videos →Find the lesson that's right for youAll “Hybrids” videos →Find the lesson that's right for you Sliding the hybrid along the ground: the two-tee drillShoulders at the same angle, the polo shirt’s buttons facing the ball, the clubhead slipped between two tees: you don’t need perfect contact with a hybrid. Fairway Woods: Keep the Club Low in the TakeawayWith the 3-wood and 5-wood, let the clubhead skim the ground a little longer in the takeaway to create more distance and a shallower angle of attack. Lewis WallaceAll of his lessons

Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Lewis Wallace). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons without hosting them.

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