Stiff it with your fairway wood

Even though hybrids are more popular than ever (and easy to hit), you still have to handle your fairway woods to have a complete long game.

Your first instinct might be to give it a little more power, because you’re worried about coming up short. But if you try to hit it hard, you’ll tend to speed up your transition at the top and get out of sync.

Lunging at the ball from the top leads to a lot of pulls and slices. You’ll get better results—and often more distance—if you swing at 80 percent. Never hit a shot all out, and make a conscious effort to swing your long clubs just as you do your wedges.