Nothing stings quite like a topped 3-wood. You are 230 out, feeling good, and then the ball dribbles 40 yards and stops. Or worse, it skips across the fairway like a stone on a pond while your playing partners study the grass.
Topping a fairway wood is almost never a "bad swing." It is a posture and low-point problem. Somewhere in the downswing, you stand up out of your spine angle. Your body rises, the club's low point moves back behind the ball, and the club catches the top of it. The fix is connection: keeping your trail arm linked to your body so the club bottoms out in the right place.
The Holster Drill trains exactly that. Drop your lead hand behind your back. Grip the club with only your trail hand. Tuck your right elbow against your side, slight bend, like it is sitting in a holster. Ball in the middle of your stance, good bend at the waist. Now hit small, easy shots keeping that elbow pinned and your posture down. You will feel it immediately. When the elbow stays connected, the club sweeps the ball clean instead of chopping at it.
Start with 8 to 10 reps one-handed. Do not rush this part. Small swings, clean contact, elbow pinned. Once the feel is locked in, add the lead hand back and hit full swings with the same connected sensation. The connection you built one-handed carries straight into the full swing.
The mistake to avoid: jamming the elbow into your side and locking everything up. Pinned does not mean rigid. If your trail arm is tense and your grip is choking the club, you will just top it with better posture. The elbow rests against your side, soft and connected. Think holster, not handcuffs.
Topping fairway woods is a low-point and connection problem, and this drill fixes both.
Watch the full demo in the Pro Vault, 220-plus drills for a dollar a month at coachellapro.com. And if fairway woods are costing you strokes, book a lesson and we will sort it out in person.