You're Correct!

When you find yourself in a less than perfect lie and are contemplating the use of a fairway wood there are a few things to consider and ask yourself:

1. How bad is the lie?
If the lie is really poor, such as in a really deep divot or severe heavy rough then the use of a fairway wood isnt a smart play. If the ball is slightly sat down in light to medium rough or a clean lie in a fairway bunker then you should be able to hit a decent fairway wood shot.
2. What hazards and obstacles are in front of me?
When youre faced with a less than perfect lie, chances are the lie can have an adverse effect on how the ball flies. If clean contact isnt obtained at impact you will lose control over the balls flight no matter what swing you produced on the ball. If there is a lot of trouble lurking to catch an errant shot then electing a different club could be a wise play.
3. Do I need to launch the ball high?
When the ball is lay down in a poor lie, you will have to make some adjustments in your swing and set up to help achieve a good club to ball contact. As the ball is sat down, a normal sweeping fairway wood motion will lead to the club head making contact with the grass before the ball, and a steeper angle of attack is required. With the steeper attack on the ball, the launch angle and peak height will be much lower.

When adjusting your set up to produce a steeper angle of attack to aid in a better contact from a poor lie, you should move the ball back in your stance and have a little more weight on your target side leg. Just remember to assess how bad the lie is and when it comes to playing the shot that the ball will launch and fly lower and most likely carry less distance.

Fairway woods can be used from a variety of lies which makes their use very versatile. They can be played off a low tee peg, off the fairway, from light to medium rough and even hit out of a fairway bunker. This versatility along with forgiveness on off centre strikes makes fairway woods a great alternative to long irons.

When it comes to hitting your fairway woods, you will produce your best shots and results from a perfect lie. This is due to being able to produce a clean, solid contact and the correct level neutral angle of attack. Fairway woods can be used from a variety of lies but you will need to adjust your set up and swing to achieve clean and decent contact. You shouldnt expect the ball to fly like your best fairway wood shots from a perfect lie. Play the ball back a little further and hit down a little.

It is not advisable to be hitting a fairway wood from any lie. When the ball is lay in a severely poor lie where there is no chance of any decent contact being made on the ball, then you should never use a fairway wood. You should weigh up the severity of the lie and shot in front of you before deciding if playing a fairway wood is the smart choice of play.