I often hear people say you need to sweep a fairway wood off the turf to hit it well. Trust me, if you're trying to get the ball airborne, you want to hit down on the ball. Vertical launch comes from the club's loft at impact and how much backspin is on the ball. It's that second part of the equation many people forget. Say you have a 15-degree 3-wood. If you strike the ball on a slightly downward angle of attack, you're hitting the ball with less loft, but the descending blow imparts more spin, which helps the ball take off on a higher trajectory. So don't be afraid to hit down on woods, slightly.