Golfers have trouble with fairway woods because they incorrectly judge the shot.
Both efforts result in either a topped shot , see my article on how to prevent topping , or hitting a low ball without much height off the bottom of the club. So let's cover what we should do with the fairway woods. Most golfers err in positioning the ball the same as their driver - off the instep of the front foot. The ball position is directly opposite my left heel. With a normal golf swing this represents the bottom of my arc which is exactly where I want to make contact with the ball.