Think about executing a fairway wood this way -- if your practice swings on the range don't sweep and touch the ground, you are practising topping it!
If you have a reasonably good posture and know you need to hit the ground, give some thought to a very specific method to get the club down to the ground.
When you make your backswing, your trail elbow should, and does, fold.
So, in order to get your club all the way back to the ground, this elbow needs to straighten down towards the ground, much like a throwing motion.
When this trail arm straightens, it helps create full extension in your arms.
You can practise this without the club.
Place a ball in your trail hand and bow forward into your golf posture.
From there, straighten the arm and throw the ball down to the ground so it hits the ground in line with the middle of your stance.
This straightening will train your arm to release properly.
A 3-wood may be the fairway wood which goes the longest, but that doesn't always make it the right choice.
A 3-wood can be hard to hit, so hit a 7- or 5-wood and be confident with them, then consider hitting more of those, rather than trying to force a club you may not be comfortable with.
Having a fairway wood with enough loft to help the ball up in the air will improve consistency and your confidence.
I also think that because fairway woods are physically longer than most clubs in your bag, they can intimidate many players.
Remember that loft is your friend, so use it to your advantage.
Your backswing with your fairway woods will feel like it comes more around your body.
This curving arc will allow you to keep your lead underarm close to your chest on your backswing and this will help you with stability and centre face contact.
Relax your hands to feel the clubhead and this starts with the grip, so as to have security without tension.
If you can avoid too much tension in your hands you should be able to feel the weight of the club head throughout your swing.
Out of Bounds: "I might be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly." -- a lightning quick retort from Sir Winston Churchill.