should you hit down on a golf ballshould you hit down on a golf ball

Great idea. This why on golf courses, youll hear golf instructors and coaches saying to their students, Dont try to lift the ball! or Hit down hard on it!. Trying to hit up on the ball when it lays on the ground is one of the biggest conceptual misunderstandings that the average/beginning golfer has. Place a ball at the beginning of the line where the tee was. The first step to fixing this is to work on reason #1 and get your weight forward at impact. Any change of path or face needs to programmed much earlier in the swing. Doppler Radar Launch Monitors I use FlightScope measure the movement of the sweet spot of the club head relative to the ground, or the vertical movement of the sweet spot. Notice how they are moving UP through impact. Fairway bunker drill:Go into a fairway bunker and draw a line in the sand. There would be NO left or right Keith, feel free to send private message to continue if youd like. Additionally, a golf head cover is placed at the top of the strike board to indicate if theres unwanted movement. Take a look at the following picture of Tiger Woods at impact. The ball should be aligned with the logo on your shirt, and the golf club handle should be in front of the ball. I have played golf for 60 years, and know that my game is a work in progress.. Of the two you described I would think dorsi flexed and held on describes it better buts its too simplistic. Do you have your own techniques to recommend? It's common advice. What I said was great players, whose swing nobody would change, who have lag built into their DNA aim left to compensation for the excess lag. Thanks, I used to hit down on the ball years ago. Hi Todd, I received an email with a link to one of your videos about 6 months ago and I have been looking forward to them ever since. A lot of mistakes happen when our eyes start looking around while we do this instead of focusing on an intermediate target and using our eyes to line up the leading edge to that point. I hit the ball hard but have been having difficulty getting the ball to stop up where I need it to which adds a lot of strokes to my game. Place a tee in the ground where your ball would be. Maybe I am not seeing the forest for the treesbut I feel like this is the part that instructors continue to gloss over given the complexity and say things like just release itisnt that going to be the most vital part of AoA? In fact, all it takes is a few small adjustments in your setup and swing to start hitting down consistently. 0. And in this blog post, well cover everything you need to know to hit down on the golf ball so you can hit those pure iron shots as well! High speed playerscan get into trouble sweeping up that much, but when hitting irons, the goal should be similar to the top players. With the ball teed center of your stance. Trying to hit more down on the ball - GolfWRX This is tough, but I guarantee this: If you can consistently strike the ball first and the sand afterin a fairway bunker, you are well on your way to learning how to hit down on the golf ball. If that type of lag (the ridiculous drill seen in thousands of instructional videos, with shaft parallel to ground, hands pushed wayyy forward) is actually held onto thru impact, that ball has nowhere to go but miles right, unless your timing/ability to flip the face thru is impeccable. If you hit too much up on the golf ball, then your shots will lose power and accuracy. In both images, the dynamic loft (loft at impact) of the club remains the same. If getting the clubhead to move down at impact is what the pros do (with shots from the turf), why is the article titled why you shouldnt try to hit down on the golf ball? Its a good tool. When the ball moves back in the stance the tendency for many golfers is to open the clubfacewhy, I am not sure? From here, the player can coil around his center, much like a boxer positioned ready to punch. Here is the link if interested https://www.badliegolfbook.com/, Good question, it can be done a variety of ways. The lead thumb is the third pressure point. Again, it had to be coordinated, but the purpose seems to have more to do with the swing arc than any ground force function. The Sunday Read: 'A Week With the Wild Children of the A.I. Today, Max Read, a journalist and contributor to The Times . In the bow, with our shoulders just over the toes, we can see if the club is resting in good relationship to the body. I plan to use these tips on striking down on the ball as they have merit. The golf ball must be struck first, with the divot coming after the ball. Im going to walk you through three simple changes you can make in your: But first, I want to make sure were on the same page about what it actually means to hit down on the ball. Being thoughtful in this process is key and just try to make sure the club isnt wiggling around. Do you have any difficulty hitting down? In my experience, it is easier to maintain posture in the golf swing and overall athleticism by keeping the stances pressure points more forward in the mid-shoe to the toes. So, whether you hit down or up is largely irrelevant to the launch of the ball its more a product of how much loft you are presenting at impact. 10 reasonable rules for when golfers should take a mulligan Good on you, and count me in on your future articles! This video uses a strike plate (or Fat Board) to help line up for the swing. The biggest problem is still getting students to actually improve. The result topping the ball or worse leaving the club head open that results in a severe slice. For helpful video tips, subscribe to our YouTube channel! PRACTICE SMARTER: Alignment sticks feature a pointed tip for easily staking into the ground and setting up for ball striking drills and more. So if I am swinging down 6 and 2 left with a driver Im not hitting a draw? Before We Do How to Properly Hit Down on the Ball - Golf Tips - YouTube It will help if you do this before your arms start with the downward swing. This is key to compressing the ball with your downward hit. 20 MPH left to right wind. The conventional wisdom has always been that better golfers will take a huge divot with their iron shots, and the key to "compressing" the golf ball is to produce an extremely steep club path towards impact. And a handful of drills to feel proper releasegolfers including myself continue to leave storkes on the table because that still doesnt answer what the release actually is. SHOULD YOU HIT DOWN ON THE GOLF BALLMeandmygolf explain whether you should hit down on the golf ball or sweep it off the groundSUBSCRIBE to MeAndMyGolf to se. Pulling with my lead hand tends to leave club face open. However, pushing the club with your trail hand during the swing can move it backward, behind the ball. Thank you for all your online content and I plan to visit greatgolftips.com very soon for some tips on putting!! Simple physics shows you that in order for a club head to be moving in a downward motion at impact, the hands and shaft have to be ahead of the club head which in turn delofts the club face which in turn decreases dynamic loft. | Powered by WordPress, How to Hit Down on the Golf Ball Pro Tips, 147 Funny Golf Quotes to Keep you Smiling on the Course. HIT UP OR DOWN WITH DRIVER - YouTube We can also begin to self-correct our misses if we are accountable with these steps. An obvious fix would be to move ball position back in our stance to hit downward and earlier in our arc, or to move the ball forward in our stance to hit upward or later in our arc. Pulling on the club with your lead hand in the transition. As you see, there are many reasons why hitting down on a ball is a very inconsistent move, and all boils down to the use of arms and . This moves the low point forward, making it easier to make impact before hitting the low point. (For more tips on adapting for driver shots, we have some great insights on that, too.). Yes. I dont want to trick my mind into making something workI want to understand what my body needs to do and then make it do exactly that. Another very useful video, thank you. Taking the time to better understand the components of set up and ball position will generate 100 percent of our success to better ball striking. Got some good tips too try on my iron shots .Have tried some hints already and I have lowered my score by 9 shots already . Good question, the lead hand for a right handed golfers is the left hand. Doing this can. i think its confusing because there is some of all the motions, not simply one or the other. When we are playing a round or hitting balls on the range over a long period of time, we tend to grip the club tighter, stand up, and quickly lose the ability to maintain posture during the golf swing. Having the right setup can promote hitting down on the golf ball. This helps create a more efficient energy transfer with long irons, hybrids and woods. Here is a good video to get you started https://youtu.be/81d-MF78Nmk, Great tip. Thx for interest. Id be happy to offer whatever I know o the subject. How to hit down on the golf ball - GolfWRX Choose the length of the backswing. 0:00 / 8:40 HOW TO HIT DOWN ON THE GOLF BALL - GOLF LESSON ChrisRyanGolf 381K subscribers Subscribe 2.3K Share 82K views 3 years ago HOW TO RIP YOUR IRONS If there was one change that. Hit Down on the Golf Ball and Take a Huge Divot - It's Not Entirely True 6. Above: A iron shot struck with a downward angle of attack (AoA). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Now lets apply this simple concept to the golf swing. He is also is a seven-time PGA award winner who has earned the following distinctions: If one were to do away with it and place the ball half a ball back from normal the same arrangement is had. Again, having your weight forward at impact will help you to make ball-first contact. Yes, especially with the irons the angle of attack should be down and through the golf ball, but too much angle of attack can lead to poor spin rate and poor results. Lag is bad for 90 % or more of all golfers. You should hit the ball before taking a divot. I can have a back ball position and still have an upward AoA and a front ball position and still have a downward AoA. Now lets discuss AoA. How to Hit Down on the Golf Ball - Golf Practice Guides Glad this information is helping your gamehope you joined our email list as we have more great content coming! An important aspect of golf. 1. How To Hit Down On The Golf Ball? How To Practice It? - jamie sadlowski With that much speed, they are looking for a launch angle of 11-to-12 degrees to optimize their distance. First, understand that hitting up or down is not the main reason for why a golf ball goes up loft is the biggest influence. When you are striking the outside, your . I just ran out of warm weather. 'Hit down on the ball' is a phrase that has been told to golfers struggling to improve their ball striking for decades. Does your setup look like an Hor C? We got you, take a look here https://youtu.be/ZSfWsDniNd8, Sorry to hear this. Tricky business this hitting down stuff, but once you feel it, youre on your way to better golf. Knowing how to hit down on a golf ball with your irons is key to getting the ball on the green from the fairway. It can set the stage for a great swing, or a not so awesome one. The iron isn't designed to get under the ball to lift it. That is awesome, thanks for sharing your story. This is a common belief with many golfers, the answer is no. In order to eliminate the flip you need to get your hands leading at impact. Great videos. 3. How to Hit Down on the Golf Ball: A Guide for Beginners The only downside is, no one can demonstrate it successfully or consistently. To understand this concept, visualize the arc drawn by the clubhead as you swing your iron. When using your irons you want to hit down on the ball. In The Strike Plan, I show you ways to shift your intention to change face strike, low point, arc depth and more (its in the 3D aim point module). The low point is the clubs lowest position in the arc of a golf swing. WOW! Do I look at the back of the ball, middle of the ball or in front of the ball?? We will also explore how that phrase of "hit down" may potentially be ruining your game. Excessive lag isnt storing more energy, it just causes balls lost deep in the rightside woods. Moving the center ahead of the ball enables you to strike the ball before striking the turf. Fact Check: A Downward Attack Angle With Your Driver Is More - GolfWRX This will often result with the upper body falling back in the downswing. Could be too much arms and not enough shoulders. for example, you could be looking at the TV while you throw your keys to your wife off at the side. I think that everything you wrote is correct, but I am surprised that you didnt include a warning for all slicers (which should be the majority of your readers) that it is not helpful to try to hit down on the ball as long as your ball curves to the right on all long shots. Get it? Its no wonder hitting down on the ball feels like such an impossible feat to pull off consistently. Thank you. Should I Hit Down on The Golf Ball? These can help you refine various aspects of your golf swing, like attack or backswing angles. There is no need to fear hitting from tight lies if you can learn to move the swing bottom forward. Hitting a driver is different. If youre tired of seeing your precious ProV1 curve off into the trees, why not check out my latest program The Accuracy Plan. Learn How to Hit Down on the Golf Ball and Finally Start Hitting Stellar Shots Every Time. This is achievable for even the most casual golfers if you make small adjustments to move the low point of your swing forward. Book a lesson with LPGA instructor Donna Fiscelli. Start the . I guess why I am questioning in my own mind is lines like The release is the unhinging of the wrists and the rotation of the forearms in the downswing. Thank you. Try this, lay a tee about an 2 inches behind the ball then set up and make your swing trying Not to hit that tee. Therefore you will hit the ball first then take a divot until you reach low point. Jm, In most cases thats true. In the picture below, note the green line indicting his mass back behind the blue baseline over the ball. Appreciate those kind wordsmore great content coming. The takeaway is the first part of your backswing. Lets get into the weeds of what is really happening when you feel your wrists and forearms do something. If your divot is behind then you are aiming behind the ball not in front of it. The space in which we stand to the club shouldnt change. This is true for all kinds of golf shots including fades and draws. Thanks, Appreciate the kind words. An essential key to compression is to ensure that your trail hand is facing palm down as you reach the delivery zone. But you still must hit down on the ball in a attempt to take an "air divot" behind the ball! In swinging the golf club, there is radial, ulnar deviation, flexion, extension and pronation and supination. I was always curious about why tour players average AoA for driver is minus one. Its so frustrating when you love the game so much. Swing Speed matters! You can also practice some regular swings in between, pushing your weight firmly or your lead side. Any questions? This process composes the beloved and all-important set up. Using it, I am hitting the ball farther and higher than before. This tip is a little less certain than the other two, but Im going to offer it, anyway, because I find this advice to be true about 85% of the time. Do you think the rotational movement of the body helps in any way with this? Might this not be a better approach for average golfers? The main pressure points to focus on in gripping with the lead hand are, first and foremost, in the initial placement of the clubs grip in the fingers and allowing the top of the grip to rest on the palms pad. The yellow line shows the path of the top of the glove. I will be sure to pass this forward to the content team. Here you go https://www.greatgolftipsnow.com/start. Aim Stick drill:Place an aim stick perpendicular to your target line and two inches behind the ball. If youre practicing at a driving range, youd need a can of white spray paint and permission to paint a stripe on the grass. Essentially, you want to make impact just before hitting the low point of your swing. Heres what you do: As part of your pre-shot routine, take a few practice swings with your lead hand only. we have some great insights on that, too. Hitting down on the golf ball means your swing is on the downward motion when making contact with the ball. AlrightI read (3) different articles you pointed me to. Placing the ball in the middle of my stance has not solved the problem. Does this assumes that contact with a negative angle of attack comes at a point before the club has reached the furthest point (in its swing circle) from the body, and is therefore still moving (slightly) away from the golfers body? Its common advice. Thats because theyre compressing the golf ball, which helps create a ton of spin and distance on their shots. When you are playing with an iron and want to hit the ball far, the following tips should help you hit down on the ball. A lot of golfers really struggle with their swing plane, but most of the struggles are because they get in their own . Tom Watson comes to mindbut sweeping in their case is less down than other elite level strikers, but DOWN nonetheless. It might be obvious to some, but the perfect iron shot is often the opposite of an ideal driver shot. Sometimes its helpful to have a few props that act as a guide in practicing hitting down on the ball. Even a slight off center all bets are off, Another thing to look at is HSP which is swing direction. And when you hit down on the ball, you compress it which creates more backspin and a higher trajectory. Why dont you simply pick the ball with the ball in the center? So, whats all this fuss about? "Not . Thanks for the question, can you expand on what you mean by all the way to the left, how can I get the club to move to the left after impact and then swing to the left with back right toe in air?. With respect to release, I think there is too much analysis on what happens during this phase, rather than the timing of it and the trigger which makes it happen effectively. In order to do this, you must hit down on the golf ball. If you want to be a good iron player, you need to know how to hit down on the golf ball. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Thx for interest. Lateral slide of body can produce too much right side bend and result in the reverse C look which creates a very shallow attack angle. It worked for me. From this point, spray a straight line of about one or two feet toward the target. This is the essence of set up, which generates our best chances to develop consistent shot patterns to the target. What I have done through trial and error is move the ball at some point forward of center, the result being that I have greater success hitting toward my target. But thats not it at all. 4 Ways to Hit a Golf Ball - wikiHow But knowing what you should do it and knowing how to do it are two entirely different things. Hi Bill for me, its less about where the eyes are focused and more about where your intention is. Shoulder turn, hip turnall very easy moves to understand and apply. The Skinny: Updated for 2023, the e6 remains a two-piece ball with a large gradient core that is softer in the center and grows gradually firmer toward the outside. (I still consider myself quite a novice at 15+ but a lot of those strokes are due to inconsistency which is the most frustrating part of this *blessed* game! The 7-iron should be your go-to warm-up club. Here's why - GOLF.com We will also explore how that phrase of hit down may potentially be ruining your game. If the ball is struck after the club reaches its low point, we are hitting up on the ball, which means we have an upward AoA, plus (+) or positive number. Winner's Press Conference | Rickie Fowler, Rocket Mortgage Classic I guess that I have to work on that transition thing. Thank you you helped me very much. I find that aiming at the ground just past the ball rather than aiming at the ball thus hitting the ground just past the ball works to facilitate hitting down on my iron shots. During a lesson recently I discovered that if I keep the lead arm straight to last parallel, I keep nearly 100% of my wrist lag intact. Clearly At impact the right wrist is extended or dorsi flexed and the left wrist is flat, having gone from radial deviation to a neutral position. Lets start with the concept of Vertical Swing Plane (VSP). This can seem opposite to the golfers basic instinct which is to get the golf ball up in the air. Okay, thats cool and all, but why should I hit down on the ball instead of hitting it upwards? Click the image link below to learn more. Pretty simple, right? I think your post I am replying to is relevant to all aspects of the golf swing what happens before, causes the next effect. Appreciate your purchase. Hitting down is not something that most golfers can simply choose to do or not do it requires a downward angle of attack (AoA), and golfers need to understand exactly what that means before they can execute. Dennis Clark is a PGA Master Professional. Then, place each consecutive ball in front of the most recent divot. Hitting up is optimal. Hit Through the Ball; Not at the Ball - Golf Distillery Here is a great video that will provide clarity on that topic https://youtu.be/t0Dyp7qMa7s. To hit any shot on the ground, we have to strike the ball before the low point, which means we have to have a downward AOA. From this stance, hit a few half and three-quarters shots. How to Hit Down on the Golf Ball - Pro Tips Irons were made to hit the golf ball while the club face is moving down in the arc of your swing. Additionally, youll feel a stronger push-off from your back foot with the follow-through. "As I've gotten older, I've kind of . Its about positioning the low point of your swing slightly in front of the ball. Heels, mid-shoe, or toes? These golfers would claim that its a challenging and nuanced skilla skill that weekend warriors cant easily learn. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgz5-3igA0IfsyWGKTr6YKA. As a result, you have a decent chance at getting a good iron shot if you move the handle just a little bit in front of the golf ball. In a normal golf swing your weight shifts forward and so does the bottom of the swing. What Loft Of Driver Should I Use? | Golf Monthly Below are six drills to help you hit down on the ball. Here are three ways to help you do the same. No good! Where Should You Look When Hitting a Golf Ball? Not much on the web about the left arm specifically in the downswing. Your feet should be on 1 rail, and the ball should be on the other. I am an 80 year-old golfer with a 9 handicap, and discovering your Vertical Line Swing was a great find for me. Generally, a driver ball position is forward in the stance. For a right handed golfer , which is the lead hand? Agreed om the phrase determines. Understanding the distance our body should be to the club is huge. Next, we need to learn how to get the clubhead to descend on the ball while the hands work up (actually, its a 3D thing where the hands work away from the ball through impact). If hitting downward is the goal and it should be for any shot off the ground you will need to aim or swing a little left if youre a right-handed golfer, or a little right if youre a lefty. Or does it help people improve faster? Driver: Patton Kizzire whats in the bag accurate as of the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Your best bet for iron shots is to position the golf ball in the center of your stance. I have been what they call a sweeper my entire 30 years of playing golf (Im 40 now) Ive been as low as 4 and since kids, oldest being 10 right now, my handicap has hovered around the 8-9ish mark for the past 3 or 4 years.