how do the pros launch the ball so high

[indianagolf]

What is the single biggest or combination of things that allow the pros to hit the ball so high?

I just got back from the masters and it was amazing to me 45-60 year old men were launching the ball so high!

[snoopdoug]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

Sorry indianagolf no answer for ya. Just wanted to say hey to a fellow hoosier. What area you from?
Doug

[GolfJunkieSr]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

Don't know about the pros, but I hit a high ball, and it because I play the ball farther forward in my stance, or so I have been told. I am one of those players who pretty much use the same ball position for most of my normal, full swing shots, and let the loft of the club do all the work. I started hitting the high ball to dial in my my distance with each club on full shots. Higher ball flights mean less roll after the carry. Since different golf courses have a different effect on the roll after the carry, I just thought it was a better way to go as far knowing my distances for each club. GJS

[BrianW]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

I hit the ball very high and get comments from many of my playing partners who tend to hit lower shots that dont check up.

I think good ball contact and compression creates more spin with irons and fairway woods resulting in the higher flight, most good players I know create a high ball flight. Hands ahead at contact, hit out of the sweetspot and suitable swing speed.

I also create a high flight with my driver but that is due to hitting on the upswing with a + angle of attack.

[Shamed04]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

Pros are able to lauch the ball so high for 2 main reasons in my mind.
A) constant clean impact on the sweet spot which increases compression.

B) Swing speed

With driver it is a combination of these 2 and the ability to hit up on the ball perfectly every time. One of my friends is a pure golfer. If he had any motivation he would be playing on a tour making thousands like his brother. Anyway, he hits his irons miles high, and his 7.5 driver even higher. I believe it is primarily because of swing speed as he is able to hit over 350 with ease. When a pro makes contact his hands are forward, delofting the club. So that doesnt get the ball up, unless they are comming into impact steaper than the average joe, which usually results in spreading the ball all over the place. I hit the ball high but not very far b/c I dont get my hands forward at impact.
I believe it is relative to the higher swing speed than anything.

[rotator]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

Hi Indie,

What the other guys say is all correct.

Also, don't forget the clubs, both the "woods" and irons, already have a fair amount of effective loft built into them, i.e. a 3 iron has 19-23 degrees. Even by delofting the clubs by having the hands forward at impact, it's still a fair amount to start with. So why is it that the 3 irons are so difficult to get up in the air, i.e. to get at least 20 degrees of height?? As the others say, solid contact and compression of the ball and the spin up the face gives the additional height, which most casual golfers do not achieve. As an example, I used to flip at the ball, so I was only hitting the ball a moderate distance and low. My contact was low on the clubface and I was not getting solid strikes and the trajectories were low. My clubfaces used to have the polish from the ball marks on the bottom two to three grooves, whereas a good golfer's ball marks would be in the middle of the face with the irons, the sweet spot, because they would be hitting down and through the ball, and their divots would be after the ball. I was actually hitting some balls very close to the equator with the low portion of the clubface, which accounted for the balls flying below the effective lofts of the clubs.

Further to what Brian says of hitting on the upswing for + launching angle, the top portion of the driver faces have a higher loft angle and induces more spin, so hitting the ball there will give you additional launch angle as well as more spin and height.

Ted

[dagosa]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

The very best advice I got to increase launch angle and maximize distance, was to use a lower loft driver..less than 9 degrees (was using 10 degree, now 8.5), and start and stay right throughout swing, so the bottom of my arc was well before the ball. Too much loft (over 9.5 for me) on the club balloons the ball when you strike it correctly on the upswing and eliminates the option of hitting it lower, weight left, when windier conditions require. For me, the driver has less affect on ball spin than other of my clubs with it's grooveless face and needs to be driven upward.

I now out drive my instructor often who is 20 years younger and out weighs me by 40 plus lbs, with HIS driver and same ball.
Have to work hard on NOT grounding the club (taking any turf)..It's also much easier to work the ball from this position as it's also not necessary to play the ball too far forward if you keep your weight right throughout swing. Club face is much easier to keep square.

All this requires that ball be teed half ball above grounded face. That puts ball center face on contact.

Playing the ball too far forward for me, takes the face out of my natural hitting area on contact and requires too many unnecessary adjustments.

Hope it helps...

[mariner]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

Easy to hit it high, can anyone tell me how to hit a low one for when it's windy?

[dagosa]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

Easy to hit it high, can anyone tell me how to hit a low one for when it's windy?

That's why I'd use a lower loft driver (8.5) to begin with. Into the wind, for me, thinking 3 wood off the deck with similar ball position with weight balanced or more forward works. Ball obviously teed lower and slightly farther back at the bottom of the swing arc. Start off with a 12 degree driver, and working it into the wind, is problematic.
The adjustments are very slight for me because of the low loft to begin with.

[bigbill46]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

Easy to hit it high, can anyone tell me how to hit a low one for when it's windy?

According to Tom Watson, tilt your leading shoulder a little lower at address, and put your ball a bit farther back in your stance. Also, keep your follow through low, no more than shoulder high.

[rotator]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

According to Tom Watson, tilt your leading shoulder a little lower at address, and put your ball a bit farther back in your stance. Also, keep your follow through low, no more than shoulder high.

I like these for tips.

Ted

[bill reed]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

According to Tom Watson, tilt your leading shoulder a little lower at address, and put your ball a bit farther back in your stance. Also, keep your follow through low, no more than shoulder high.

hi
take a club more than you need and go down the grip an inch and play the shot like Tom Watson said.
i have spent 40 years playing on windy links and distance comes second to ball control so hitting a ball low is a must.
cheers
Bill

[Heymathison]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

Not trying to sound like a smart butt or anything along those lines especially my first post haha!! I think it's because they have all the mechanics down to a science. They hit the sweet spot almost 99% of the time. One of two things I was told that makes a big difference from amatures and the pros is the location of their hands vs the location of the club face when the ball is struck whether it be irons, woods or drivers... This was described to me as "wrist sway". Their hands are approximately 14cm ahead of the ball @ impact vs amatures which on avg is 8cm BEHIND at impact. Number two is swing speeds which pretty much goes with wrist sway. Wrist sway actually brings your swing speed up quite a bit without moving the rest of your body. A lot of people try getting their swing speeds/driving distances up by using more muscle and umph. The pros adjust hand position at contact. I've tried this several times and found that the term "wrist sway" is a lot harder than it sounds!

[bill reed]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

Not trying to sound like a smart butt or anything along those lines especially my first post haha!! I think it's because they have all the mechanics down to a science. They hit the sweet spot almost 99% of the time. One of two things I was told that makes a big difference from amatures and the pros is the location of their hands vs the location of the club face when the ball is struck whether it be irons, woods or drivers... This was described to me as "wrist sway". Their hands are approximately 14cm ahead of the ball @ impact vs amatures which on avg is 8cm BEHIND at impact. Number two is swing speeds which pretty much goes with wrist sway. Wrist sway actually brings your swing speed up quite a bit without moving the rest of your body. A lot of people try getting their swing speeds/driving distances up by using more muscle and umph. The pros adjust hand position at contact. I've tried this several times and found that the term "wrist sway" is a lot harder than it sounds!

hi
i think a lot of what you say is true and one other thing is the amount of golf they play.
they play competition golf 4 days a week and do so for over 40 weeks a year. on top of that the go to the gym and work on there body's to make them supple and strong and also practice about 10 times more than the amateur golfer.
hitting 1000s of balls a week does get your swing into a grove and you come to expect to hit the ball sweetly every time.
if we all had the time to practice and play rounds of golf 4 time a week I'm sure we all could get to single number handicaps in a year.
most of us don't have the desire or the willpower to put the work in each week to better our game and try and buy a game with the newest club that going to drop 5 shots of our score but never does.
pro golfer are good at hitting the ball long and high because they put the work in learning to play and then keep working each week to keep there game up there.
cheers
Bill

[Heymathison]

Re: how do the pros launch the ball so high

Not to mention not all of us are fortunate enough to live @ the country club with number 7 green in our back yards... That helps having a course at your disposal!