Hitting the ground before the ball!!!!

[gazbjorck]

HI guys, I'm new on here so forgive me if I've posted this on the wrong part of the site. Problem is, I've been playing the game for years and have always had the same problem. Despite having numerous lessons, I always seem to hit the ground before I hit the ball. My practice swings seem perfect but when I address the ball and take my shot, regardless of the club (driver to pitching wedge and sometimes even the putter) I hit the ground first. I also cant get any kind of distance on my shots, even in the odd occasion where I hit the ball first. I had lessons with Adam Hunter and he told me I was casting and gave me a drill to try but has not really helped. I love playing the game but am getting more and more frustrated.....as is my wife with all my moaning

Any help or tips will be gratefully received.

Thanks

Gary

[golfshooter]

Re: Hitting the ground before the ball!!!!

Hi, I don't know if this applies but I posted several threads on sunglasses. Cheap sunglasses will distort and effect depth perception. I had the same problem as you untill it clicked. Maybe you need a trip to the optometrist if the problem is so persistant. Oh another thing ,after solving that it started happening again though not as often. I found it to be to much delay in my hip movement. I started to concentrate on that initial slight shunt of my hips to the left(right hannder) early in my swing and bingo solved it. Sometimes it is just the smallest things that make a big difference. I hope some of this helps.
Regards,Peter

[Ian Hancock]

Re: Hitting the ground before the ball!!!!

Hi Gary,

Your pro was probably right, a common cause of hitting the ground first is casting, usually caused by rushing from the top in an effort to 'HIT' the ball.

Two things may help, on the back swing try to stay a little more over the ball and don't fall back.

Secondly if you just focus on the ball, and imagine there is a cross drawn on it, hit the bottom right quarter.

finally try to relax and don't rush things rythm is the winner.

Hope this helps

Ian.

[gazbjorck]

Re: Hitting the ground before the ball!!!!

@golfshooter, thanks for that mate. Dont think it's the sunglasses tho as like I said, my practice swings are nearly always perfect. Could have something witht he hips tho.

@Ian, thank you also mate. I feel this is def where the problem lies. I was out again yesterday and my mate was saying I was also scooping the ball on impact too!! Think I might stick to snooker lol

[Ian Hancock]

Re: Hitting the ground before the ball!!!!

Class mate,

The only way to scoop the ball is fall back through the ball, i.e back to my first tip stay over the ball on the backswing.

Stick with it

Ian.

[tomb333]

Re: Hitting the ground before the ball!!!!

I have been have the same issues and my problem was sway. I was moving back on my backswing, Greg Willis suggested a drill, the walking drill which I have found very helpful. this past weekend I reduced my fat hits by at least 50% after 1 week doing the walking drill. try this link for the details. http://mysite.verizon.net/gregjwillis/LESSON2.htm

[gazbjorck]

Re: Hitting the ground before the ball!!!!

@ Ian and Tomb...thanks for the help again guys, will be out tomorrow trying again It's amazing what 1 good hit can do lol

[golfshooter]

Re: Hitting the ground before the ball!!!!

I probably explained what solved my problem a little to vague. For me it was the shift of weight from the back foot to the front foot at the very beginning of the down swing. I have no real idea why my practice swings were ok either,just that maybe on the real swing we try a little harder and amplify the problem.It was help from this forum that finally solved the problem so stick with the great advice your being given and I am sure the answer will come from someone. Oh I just looked at the walking drill Greg gave you and I guess he has it covered.
Regards,Peter.

[ubizmo]

Re: Hitting the ground before the ball!!!!

The Stack & Tilt golf swing is all about hitting the ground after the ball, and the basic principle is what others have already suggested: keep your weight stacked over the ball. Just don't shift your weight onto the right foot at all.

For me, what has helped a lot is to become aware of the weight on both feet. At setup, it's even, or slightly favoring the left (forward) foot. As I take the club back, I keep my right foot feeling "light" on the ground. This is different from conventional teaching, and different from what I used to do. Teachers used to tell me to feel the weight shift to the inside of the right foot. The trouble was, I couldn't do it. No matter how much I practiced, I'd feel the weight rolling to the outside of that right foot, 90% of the time. But keeping the right foot light on the ground is something I can do, and it's very effective. I get good contact that way, and the club bottoms out just after the ball, as it should.

Ubizmo

[gazbjorck]

Re: Hitting the ground before the ball!!!!

Again guys, thanks for the tips and help. I've had a look at the walking drill link that gregg sent, thanks again for that. Looks far too easy a solution but would be great if it worked so I'll be taking a walk to the park with my sand iron tomorrow and trying not to get arrested

Also, @ubizmo, that also seems like a really good tip. One of the things I find really hard is to get the weight shifted from the left to right side and back again and also the right time to move my wrists into the right position at impact. I'll be trying this out at the range when I get there too. Surely something has to work and if not, at least the guys at the range will have something (or someone) to laugh at lol.

Thanks again guys, much appreciated.

[gazbjorck]

Re: Hitting the ground before the ball!!!!

Also, I found this link http://www.peakperformancegolfswing....aining-videos/ and was wondering if anyone had seen the videos or even heard of this guy. I've not heard of him but sounds like he's teaching a completely different way to swing the club!! Think I'll just stick with this site, too much information isn't always a good thing lol

[kbp]

Re: Hitting the ground before the ball!!!!

I have posted this site before, but it is applicable here as well. All the articles on golf are terrific. http://www.aroundhawaii.com/speed_training.html

Particularly for this thread the links for "Tiger's Transition" http://www.aroundhawaii.com/lifestyl...ransition.html

And "The Fall In - Tiger's Transition Part 2" http://www.aroundhawaii.com/lifestyl...on-part-2.html

IMO, he has some of the best descriptions and explanations of transition anywhere. The lateral "bump" is not a power sapping slide through the ball but a positioning move to allow rotational power without spinning out. It doesn't start the downswing, but rather finishes the backswing.

The article "Sadlowski Footwork For Longer Drives" is applicable here too as it shows the weight shift forward, the front foot being replanted, without flaring, and the back foot being unloaded before rotating.
http://www.aroundhawaii.com/lifestyl...er-drives.html

Those of you who don't believe in the hip driven, ground up, "kinetic chain" swing will appreciate his take on the subject, although he also (rightfully) skewers the "Quiet Lower Body" philosophy. As I have implied many times, hip and core drive are not absolute destroyers of the golf swing. IMPROPER hip and core drive ARE destroyers of the golf swing. While a lot of his stuff is coming from a perspective of power and speed, what he is really illustrating is efficient technique.