Ball striking

[Mizunoman]

Re: Ball striking

Ricky, have you checked that you arent moving into the ball? That may explain the fat shots.

As for the grip that might just be a bit of tension, you might have started gripping more in the palms. Try gripping a little more in the fingers and see if that helps.

D.

[gord962]

Re: Ball striking

Ricky,

My guess is that you are not taking divots - am I right? Hitting fat and thin shots are a common reaction of someone who 'picks' the ball. You are relying on too much timing to catch the ball at the exact bottom of your swing. Try striking down on the ball and taking the divot AFTER you hit your ball.

[dlbest]

Re: Ball striking

Ricky,

I just recently had a problem with this and my club pro helped me fix it. He said I was dipping my left shoulder down too much at the top of my backswing. I would hit it thin if I would try to pull my shoulder back up at impact and I would hit a fat hook if I would keep the shoulder down. Your draw is probably coming from an inside-out swingpath (with an inside-out swingpath it is easier to dip that left shoulder down). So I would suggest you work on keeping your shoulders a little more level to the ground at the top of you backswing and not dipping your left shoulder down; this may help with the thin and fat ballstriking.

- David

[CantFindMyBall]

Re: Ball striking

Hi Gord962,

I have a query about you advice on "picking" the ball above . I definitely pick the ball with my irons , I dont hook or slice them but I sometimes hit thin or fat shots & the majority of the time I hit weak shots . I find it hard to take a divot even when intentionally trying to do so , do you have any drills for hitting down on the ball ?

[LowPost42]

Re: Ball striking

I used to be a picker, too - until I heard that there was a club called the mashie. This got me thinking about trying to mash the ball into the ground with my club - and what a difference. Great ball flight and a decent sized divot!

Next time you're out, you may want to think about the mash.

[gord962]

Re: Ball striking

If you want to start taking divots, you need to move the ball back about 1/2 a ball width in your stance and strike down on the ball. Just make sure you are hitting the ball first then the ground - hit the little ball first, then the big ball. If you are still having problems, try this: push a broken tee into the ground so it is flat to the ground. Set your ball just behind the tee so that tee is in between the ball and the target. Now, hit your ball and at the same time, try to dig up the tee.

[gord962]

Re: Ball striking

Ricky,

Fat shots with woods are usually created by swinging too steep. Try widening your stance a bit (just a bit wider than shoulder width) which will help shollow your swing. Remember to sweep the ball for fairway woods and strike DOWN on the ball with your irons.

As for the draws, are you still struggling with your weight transfer? A quick check at the top of your backswing is to try to get your left shoulder over top of your right knee. If you get in that position at the top of your backswing, you can not move your weight anywhere but towards the target when starting the downswing.

[Dnamixup]

Re: Ball striking

On the divot thing, when im hitting my iron shots i get the smallest divot! if dosent effect me much but sometimes i thin them :O

[GregJWillis]

Re: Ball striking

Ricky,

Take the club back with just your shoulders until the club gets close to parallel to the ground. Then set your hands. Sounds like you might be rolling them in your first move from what I remember seeing in your video.