Hitting down on the ball

[Capemay Eagle]

Well I have been playing golf for a few years, not very much, but time to time. I usually get frustrated and quit and put the clubs away until I get an invite and pick up the clubs again. I love to play, but hitting my Irons on the fairway just embarrasses me, because I always chunk and top the ball, no matter what this always happens, a good turf shot is very seldom.

All the time I have been playing golf nobody ever taught me to actually hit down on the ball nor did I ever hear anyone ever talk about this. By just recently learning this, it may change everything for me. I really have no problem's driving or putting it has always been hitting my Irons.

Now here is my question, I am going to start practicing hitting down on the ball on the fairway and rough,but should I hit down on the ball when I am teeing up my Irons??I can hit my irons great off a tee by just sweeping it like a driver. I get the ball high up in the air and strait. My problem with my Irons is always on the ground. Thank for any help

[Capemay Eagle]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

Sorry double post

[LowPost42]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

I'l reply to the double.

If you're sweeping OK off the tee, then keep it that way. I hit down on teed up irons... it results in shots that get a little high on the face for a higher shot and less spin.

Some of my best ballstriking (before I even knew what I was doing) came from the idea that I should just mash the ball into the ground.

Now, I pick a spot 2 or 3 inches (4-7 cm) in front of the ball, and try hit it with my club while I swing. It more or less ensures that I'm getting ball first contact.

[gatorguy146]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

You want to have the ball in the center of your stance and more weight on your left foot than your right (if you are right handed). What this should do is make you hit the ball first and then take a divot after you hit the ball. A good way to test this is to set up a tee beside the ball and then take your shot and see where the divot starts, if it's past the tee then you made good contact. It'll take some getting used to but you will hit the ball farther and more accurate with your irons.

[BrianW]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

There is not a single way to hit with irons, it changes as they get longer with less loft.

Hit down with everything from a sand wedge to a 5 iron, have the ball midway in your stance and Imagine there is a big nail through the ball that enters just above the equator and exits just below it, think of driving the nail downwards with the club.

For irons 4 and longer you need to play the ball slightly ahead of centre. You should aim to strike the ball just as the club bottoms out it's swing arc. Don't ever try to help the ball into the air, just swing easy with every iron and let the club do it's work.

[doppelganger]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

My guess is that the ball is too forward in your stance... hence the "topping the ball". Just as gatorguy and Brian mentionned, keeping the ball in the middle of your stance is key. Just swing smoothly with a good release and the results should come. Don't try and help the ball in the air. The club will take care of that.

[Mike420]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

Well I struggle to hit my 3 iron sometimes and what normally works for me is to relax and to take a 3 quarter swing and not try and hit it too hard. My aim to get a decent strike on the ball.

If you are concentrating on the ball you should at the very least hit it and not top it. If you are taking chunks and hitting it fat then there must be something wrong for example not shifting your weight and not getting behind the ball. If you sent in a video of your swing that would help a lot.

[pnearn]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

Well I have been playing golf for a few years, not very much, but time to time. I usually get frustrated and quit and put the clubs away until I get an invite and pick up the clubs again. I love to play, but hitting my Irons on the fairway just embarrasses me, because I always chunk and top the ball, no matter what this always happens, a good turf shot is very seldom.

All the time I have been playing golf nobody ever taught me to actually hit down on the ball nor did I ever hear anyone ever talk about this. By just recently learning this, it may change everything for me. I really have no problem's driving or putting it has always been hitting my Irons.

Now here is my question, I am going to start practicing hitting down on the ball on the fairway and rough,but should I hit down on the ball when I am teeing up my Irons??I can hit my irons great off a tee by just sweeping it like a driver. I get the ball high up in the air and strait. My problem with my Irons is always on the ground. Thank for any help

If you are hitting well off the tee but not off the floor my guess is you are a 'flipper/swatter' whereby you try and use you hands to hit the ball by turning them over through impact - sometimes it will work but you will always struggle with tops, pulls, slices etc because its so dependent on the timing of that hand release

What you 'should' do (it isnt easy to learn but once you get it - its golf nirvana) is to keep a flat left wrist all the way through the downswing so that your left wrist leads your hands down into the ball. That way the clubhead will be leaning forwards at impact and you will hit down

The best way to learn this is with little pitches and short irons. As you swing down into impact try and feel as if you almost push back on the handle with your left fingers to keep that left wrist flat and then use your body to pull that flat left wrist/cupped right wrist down into the ball

This may also help explain

Golf Lessons - GregJWillis

[pnearn]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

Heres a great pic of Tigers left wrist at impact



And a really good YouTube lesson with drills on how to master it

And more on it here

Swing Extremes: Impact Position | Golf Tips Magazine

[ubizmo]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

So no, with irons we want to maintain forward weight in the backswing. Your body is not fast enough to fully load the right leg, swing back to the top and transfer all the weight back to the left leg. The body will only transfer about 50% at any time and that is why you load the right leg when hitting a driver and the weight is only transfered back to center in the downswing so you can hit up on the ball. The rest of the weight is transfered after impact.

Good grief.

Why didn't you post that about 4 years ago?

I think you just gave the solution to another of the Great Mysteries of Golf. On a day when we're hitting the ball great off the tee, our irons are pathetic. On a day when the irons are good, we're shanking tee shots.

I don't think I ever read or heard anyone say that the weight stays forward with the irons, but it makes perfect sense.

[ubizmo]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

I really was just teasing; I'm well aware that you've posted similar comments on many occasions. I guess my point is that some information only makes sense when we're ready to make sense of it. In this case, what you wrote suddenly clicked in my understanding. I subsequently went to the practice range and it all seemed very simple. That's not to say that I won't continue to screw it up, but I just want to say that what you wrote a couple of messages back had the effect of turning on a light in a dark room. I take full responsbility for the darkness.

Thanks.

[jambalaya]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

My guess is that the ball is too forward in your stance... hence the "topping the ball". Just as gatorguy and Brian mentionned, keeping the ball in the middle of your stance is key. Just swing smoothly with a good release and the results should come. Don't try and help the ball in the air. The club will take care of that.

"Helping the ball get up or into the air." This is a hard thing for a lot of us to get our head around. You may be literally pulling club up at the last moment to lift the ball up into the air. The club has a loft to it so one doesn't have to worry about getting it into the air. Use the tips others have given to you to hit down on the ball and let the club release naturally. The flat left wrist discussion above is also key. It helps keep the club angled properly to hit down on the ball.

[Capemay Eagle]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

Thanks for all the tips guys. I went out to the range the other day and really had no luck. the more I seemed to hit down on the ball, the more chunk or fat shot I was getting. I went out to our local country club which has grass range boxes, but the place was very busy and most of the guys hitting around me seemed very good, so I started to get a little embarrassed, so I put my irons away and just worked on my driver. I think that I am going to hire a pro to work with me a bit and maybe get a medicus 7 iron to practice swinging with. One tip I found interesting is keeping the left wrist flat at impact I will try and practice this, Thanks..

[pnearn]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

Thanks for all the tips guys. I went out to the range the other day and really had no luck. the more I seemed to hit down on the ball, the more chunk or fat shot I was getting. I went out to our local country club which has grass range boxes, but the place was very busy and most of the guys hitting around me seemed very good, so I started to get a little embarrassed, so I put my irons away and just worked on my driver. I think that I am going to hire a pro to work with me a bit and maybe get a medicus 7 iron to practice swinging with. One tip I found interesting is keeping the left wrist flat at impact I will try and practice this, Thanks..

I dont want to sound like an old fart here but seriously never ever get embarassed on the range trying things out. All those guys started somewhere too and i'll bet none of them care what youre doing to be honest. Golf to most of us is just a game, I'll bet youre better at a hundred other things than those guys so dont be afraid to experiment and try things out. Thats how we all learn

Try half swings - feeling an extended left arm and flat left wrist half way back and use your hips to turn FLW back down to the ball keeping that left arm straight as you do so ... do it with a PW to start and see how you go .. you may have those guys at the range thinking youre hitting those pitches pretty darn crisp and if not who cares!

[Capemay Eagle]

Re: Hitting down on the ball

I dont want to sound like an old fart here but seriously never ever get embarassed on the range trying things out. All those guys started somewhere too and i'll bet none of them care what youre doing to be honest. Golf to most of us is just a game, I'll bet youre better at a hundred other things than those guys so dont be afraid to experiment and try things out. Thats how we all learn

Try half swings - feeling an extended left arm and flat left wrist half way back and use your hips to turn FLW back down to the ball keeping that left arm straight as you do so ... do it with a PW to start and see how you go .. you may have those guys at the range thinking youre hitting those pitches pretty darn crisp and if not who cares!

Hey thanks, I tell you what, I was just out practice swinging and I can actually see that my hands at impact are flipping up!!. I tried the tip to keep the left arm strait and it is a whole different feeling. You are right it is difficult to do, but it totally makes sence by letting the club swing natural. Thanks I am going to start practicing this...