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what does club down mean in golf

by Erin Lowe Jr. Published 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago
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As simple as it sounds, hitting down on the golf ball means that the force applied during the initial touch of the club on the ball is in a downward direction. This is done by impacting the ball when the club is on its way down from the topmost position. The clubface should contact the ball first before hitting the ground.

What is Clubbing Down in Golf? Clubbing down in golf is when you need to take at least one club number higher for your next shot. For example, you would pull out a 6 iron instead of a 5 iron. Clubbing down is the exact opposite of clubbing up and is used when you need to hit the ball with less distance.

Full Answer

What does up and down mean in golf?

It's the last hole of the club championship. You have a 135 yard shot over water to the green. Your nerves are on edge because if you par you will probably win and a bogey will most likely put you in a playoff. The problem is you are stuck between two clubs. Your wedge is your 130 club and your 9 in your 140 club.

What is clubbing up or down?

May 22, 2018 · If the heel is up (relative to the toe) at impact, the clubface will point to the right (for a right-handed golfer). A toe-up position at impact indicates that your lie angle might be too upright; a toe-down position (meaning the club's heel is higher than the toe) at impact indicates that your lie angle might be too flat.

What is the downswing in golf?

To get ‘up and down’ in golf requires a player to put the ball into the hole in 2 strokes or less from anywhere their ball is resting around the green. The first stroke, a ‘chip’ or ‘bunker’ shot, will get the ball ‘up’ onto the green and the following putt will put the ball ‘down’ into the hole.

Should you hit the ball up or down in golf?

When people talk about getting stuck behind on the golf downswing, what they’re referring to is the club getting to the top of the backswing but then dropping very …

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What does club up in golf mean?

To select an iron for the upcoming shot that is one length longer than the club you'd normally choose for this distance.

What does up and down mean on golf?

What Does The Phrase 'Up And Down' In Golf Mean? The term up and down in golf means to get up on the green and then getting the subsequent putt down into the hole from wherever the ball is currently lying on the course by taking only a single shot for each part of this equation.Mar 3, 2022

What is the difference between scrambling and up and down?

This is different from scrambling, which has a clear definition: The percent of time a player misses the green in regulation, but still makes par or better. An up an down doesn't have the requirement that the player has to make par or better, making it a stat that captures more successful occurrences.Apr 6, 2021

What does playing it down mean in golf?

Playing it “Up” or “Down” – Playing the ball down means that you have to hit your shot no matter what the lie is. In certain situations golfers are allowed to play the ball “up” meaning they can improve the lie. Sometimes if there is inclement weather such as rain it makes sense to play it up.

What does 2 down mean in golf?

The golf term "up and down" refers to the act of taking just two strokes to get your golf ball into the hole when your ball is resting around the green or in a greenside bunker. If you accomplish that, then you've achieved an "up and down."Jul 5, 2019

What is a good up and down percentage?

PGA Tour “Up and Down” or “Scrambling” Percentage Here is the year 2019 for the PGA Tour, which shows that the average tour player got up and down 59% of the time.Jan 9, 2021

What does 3 up mean in golf?

If you have won six holes and your opponent three, then you are leading 3-up, and your opponent is trailing 3-down. Essentially, match play scoring tells golfers and spectators not how many holes each golfer has won, but how many more holes than his opponent the golfer in the lead has won.Aug 31, 2018

What is pin high in golf?

Picture the putting surface from front to back; pin high or hole high means your ball comes to rest even with the pin, or flagstick. You didn't leave the ball short and you didn't hit it long—your shot was pin high. Pin high is often used as a kind of consolation when a golfer's direction is off.Dec 29, 2018

Is the golf swing up and down or around?

An upright backswing, for those who may be unfamiliar, is a golf swing where the arms tend to work more vertically up and down. A flatter backswing swing, by contrast, is when the arms work more around a golfer's body.Dec 22, 2019

What does a good up and down mean?

In golf, getting up-and-down means taking two strokes to get the ball in the hole from off the green, including a putt. The up part of up-and-down is getting the ball onto the green from off the green. Typically, the ball is somewhat near the green, and the shot is often hit as a pitch or chip.Jul 15, 2021

What does ball down mean?

: to score by putting the ball on the ground behind an opponent's goal line.

What is the downswing in golf?

The downswing occurs right after the top of the swing position is reached. It consists of the movements that occur as you bring your hands and the club back down. The downswing ends with the ultimate impact with the ball.

What should the clubhead do in golf?

Clubhead Should Follow an Inside-Square-Inside Path. Coherent with the fact that the club moves around the golfer’s body – its axis, the clubhead should come in towards impact from the inside of the target line. It should do so in order to be square at impact and move back to being inside in the follow through.

How to keep the hinge in your wrists?

Keep the Hinge in your Wrists during the Downswing. The full hinge that was set progressively in the backswing should be kept intact as you being the downswing. This is in contrast to unhinging your wrists early in your downswing in what is referred to as the casting swing error. In a proper swing, the wrists only unhinge very late in ...

What happens if you fail to do a downswing?

Indeed, failure to do so will open the door to the deceleration swing error.

Where should weight be transferred in golf?

Weight Should Transfer Towards the Left Foot. As you start bringing your hands down during the downswing your weight should start to transfer onto the left – front – foot. It should do so progressively through the rotation of the hips and the shoulders that follow. The opposite of this will see a golfer finding most of his weight on his left foot ...

Which part of the body should be first in reversing action?

The hips should be first in reversing action – or uncoiling – when reaching the top of the swing. This is in contrast to the arms and shoulders leading the way and the hips simply following their lead.

Can you see a golf club come in from the inside?

It is best to avoid seeing the club come in from the inside so much that it becomes ‘outside’ after impact. Such a club path is referred as being inside-out. Alternatively, golfers who suffer from an outside-in club path will see the club come down during the downswing outside of the target line and continue on inside after impact.

What does hitting down mean in golf?

What Does ‘Hitting Down’ Actually Mean? As simple as it sounds, hitting down on the golf ball means that the force applied during the initial touch of the club on the ball is in a downward direction. This is done by impacting the ball when the club is on its way down from the topmost position. The clubface should contact ...

Why do people hit down on the golf ball?

If you watch professional golf, you’ve probably seen that players hit down on the golf ball to make it go up. This is counter-intuitive and not usually understood by beginners but is a highly effective method to play long shots in golf and also has to a lot to do with the form and structure of golf clubs. This why on golf courses, you’ll hear golf ...

What happens when a golf ball is lofted at an angle?

Due to the high impact force, the surface of the ball compresses and as the clubface is lofted at an angle, the ball does not push more into the ground but is instead driven forward and upward.

How to hit the ball far with an iron?

When you reach the top of your swing position while preparing for a shot, move your right foot (or left if you are a left-handed player) and hip slightly closer to the ball. The center of your body should also be slightly ahead ...

How to swing a club correctly?

To learn to swing the club correctly to hit down on the ball, practice is key. Before a shot, take a step back and check that your standing position is such that the bottom-most point of your swing is falling to the front side of the ball. If your position is correct, the club will come in contact with the ground after it crosses the ball itself. ...

When should a golf club come in contact with the ground?

If your position is correct, the club will come in contact with the ground after it crosses the ball itself. Instead of just looking at it, you can even take a few practice swings in the air to be sure of it. In no instance should the club come in contact with the ground before it crosses the ball’s position.

When using irons, do you want to hit down on the ball?

When using your irons you want to hit down on the ball. In golf, as we want the ball to go up, our natural instinct is to hit it such that the club lifts the ball. Despite the apparent logic of this, it doesn’t work well as clubs are not designed for such an upward impact. This is a part of the initial confusion among new golf players ...

What does release mean in golf?

Instead, the release refers to the process of letting the clubhead turn over as you approach impact. As you swing down, the clubhead is (hopefully) in an open position relative to the target line. Without a release, the club would remain wide open and the shot would sail way to the right of the target (for a right-handed golfer).

How to get a good release on a golf club?

The first step toward a good release is using light grip pressure during your swing. If you are holding onto the club too tightly, you’ll restrict the movement of the club through the hitting area – and it will be hard to get a good release.

Why is it important to rotate your swing?

When you make a swing, you want to rotate away from the target in the backswing and toward the target in the downswing. Many golfers fall into the trap of sliding instead of rotating, and it’s hard to play good golf while you are sliding from side to side. Proper rotation is essential for your release because the forces you create ...

Why is the shaft flex so stiff?

If the shaft flex of your clubs is too stiff for your swing, it will be hard to get the club to load and unload, and you may struggle to really release the head through impact as a result. The release is a tricky part of the golf swing. It’s important, to be sure, but it’s not something that you can work on directly in most cases.

What happens if you slide away from the target?

If you slide away from the target going back, instead of rotating away, you will have no choice but to slide back toward the target in the downswing. This side-to-side action is going to make it difficult to strike the ball cleanly, and it will also rob you of power.

Can you swing down and release the club?

In other words, you can’t just swing down and tell your hands to release the club at a certain point – that point will come and go before you know it.

Do golf clubs release?

Most golfers understand that the club needs to ‘release’ through the hitting area to strike a solid shot, but they might not know exactly what that means. If you are currently struggling with the release portion of your swing, you have come to the right place.

What happens if the lie angle of your golf clubs is ill-suited to you?

When the lie angle of your clubs is wrong for your swing or body type, you can put a great swing on the ball and still have problems with accuracy. Poorly fitting lie angles create pushes and pulls and other mishits.

What is the lie angle of a golf club?

The "lie angle" of any golf club is the angle formed between the center of the shaft and the sole, or ground line, of the club when the club is soled in its proper ...

What does it mean when your divots are deeper on the toe side than the heel side?

If your divots are deeper on the toe side than the heel side (toe down, heel up at impact) or deeper on the heel side than the toe side (toe up, heel down at impact), that's a sign your lie angles might be too flat or too upright.

What is the lie angle on a 9 iron?

Upright lie angle: A lie angle that is higher than the standard lie angle (a 66-degree lie angle on a 9-iron is more upright than the standard 9-iron lie angle of around 64 degrees). You might hear a golfer (or clubfitter) saying things such as, "You need flatter lie angles on your irons," or "I had my irons bent 1-degree upright.".

Why is a proper lie angle important?

Proper Lie Angle Is More Important in Irons Than in Woods. Don't misunderstand: Lie angle is an important factor in all golf clubs, even the putter. But having improperly fit lie angles causes more problems in irons than in the woods.

What is lie angle?

Lie angle is a factor that affects the accuracy of golf shots. Golfers who use clubs whose lie angles don't fit their body types and/or golf swings are costing themselves strokes. Matching the lie angle of clubs to the specific golfer is one of the goals of a clubfitting session.

What does it mean when your toe is up at impact?

A toe-up position at impact indicates that your lie angle might be too upright; a toe-down position (meaning the club's heel is higher than the toe) at impact indicates that your lie angle might be too flat.

What does "up and down" mean in golf?

An ‘up and down’ measures a player’s ability to get the ball into the hole in 2 strokes from around the green. ‘Around the green’ is however not a defined term itself but practically means anywhere within 30 yards of the hole. So if your ball lands anywhere within 30 yards of the hole, but not on the green, and you subsequently get ...

What is an up and down PGA?

An ‘up and down’ itself does not have the requirement that the player has to make par or better which ‘scrambling’ does. ‘Sand saves’ are another specific type of ‘up and down’. This is defined as follows by the European and PGA Tours: “The percentage (%) of time a player was able to get ‘up and down’ once in a greenside bunker ...

How far does a golf ball go up and down?

So if your ball lands anywhere within 30 yards of the hole, but not on the green, and you subsequently get the ball into the hole in 2 strokes or less you will be said to have got ‘up and down’. This is slightly different to ‘scrambling’ which has a set definition.

Why is it important to hit a poor short game?

But the impact of a poor short game is more critical simply because there are less chances to make up it. After a poor chip you will probably only have one more chance with your next putt to make amends. Hit a poor putt and your chances of recovering are the lowest of all the shots you will play.

What is the best shot in golf?

The best shot in golf is unofficially named a ‘condor’. It might also be called a ‘triple eagle’. It is an extremely rare, almost impossible, score on an individual hole of 4 under par. As of 2012 only four accepted condors had been recorded all involving a hole in one on a par 5 hole.

What happens when you hit a poor drive?

For example, if you hit a poor drive, you will have a number of opportunities afterwards to hit a shot which can recover the hole for you.

What is the first stroke of a golf shot?

The first stroke, a ‘chip’ or ‘bunker’ shot, will get the ball ‘up’ onto the green and the following putt will put the ball ‘down’ into the hole. As with a lot of things in golf though, once you learn one term you will find there are another 2 or 3 similar ones which come up in conversation. And the term ‘up and down’ is no exception.

What does "up and down" mean in golf?

The golf term "up and down" refers to the act of taking just two strokes to get your golf ball into the hole when your ball is resting around the green or in a greenside bunker. If you accomplish that, then you've achieved an "up and down.".

How to get the ball up and down in golf?

What you need to do is get the ball up onto the green with the first stroke, and then down into the cup with the second strokes. Two strokes from off the green to get into the hole equals and up-and-down. Technically, you can use "up and down" to describe any two strokes that result in the ball going into the hole.

Do you have to save par to play an up and down?

Note that you do not have to "save par" to claim an up-and-down. If you are around the green and get the ball up onto the green and then down into the hole in two strokes, you've made an up-and-down regardless of what your score on the hole is.

Can you write "up and down" on a scorecard?

Many golf stat tracking systems or apps give you the ability to do that. Or you can just write "Up and Down" on an unused line on the scorecard.

What does "hooding the club" mean?

Most Common Usage: De-Lofting the Clubface. In the more common usage, "hooding the club" means moving one's hands forward when in the address position — moving your hands (and, therefore, the handle of the golf club) towards the target, in other words.

What does "hooded" mean in golf?

Alternate Meaning: Rotating Toe of Club Inward. Some golfers, however, have something else in mind when they say a club is or should be hooded. That alternate meaning refers to shutting or closing the clubface by rotating the club just a tiny bit in one's hands.

What is hooding in golf?

In this usage of hooding the club, the hooding is done to counteract a slice, to produce a hook or draw, or, if in a bunker, to dig a ball out of a buried lie.

What is the effective loft of a hooded golf club?

The club's effective loft will go down, in other words: A club whose measured loft is, say, 25 degrees might have an effective loft of 23 degrees when the clubface is hooded. Any time a club is hooded, it will produce a lower trajectory than that club when the golfer's hands are in their normal, neutral position at address.

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What Does It Mean to Release The Golf Club?

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What does it mean to release the golf club during your swing? Well, first of all, it does not mean to physically let go of the club and allow it to fly off into the distance. That would not produce good shots, and it would be, you know, dangerous. Instead, the release refers to the process of letting the clubhead turn …
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Key #1 – Light Grip Pressure

  • The first step toward a good release is using light grip pressure during your swing. If you are holding onto the club too tightly, you’ll restrict the movement of the club through the hitting area – and it will be hard to get a good release. The proper grip pressure for your full swing is one where the club remains totally under control at all times, but you aren’t holding on so tight that it can’t …
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Key #2 – A Rotational Swing

  • Golf is a rotational game. When you make a swing, you want to rotate away from the target in the backswing and toward the target in the downswing. Many golfers fall into the trap of sliding instead of rotating, and it’s hard to play good golf while you are sliding from side to side. Proper rotation is essential for your release because the forces you create when rotating will help the cl…
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Key #3 – Not Holding Back

  • Even if you do everything right throughout the first half of your swing, you can still go wrong as impact approaches if you give up on the shot. This is a common issue for the average golfer, as the typical player is a little low on confidence and that self-doubt can manifest in the form of a tentative golf swing. If you hold back in your swing, you will slow down the rotation of your body …
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Key #4 – The Right Equipment

  • Believe it or not, the equipment you use can have an impact on your release, as well. There are a couple of issues here to watch for: 1. Grip size.Confirm that the size of your grips is a good fit for the size of your hands. If your grips are too thick, it will be harder to get the club to release properly. 2. Shaft flex.If the shaft flex of your clubs is too stiff for your swing, it will be hard to ge…
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