Hitting down on your iron is not about timing. It’s not about changing your swing. It’s about positioning the low point of your swing slightly in front of the ball.
Full Answer
Why do my golf clubs hit the ground behind the ball?
If most of your pressure is still in your back foot when the club comes back down, the clubhead is going to hit the ground well behind your golf ball. You wind up chunking the shot.
Why are my golf shots chunking?
Right now, you’re chunking golf shots because the low point of your swing happens before you reach the ball. There are a few reasons this might be happening. 1: Ball Position This is the most common mistake I see among amateur golfers.
What does it mean to Shank a golf chip?
Here is a classic example of a shanked chip shot: When you hit the golf ball off the hosel, the ball travels super low and far to the right, assuming you’re right-handed. If you’re left-handed, the ball veers to the left. To put it another way, a golf shank is the quickest way to turn one of the most popular sports into a frustrating pastime.
How to hit a golf iron down on the ball?
By pushing down into the ground with that lead foot, you move the arc of your golf iron swing forward so you’re still swinging down at the moment of impact. Now, you probably noticed that these first two tips are all about hitting down on the ball.
How do I stop my golf ball from chipping?
3:098:32STOP BLADING and STOP CHUNKING your chip shotsYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipControl. So standing to the golf ball thumbs down thumbs down thumbs to target.MoreControl. So standing to the golf ball thumbs down thumbs down thumbs to target.
Why am I blading the golf ball?
0:132:56Stop BLADING and CHUNKING Your Irons | TaylorMade Golf - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIt's really comes down to where is the club bottoming out in the arc.MoreIt's really comes down to where is the club bottoming out in the arc.
Why do I chunk iron shots?
Chunked or fat shots are often the result of having a “low point,” the vertically lowest point of the swing's arc, too far behind the ball. What we see with many golfers that chunk their irons is the upper body bends too far forward in the downswing and then stays there during the follow-through.
How do you fix a chunking iron?
1:216:30How to Stop Chunking Your Irons (Golf Chunk Shot Fixes) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe easiest one to fix is just simply ball. Position a lot of people a lot of amateur golfers thisMoreThe easiest one to fix is just simply ball. Position a lot of people a lot of amateur golfers this could be you simply chunk their irons because the ball is too far forward in their stance.
How do you hit down on a golf ball with irons?
6:138:40HOW TO HIT DOWN ON THE GOLF BALL - GOLF LESSON - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipTake your setup we make a backswing weight. Goes left hands go low that's really really important.MoreTake your setup we make a backswing weight. Goes left hands go low that's really really important. Now from there we push and extend and strike the ground.
How do I make better contact with irons?
2:307:413 Golf Swing Drills For Irons (SOLID CONTACT!) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipHit and hold it in order to do that you've got to have your ducks in a row you've got to have yourMoreHit and hold it in order to do that you've got to have your ducks in a row you've got to have your core working your arm stable. And you'll start to hit a really good feel so let me try one. Here.
How do you stop blading?
2:144:25How to Stop Skinnying (Topping or Blading) Your Chip Shots - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd here's a guaranteed cure for not skinning chips is to then put your right foot back behind youMoreAnd here's a guaranteed cure for not skinning chips is to then put your right foot back behind you up on its tippy toe. And then go ahead and hit down and hit hit that chip shot with confidence.
How do you hit out thick grass?
0:424:36HOW TO HIT A GOLF BALL OUT OF THICK ROUGH: 3 EASY TIPS!YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipForward hitting more of a punch. Shot holding the handle forward that squeezes down on it it firmsMoreForward hitting more of a punch. Shot holding the handle forward that squeezes down on it it firms up the arms as well helps you get solid shots.
How do you stop blading pitch shots?
4:115:32The Real Reason You THIN Pitch Shots & How to Stop It - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo for this shot around about halfway. And then around about halfway full of follow-through softMoreSo for this shot around about halfway. And then around about halfway full of follow-through soft hands turn through. A little strong that one or go and hit the pin. I think that's gone.
Why do I always blade my wedges?
1:466:24Wedge Week: Chunk and blade it no more | Golf Channel - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe answer would be too many times that's the chunk swing. If you would just move the ball to theMoreThe answer would be too many times that's the chunk swing. If you would just move the ball to the center of your stance.
Why is the low point of a golf swing important?
This is significant because the low point of your swing follows the pressure in your feet. If most of your pressure is still in your back foot when the club comes back down, the clubhead is going to hit the ground well behind your golf ball. You wind up chunking the shot.
What does it feel like to chunk a golf shot?
All golfers know the pain of chunking golf shots. You take a powerful backswing, you feel like you’re about to hit a quality shot, then you swing down and feel the club hit the ground. When you look up, you see a huge piece of turf traveling down the fairway. Meanwhile, your ball has only gone a few feet. The chunk shot is a common problem.
What Causes a Golfer to Hit it Fat?
Right now, I’m talking specifically about chunking your irons. As you may know from past articles on hitting stellar iron shots, you want to catch the ball on a downward motion. To put it another way, you have to make contact with the golf ball before you reach the low point of your swing.
How to swing a golf ball with your feet together?
An easy way to do this is by standing with your feet together and the ball aligned with the center. Then, step your lead foot forward and your trail foot back and equal distance. Second, notice the pressure on your feet as you take your swing.
Why is chunk shot so common?
The chunk shot is a common problem. But it’s not common because it’s hard to overcome. It’s common because so few amateur golfers have gotten the right advice for preventing heavy shots.
How to start pressure on a golf club?
You should start with most pressure on the lead foot, shift to the trail foot on the backswing, and shift pressure back to the lead foot as you swing through. You can find more tips on pressure in the feet here. Third, check the butt end of your club at setup.
What does the tilt in the club do to the clubhead?
And what does that do to your clubhead? It forces the leading edge to tilt down towards the ground. When you swing through, the tilt in your club causes the leading edge to dig into the ground.
What does it mean when a golfer holds his weight back?
This means that they’re holding their weight back, and when their weight stays back, they essentially pull their swing arc back, too. As a result, the bottom of their swing happens farther back behind the ball, and they wind up making contact on an upward motion instead of a downward motion.
How to shift pressure on a golf swing?
You start with more pressure on the lead foot, shift pressure to the trail foot on the backswing, and shift back to the lead foot on the downswing.
What is lag in golf?
For now, I’ll just say that lag refers to the practice of releasing your clubhead late in the downswing in an effort to kick more speed into the clubhead at impact.
What is the purpose of swing motion?
This golf tip will start to move your swing on a better swing plane. You’ll also begin to generate a better swing sequence and you’ll see an increase in your swing speed.
Why do golfers struggle to get contact?
So many golfers struggle to get pure contact because their golf ball is in the wrong position within their stance. More often than not, they’ve got it too far forward. Now, that might be a great position for your driver shots, when the goal is to hit up on the ball. But when it comes to your irons, you want to catch the golf ball on ...
What does a stellar golf swing mean?
A stellar golf iron swing results in one of the greatest feelings in the game of golf: that clean, clear crack sound, that purely struck iron shot, that finish right at the pin.
What is the best way to hold a golf club?
There’s a number of things that go into having the correct golf grip, however, the most important thing is that you hold the golf grip in your fingers rather than the palms of your hands. Having the club in your fingers will help with your overall contact with the golf ball.
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 ...
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 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 ...
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 strengthen your downstroke?
A useful trick to further strengthen your downstroke is to make your dominant palm face downward as you approach the ball in the delivery zone. This is key to compressing the ball with your downward hit. Many players make the mistake of having their palm face the target which makes them scoop the ball which is rarely desired for long shots.
What is the clubface of an iron?
The design of an iron’s clubface is such that they come with a pre-built loft angle. It is angled backward such that when you place the club perpendicular to the ground, the clubface points slightly upward. Knowing this little detail of the club design, you should be able to understand why hitting down is enough to make the ball go up and a direct upward force is not required.
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 ...
Why does my golf swing hit the ground instead of the ball?
Failing to transfer your weight through your swing correctly can cause a disconnect between you and the club, causing you to hit the ground instead of the ball. On your backswing, your weight shifts to the back foot, if you cannot transfer your weight back through the ball to your front foot, then the ground will end up between you and the ball.
Why am I hitting Behind the Ball?
There are many factors which can affect your shot and cause you to hit behind the ball such as;
What does it mean when your back shoulder drops?
Dropping the Back Shoulder. Similarly to a loose leading arm, dipping your back shoulder can give the same issue from the opposite side of your body. Allowing your back shoulder to drop causes you to make a scooping motion towards the ball, rather than hitting right through. The scooping motion causes you to take a divot and lose the shot.
What happens when you hit behind the ball?
Hitting fat, hitting heavy, chunking the ball, grounding the club, whatever you call it, hitting behind the ball can cause huge issues in your game. Hitting behind the ball causes a divot to get between your club and the ball, resulting in an ugly mis-hit which tends only to jump 5 or 10 yards forwards. Hitting behind the ball can happen ...
How far back should you put the ball in a golf ball?
For your driver, keep the ball in line with your front instep and for fairway woods, a bit further back than this – about halfway between the center of your stance and your front foot.
Why does my head move forward in golf?
Moving your head forward causes your weight to shift incorrectly, changing your position over the ball before the club makes contact, causing it to hit the ground.
Why should your lead arm be straight?
Your lead arm should be kept straight throughout your swing as if it is bent at the point of impact. Bending the lead arm will shorten your swing and cause you to miss the ball and hit the ground instead.
How to swing an iron?
As you swing the iron toward the low point on your forward stroke, the clubhead moves in a descending motion. Once the clubhead passes through the low point, it arcs upward again.
How does the low point of an iron work?
If you position the handle slightly in front of the clubhead—more towards the target—the low point moves forward.
How to get better iron shots?
Hitting down on the ball is the key to better iron shots. Essentially, you want to make impact just before hitting the low point of your swing. This is achievable for even the most casual golfers if you make small adjustments to move the low point of your swing forward. Positioning the ball in the center of your stance.
Why do you put the ball in the center of the ball?
But when you want to hit down on the ball, a center placement helps ensure that you’ll make contact with the ball just before your swing reaches its natural low point.
What is the difference between a low point and a clubhead?
Pretty simple, right? Before the low point, your clubhead is descending . After the low point, your clubhead is ascending.
What happens if you move the handle in front of the clubhead?
If you position the handle slightly in front of the clubhead—more towards the target—the low point moves forward. As a result, you have a decent chance at getting a good iron shot if you move the handle just a little bit in front of the golf ball.
What hand do you use to practice golf?
Here’s what you do: As part of your pre-shot routine, take a few practice swings with your lead hand only. Your trail hand does nothing. It doesn’t touch the club at all. You’re just holding the club in your lead hand and giving that hand total control of your swing movement.
Why does my golf ball shank?
Nine times out of ten, when a high handicapper shanks the golf ball, it’s because they’re “swinging too far out to in.”
How to tell if you shanked or sliced a golf ball?
Fortunately, you can tell whether you’ve sliced it or shanked it just by observing your ball flight. A golf shank travels low and directly to the right. A slice gets up in the air and curves to the right. For now, I’m going to share golf swing tips for overcoming the golf shank only. But don’t worry.
What is a Golf Shank?
First, let’s clarify what we’re talking about when we talk about the shank.
What is the most dreaded shot in golf?
The golf shank may be the most dreaded shot in the game. You think you’ve got a good shot lined up, then the ball flies low and to the right. Now you’re off course, you’re irritated, and you just wasted stroke.
Why do high handicappers have shanks?
Most high handicappers have a habit of doing exactly that. They bring their arms too far out in the transition. This in turn exposes the heel and hosel to the ball at impact, causing the shank.
What is a shanked chip shot?
Here is a classic example of a shanked chip shot: When you hit the golf ball off the hosel, the ball travels super low and far to the right, assuming you’re right-handed. If you’re left-handed, the ball veers to the left. To put it another way, a golf shank is the quickest way to turn one of the most popular sports into a frustrating pastime.
Why do you adjust the swing plane?
This adjustment helps you get back on the correct swing plane so you can center your contact with the golf ball.
What happens when you hit down on a golf ball?
When you hit down on the ball, you avoid the risk of catching some of the grass (or the ground) on the way into impact. That means that the club face can stay square to the target line, you can maintain all of your club head speed, and everything that you have built up in the swing can be passed on to the ball.
How to hit down in golf?
You need to have your weight over top of the golf ball as you swing down in order to trap the shot properly. Your club is going to bottom out wherever your center of gravity happens to be, so make sure that point is just slightly in front of the ball at impact. Many amateur players get into the bad habit of hanging back on their right side during the downswing, which only leads to bad results. Stay balanced throughout your backswing and then start to move to the left on the way down as your lower body rotates toward the target. Not only will working on your balance help you to trap your iron shots, but it will also help you to perform better in a number of different ways throughout a given round.
How to trap an iron shot?
What does it mean to trap an iron shot? Basically, you are ' trapping ' the ball between the face of the club and the ground. By hitting down through the shot, you can compress the ball against the face of the club, which will provide the shot with both power and spin. Professional golfers are able to repeat this kind of contact over and over again, which is why they hit such high, accurate iron shots on a consistent basis. While you might not ever rise to that level of performance, you can work on trapping the ball as a way to sharpen up your own game.
Why is backspin important in golf?
Added backspin. This point is just as important, if not more important, than the point related to distance. You want to play iron shots with a relatively high rate of backspin, as that spin is going to help you get the ball high in the air and stop it quickly when it comes down . Irons are all about control, as players who are able to control their iron shots from both a distance and direction perspective will be able to set up more birdie putts. Backspin helps your ball hold its line as it travels toward the target, and it also may allow you to spin the ball back toward the hole when playing short iron shots. A high rate of backspin on your irons is going to be desirable for the vast majority of shots that you play, and trapping the ball at impact is going to make it possible to achieve that spin.
How to predict how far the ball is going to go?
In order to predict how far the ball is going to travel, which is imperative if you are going to get the ball close to the hole regularly, you need to consistently produce the same trajectory time after time. That task will become easier if you commit yourself to hitting down and trapping your irons on each shot. This kind of impact should produce a ball flight that starts relatively low to the ground, climbs quickly thanks to the backspin you have created, and then comes down softly – hopefully on the green. Once you are able to hit that same style of shot over and over again, you will quickly learn how to predict how far the ball is going to go, and you will hit more greens as a result.
What is the path of contact between the irons and the turf?
Here's what we mean: Pure contact with the irons requires a downward clubhead path that “trap s” the ball against the turf. The ball is compressed between ground and clubface, maximizing velocity and spin and producing a penetrating trajectory.
How to deal with bad lies in golf?
Dealing with poor lies. Bad lies are a part of golf, and it is up to you to find a way to carve the ball out of a tough spot in order to get it back in position. Whether your ball is sitting down in some rough, or it has just found an old divot hold in the middle of the fairway, hitting down through the shot is almost always going to be the best course of action. When you are used to trapping all of your iron shots, it will be easy to hit down on those shots that do include a bad lie, so you should become a much more consistent iron player overall. It would be great if bad lies didn't exist in golf, but that just isn't how the game works – learn how to handle them with a trapping swing and your results will improve.
How to chip a golf ball?
Most amateur players get excited when they see the ball sitting on top of the grass, but you would be better off with the ball sitting down. When the ball is on top of the grass, hitting down as you normally would will cause the club to go under the ball, and your shot will come up short. When you 'flub' a chip shot that comes up short of the green, it is usually because the ball was up on top of the grass. If you draw this kind of a lie, the best course of action is to flatten out your swing plane so you can pick the ball cleanly without hitting down into the turf. This is a difficult shot to execute, but it is your best bet when dealing with this challenging situation.
How to fix chipping on golf club?
Here's how to cure your chipping woes: Standing with the feet close together (6-12 inches) and the ball midway between them, set the clubhead behind the ball, square to the hole or target line. Move the hands (and the club's handle) slightly toward your left pocket.
How to know if you are scooping a golf ball?
At impact, your left wrist should be flat as you move through the ball. When your left wrist is flat at impact, you can be confident that you are hitting down properly (as long as you set up in a good position with your weight leaning left). However, if you are scooping, you will most likely find that your left wrist is cupped at impact, meaning the club is working up away from the ground as it hits the ball. This is a serious problem, and it will likely cause your chipping performance to suffer.
How to help a golf ball into the air?
If so, you're trying to help the ball into the air with a scooping action using the wrists – the opposite of sound chipping technique. Like iron shots, the clubhead should be traveling slightly downward at impact. The club's loft will provide all the lift you need.
Why does my chip shot come up short of the green?
When you 'flub' a chip shot that comes up short of the green, it is usually because the ball was up on top of the grass. If you draw this kind of a lie, the best course of action is to flatten out your swing plane so you can pick the ball cleanly without hitting down into the turf.
How to get a golf ball to pop up?
Hitting down through your chip shots, just like you should be hitting down on your full iron shots, will enable the ball to pop up nicely each and every time. If you do only one thing right with your chip shots, make sure you are hitting down through the ball.
How to hit a chip on a wedge?
This is another setup point that will make it easier for you to hit down on the ball. The shaft needs to be tilted toward the target at impact if you are going to hit down, so you might as well start out with it in that position. If you get the shaft leaning left at the start, all you need to do in order to hit a solid chip is move the club back and through with a simple rock of your shoulders.
What happens when the iron faces the ball?
The opposite is also true: When the leading edge of the club face contacts the ball at or above this center line the result is a topped golf shot.
Why do I hit my irons so high?
The reasons the club face may contact the ball too high are generally because the golfer lifted his or her head too early to see where their shot was headed. When you lift your head it is almost a guarantee that your leading shoulder is also lifted, resulting in a different (slightly higher) club position at impact. Another common reason for having the club raised too high above the ground at impact is fear of contacting the ground or the ‘I am afraid I might hurt my hands’ shot. So now that you know WHY you top your iron shots, let’s analyze how to stop topping your iron shots.
How to get a good golf shot?
1) Contact the golf ball below the center line (or equator) with the leading ( lower) edge of your iron . 2) Keep your head down throughout the golf shot. 3) Don’t be afraid of contacting the ground with your club – it’s necessary for a good golf shot. 4) Practice the drill presented in the video, but try altering the drill slightly it ...
Why do I lose strokes in golf?
One of the most common causes of wasted strokes during a round of golf – for beginners and even some more advanced players – is the topped iron shot. Imagine you have just hit a beautiful drive that found the fairway on a par four hole and now all you have left is a semi-long iron into the green.
Do you hit the green on a second shot?
Getting the ball to the green will allow you to have a shot at birdie, but it is absolutely essential to hit the green on this second shot to at least have a reasonable chance at a par. Unfortunately, the thought of a potential birdie or at least a reasonable shot at par, combined with the negative thoughts of wasting another beautiful drive come together all-too-frequently to make the second shot on a hole like the one described here one of the most difficult golf shots for beginners.
Do you hit down on the ball when hitting a golf ball?
The image above does depict a dotted line to illustrate the path of the club face and – as you can see – it is at a slightly downward sloping angle, but the angle is almost imperceptible and trying to intentionally achieve this downward contact is almost impossible and can lead to hitting into the ground. The key to remember is that contact between the leading club edge and the golf ball that occurs anywhere below the center line of the ball prevents topping.