Golf-FAQ.com

why do i drive the golf ball into the ground

by Providenci Kautzer Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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When your ball is at a neutral position on the ground, your club needs to dig into the ground in order to achieve contact at the true loft of your club. This is one of the many counter-intuitive motions in golf, many of which take time to learn.

Specifically, players who hit ground balls are leaving too much weight on their right foot as they come down into the ball. When your weight gets stuck on your foot in the downswing, the club will bottom out before the ball – meaning it will be on the way back up when it actually arrives at impact.

Full Answer

Why do I hit the ground instead of the golf 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 can’t I get the golf ball in the air?

Too much knee flex or squatting can often make it extremely difficult to get the club down into the turf, and therefore get the ball into the air. 2. Trying to lift the ball For those golfers who don’t understand how to get the ball in the air, there can be a strong instinct to try to lift the ball.

Why is it important to get the ball off the ground?

Even if the ball doesn't fly perfectly toward your target, just getting it off the ground is enough to avoid embarrassment in front of your friends and other golfers. Also, as far as your score is concerned, getting the ball off the ground can help to keep you away from trouble.

Why do I hit the ball behind the ball?

From your position in relation to the ball, right through to the end of your swing, many factors can cause you to hit behind the ball. You can avoid this by making sure you do the following consistently: Practice your set-up so the ball is in the same place in your stance for every shot.

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How do I stop driving the golf ball into the ground?

To help you stay down, think about keeping your right knee flexed and your right heel on the ground for as long as possible. This encourages you to stay bent at the hips and prevents your legs from straightening and lifting the clubhead farther off the ground.

Why are my drives going along the ground?

Often times, a low drive is caused simply by teeing the ball up too low. A number of golfers, worried about teeing the ball up too high and hitting a high, looping drive, tee the ball up just off the ground.

How do you fix a driver hitting the ground?

4:016:21Titleist Tips | How to Stop Hitting the Ground Before the Ball - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipDirectly back at zero. So what i mean by that is zero is where the back of the ball would be. And iMoreDirectly back at zero. So what i mean by that is zero is where the back of the ball would be. And i hit the ground exactly where the back of the ball would be but the next.

Why are my drives not getting off the ground?

Tee shots that are too low can actually be caused by cutting your backswing short as well. If you don't finish your backswing, you won't be able to get positioned correctly behind the ball – meaning you are more likely to end up leaning left at impact and again fighting with a downward angle of attack.

Why does my golf ball not go in the air?

In order for a golf ball to get airborne, the club head must contact the ball at the low point of the downswing. The ball gets trapped between the club face and the ground. The ball then spins up the face of the club, and the loft determines just how high and far the ball goes.

Should I aim in front of the golf ball?

Trying to keep your eye on the ball pretty much ensures that your club will bottom out too soon. If you want to hit crisp irons from the fairway, your focus should be well forward of the ball.

How do I stop hitting down on the ball with my driver?

To cure your slices and pulls, hit down on the ball with your driver. A good thought is to try to take a little divot after impact or to hit with the shaft leaning toward the target (top photo). This will help you shift to your front side on the downswing and swing into impact from inside the target line.

Why do I hit the ground before hitting the golf ball?

Hitting the ground before the golf ball is mainly caused by an incorrect golf swing technique. There are many factors to consider, and some can compound others. These include hip slide, head movement, dipping the shoulder, bending your lead arm, releasing the club too early, and not distributing your weight through your swing correctly.

What happens when you downswing a golf ball?

During the downswing, many players tend to slide their heads or will want to look at where they hit the ball . Unfortunately, this prevents the player from watching the club strike the ball and, in turn, will cause the entire upper body to move forward once again and impede proper recoil.

How to get the perfect swing in golf?

To acquire the perfect golf swing technique will mean that you will hit the ball consistently with power and place it where you would like it to go. However, a lousy technique will reak havoc on your game, causing you to hit the ground before the ball and elevating your handicap. Let’s remedy this.

What does it mean when you swing a golf club?

To put it in another understandable way, you are trying to hit the ball with an upwards motion. A golf club (your swing) actually moves through the shape of a circle, meaning when you swing your club, you are swinging it in the form of a perfect circle.

What is a downswing hip slide?

Downswing hip slide. A prevalent issue that occurs with many golfers is the hip slide. When the hip moves past your foot that you distribute your weight onto, there is not any firmness, which equates to less rotation, and without rotation, power is drastically reduced.

Why do I have a shorter golf club shaft?

Using a shorter club means you drop the club too much, or your swing is inhibited because your posture is not correct (you have to hunch to get to the ball).

What foot is the golf ball on?

This is the foot that you distribute your weight onto through your swing. For right-handed players, it is the left foot, and for left-handed players, it is the right foot. This can be further compounded by using shorter clubs.

Why is it important to get the ball in the air on each swing?

Golf becomes far more interesting when you can reliably get the ball in the air on each swing, because you will be able to start planning shot shapes, picking specific targets, and more. Put in the time now to learn how to get the ball in the air and your future on the golf course will be much more exciting.

Why is it important to stay on balance in golf?

Staying on balance will allow you to control the positioning of the bottom of your swing, which will allow you to avoid the dreaded ground ball. Arm-only swing. The whole body needs to be involved in a good golf swing – and when it isn't, bad things can happen.

How to get fear of the ground ball out of your mind?

Simply by seeing the ball get into the air on a consistent basis, you can take the fear of the ground ball out of your mind prior to your next round. Hitting topped shots on the golf course is never a fun experience. You may have to listen to a few jokes from your playing partners, and your score will suffer as well.

How to hit top shot golf?

One way to hit topped golf shots is to use only your arms as you swing the club back and through. If your legs aren't involved in the swing, you will have trouble transferring your weight onto your left foot, and you will be prone to hitting ground balls as a result.

What is the difference between amateur golfers and professional golfers?

One of the big differences between amateur golfers and their professional counterparts is the way that the pros use their entire body in the golf swing. When you watch a professional swing the club, it is obvious that they are using their lower body and upper body together in harmony to hit powerful and accurate shots.

What happens if you don't hit down?

If you don't hit down, you will always run the risk of having the leading edge contact the ball first – leading to a topped shots. The problem is that hitting down through an iron shot requires plenty of confidence when you are actually out on the course.

What is poor balance in golf?

Poor balance. Many amateur golfers struggle with poor balance, and one of the side effects of that problem can be topped shots. You need to have your center of gravity in the correct place if you are going to strike the ball cleanly time after time.

Why is my ball not rolling across the ground?

In simplest terms, in order to get the ball up into the air — and not rolling across the ground — is to hit down into the dirt. (GETTY) If that’s not happening, there may be a few reasons why. Here are some of the most common I see: 1. Bad Posture. Good posture is the basis for solid contact.

How to throw a golf club toward the ground?

It can be helpful to practice this by placing a ball in your right hand, from your golf posture. Allow the elbow to fold as it would in your backswing and then throw the ball so that it hits the ground.

What ruins a golf swing?

Nothing ruins a great golf swing like a loss of balance. Assuming you’re in a good set up to start, it only takes a small loss of balance to cause you to top the ball. A good check of balance is holding your finish until your golf ball lands.

How to get the ball down to the ground?

1. Bad Posture. Good posture is the basis for solid contact. Bowing forward from your hips so that your hands can hang below your shoulders can put you in balance and also get the club down to the ground. Too much knee flex or squatting can often make it extremely difficult to get the club down into the turf, and therefore get the ball into the air.

How to brush grass without a club?

Keeping your hands away from your sternum can help to maintain the width of your backswing, making it easier to brush the grass. One of my favorite drills for feeling this is to hold your lead wrist with your trail hand. From here, make your backswing without a club and feel your trail arm pull your lead arm wide.

Why is it so hard to keep your head down?

The problem with keeping your head down is that it limits your body’s ability to move athletically. If you attempt to keep your head down, it’s very difficult to allow your body to rotate properly on your downswing to get the club down to the ground and the ball into the air. 7. Tension in hands and arms.

What happens if you stand too far away from the ball?

If you stand too far away from the ball at address, it’s almost difficult not to top the ball without a heroic move. Reaching for the ball — where your arms often get into a diagonal position — will often lead to a thin shot or a top.

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.

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 ...

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.

Why release the club early?

Releasing the Club Early. Also known as ‘casting’, releasing the club too early disrupts your swing plane, causing you to hit across the ball rather than through it . Not only is this an issue by itself, but it also promotes the hip movement we spoke about earlier.

How to avoid hitting the ball?

To avoid this, focus on your movement after striking the ball and ensure you are doing the following: Follow your swing and allow the momentum to turn your body towards your target. Keep your front foot planted and pivot your back foot to aid proper rotation.

How to keep your lead arm 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. Concentrate on keeping your arm straight, but not tense, at the point of impact.

How to follow through on a golf shot?

Using these tips, your follow-through should become natural and smooth for every shot. Remember; if your follow-through is off balance or inconsistent, your shot will be as well.

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Posts

It kind of ended abruptly too. He really didn’t go into enough specifics to support his contention.

Why is the lead hand the most powerful way to throw a ball?

Because the lead hand is ahead and it's the most powerful way to throw a ball and to generate speed - watch from 7 mins to see this exact drill. Get one of these as it will help you add speed and power to this motion. Now make some small swings with it, and toss the dog ball thrower into your practice net.

What is the club face?

1) Most people who hit the ground behind the ball, when they approach impact, the club face is an open position. Your body is smart, so what it does instead is it tries to do its best for you as you flick your wrists and try to the face up to the ball at impact. As a by-product, you will likely hit the ground first before the ball, or you will top it or thin it.

Does Danny Maude use a dog ball thrower?

One of his drills involves the use of a dog ball thrower. Yes, a dog ball thrower... ...

What causes a ball to swing over the top of the ball?

FAULT 1. EARLY EXTENSION. As you approach impact, you lose your original address posture and spine inclination to the ground, which causes you to practically swing over the top of the ball. This is often caused by the urge to help the ball into the air. FAULT 2.

How to stay down when playing golf?

To help you stay down, think about keeping your right knee flexed and your right heel on the ground for as long as possible. This encourages you to stay bent at the hips and prevents your legs from straightening and lifting the clubhead farther off the ground. FIX 2. KEEP THE RIGHT SHOULDER LOW.

Can you dribble off the tee?

Few shots in golf are more embarrassing than the topped tee ball. Unfortunately, there’s more than one way to dribble the ball off the tee. You can swing too steeply from the outside and skim across the ball, or even drop-kick it from the inside.

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