If you tend to hit shots off the heel of the clubface – the solution likely lies in your address position. Here are three common causes. Standing too close to the ball: From this position you’ll extend the arms on the downswing past their address position, pushing the club outward and initiating heel contact.
Why do I hit behind the golf ball?
There are many factors which can affect your shot and cause you to hit behind the ball such as; Your position over the ball. Movement during your swing. Improper weight distribution and/or transfer. Some are easier to spot than others. The best place to start is the scene of the crime. Look at where the ball is positioned in your stance.
Why does my club hit off the ball off the toe?
As your body lifts up, it moves the club slightly away from the ball, causing impact to occur off the toe instead of right on the sweet spot. It doesn’t take much movement from your body to throw off an otherwise good swing, so carefully review your video for even minor movements up and away from the ball.
Why won’t my golf ball go up in the air?
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. If that’s not happening, there may be a few reasons why. Here are some of the most common I see:
Why do I keep shanking the golf ball?
In order to have a better chance at hitting the middle of the club face, the hands need to be down plane, not out and away from the body. This is why an inside-out swing path is one of the more common causes of shanking the ball. And an in-to-out path paired with a “late hit” is hosel city.
Why am I hitting the golf ball off the bottom of the club?
This can happen as a result of a swing path that doesn't reach down far enough. Or in other words, it is possible that your thin shots come as a result of a club that simply doesn't travel down enough to hit the ball on the sweet spot of the club and produce a healthy divot following the strike.
How do I stop hitting the bottom of the ball?
1:288:00TOP 3 TIPS - STOP HITTING BEHIND THE GOLF BALL - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIn between your feet and a few inches away from the golf ball. This is your center marker this isMoreIn between your feet and a few inches away from the golf ball. This is your center marker this is where you want to stay centered -. So make sure you do a practice swing keeping the sternum.
Why do I keep hitting the floor in golf?
Stance too wide If you stance is significantly wider, it can often cause your hips to move too much side to side and your hip seeks being over each foot. As your hips move too much side to side, this can often cause the club to hit the ground before the ball if you do not recenter yourself exactly the same amount.
How do I stop hitting the heel of my club?
5:097:08STOP STRIKING THE HEEL - EASY SHANK FIX - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe line on the top of the golf ball here. So effectively pointing down my target.MoreThe line on the top of the golf ball here. So effectively pointing down my target.
Why am I hitting the ground with my irons?
3:385:12HOW TO STOP HITTING THE GROUND BEFORE THE GOLF BALLYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipCheck set up ball. Position weight distribution. And in the goal swing focus on a point two to threeMoreCheck set up ball. Position weight distribution. And in the goal swing focus on a point two to three inches in front of the ball shift. In front of it.
What causes low ball flight with irons?
One reason amateurs tend to hit irons too low is that they narrow their swing radius, taking the club back by letting the lead arm (left arm for right-handers) bend too much. It doesn't have to be locked, but it should maintain a fairly straight appearance all the way to the top.
How do I stop hitting the ground first in golf?
3:1511:10How to consistently hit the golf ball first - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo unless you fix your clubface unless you get that clubface in a better position as it's coming.MoreSo unless you fix your clubface unless you get that clubface in a better position as it's coming. Down your body's not going to allow you to allow you to get into this position on the way through.
How do I stop driving the golf ball into the ground?
0:281:52Topping your Driver? What are the Main Causes? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo for that you want to make sure that of course you stay bent down keep your chest. Low. Turn yourMoreSo for that you want to make sure that of course you stay bent down keep your chest. Low. Turn your right cheek towards the ground if you're a right-hander.
How do you hit irons consistently?
0:527:09Consistent Iron Play Hit Your Irons Pure Every Time - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThrough the ball take a nice shallow divot and be a lot more consistent with your iron. So you'llMoreThrough the ball take a nice shallow divot and be a lot more consistent with your iron. So you'll also be able to hit through the ball.
How to stop your body from sliding back when you take a golf ball?
Solution: Lean in your right knee as you turn away from the golf ball. This prevents the upper body from sliding back during the backswing and takeaway.
What happens if you slide your hips back in golf?
This mechanical error in your golf swing can result in topping the ball. Whether you’re sliding your hips back and not correcting prior to impact or you’re sliding too far forward during the downswing, the result is the same.
What happens if your arc is too high?
When this happens you usually have two options. You either completely whiff the ball. Embarrassing, but it happens. Or you hit above the equator, topping the ball. You reach the bottom of the arc before hitting the ball and are on an upswing when the club connects.
What happens if you hit the ball too far forward?
For instance, if the ball is too far forward or back in your stance, the arc of your swing will be off, resulting in a topped golf shot. Solution: Position the ball in the middle of your stance for irons and in-line with the lead heel for your driver.
How to stop choking down on golf clubs?
Solution: Invest in custom-fitted golf clubs or hold the club higher on the grip instead of choking down.
What happens when you hit the bottom of the arc too late?
When the bottom of the arc occurs too late, you’re still hitting above the ball’s equator, meaning you’re hitting at the top of the ball rather than the sweet spot.
What does "topping the ball" mean?
The term “topping the golf ball,” refers to hitting the ball above the ball’s equator.
Why is it not a strategy to get the club centered on the ball?
Leaving it up to hand-eye coordination at impact to get the club centered on the ball is not a strategy that is going to pay off because there simply isn’t enough time to manipulate the club effectively as it rips through the hitting zone.
Why is it important to hit the sweet spot on a golf club?
The center of your club face is going to be the best possible place to strike the ball because it provides the greatest transfer of energy from the club into the ball – meaning maximum distance on your shots. If you were able to make contact with the ball on the sweet spot for every shot that you hit, you would be amazed at the improvement in performance that you would experience.
How to get better at hitting punch shots?
Try hitting five punch shots in a row, followed by three full swings. Go back and forth between punch shots and full swings until you have the right feelings transferring into your full swing and the toe impact problem goes away. Not only can this drill quickly solve the problem of poor contact, it will also help you get more comfortable hitting punch shots – which can definitely come in handy in a variety of situations on the course.
How to hit a punch shot in golf?
Try to hit the ball lower than usual by placing it back in your stance and hitting down through the shot into an abbreviated finish position. Punch shots are useful on the course for avoiding trees or even wind, but they are just as good on the driving range for sorting out swing problems. Why do they work so well? Because they go after both the swing issues highlighted earlier – early release, and standing up out of the shot. You can’t make either one of those mistakes and hit a good punch shot, so it is the perfect drill to solve your golf swing toe hits problem.
How to keep your spine angle on the backswing?
Rotate the shoulders slowly right, then left, as though hitting a golf ball. Keep your shoulder level consistent and level from setup to follow-through. Watch yourself perform this drill with a mirror to your right. This will show you if you’re maintaining the spine angle on the backswing.
How to do a backswing with a golf club?
Stand upright and place a club across your shoulders, behind your neck, and hold it in place with the wrists or hands. Turn your shoulders to the right as you would when making a backswing; rotate back to the left in the same manner, all while remaining in an upright position. Repeat several times.
How to swing a golf club in each direction?
The club should stay parallel to the ground as you turn in each direction. Now, move into your golf stance , bending at the hips (not the waist), with the club across the shoulders in the manner described above. Rotate the shoulders slowly right, then left , as though hitting a golf ball.
What to do if your clubface doesn't reach the ball?
If the clubface doesn’t reach the ball, or sits beyond it, maintain your knee flex, spine angle and arm position and move your feet forward or back until the club is properly positioned.
What does it mean to stand too close to the ball?
Standing too close to the ball: From this position you’ll extend the arms on the downswing past their address position, pushing the club outward and initiating heel contact.
How to fix heel contact?
Some players, including pros, fix heel contact simply by addressing the ball slightly toward the clubs toe. That way, when the arms extend on the downswing the clubface meets the ball on the sweet spot.
What happens if you lean over too much?
Weight toward your toes: If you’re leaning over too much, the club will trace a downswing path farther from your body than the route it followed on the backswing. This tipping motion can happen during the swing, even if your balance is solid at address.
How to hold a golf club straight?
With the ball in front of you at a distance that feels appropriate, stand up straight (as though standing at attention) and bend your knees slightly. Take your normal grip on the club and hold it straight out in front of you, at a right angle to your spine, with the butt end pointing at or just above your belt buckle.
How to balance weight on the arches of your feet?
Flex your knees to balance weight on the arches of your feet. Bend over from the hips – not the waist — and let the club fall into place behind the ball. If the clubface doesn’t reach the ball, or sits beyond it, maintain your knee flex, spine angle and arm position and move your feet forward or back until the club is properly positioned.
What happens when you get the ball out of the bottom of the driver's face?
Undoubtedly if you are getting the ball consistently out of the bottom of the face of the driver, what's happening is the face/head is arriving at the ball before the hands and the handle so the club head is nearer target than the hands . (eg. If you were hitting a 3 metal off the ground precisely the same way, you'd be topping it.)
What is your overall target when playing golf?
Your overall target when playing golf is where you want the ball to go to.
What does Mab say about the ball?
If the ball is your point of reference, then regardless of teeing the ball higher or lower it remains your point of reference and you strike the ball in the same place on the face.
How far off the ground is a golf ball on a 460 driver?
Ball on a tee, with a 460 driver and the ball's equator level with the top of the driver head so the ball's equator is some 31/2" to 4" off the ground, your focus better be the precise area of the back of that ball you want to strike, and not the point where the tee enters the ground some 4 inches below that point.
Is the golf ball straight out of the bottom of the club?
However it is straight and out of the bottom of the club. I am told that a driver will spin the ball up more out of the bottom of the face but that is not what I see. Into the wind it starts low gets up and then drops, its a beautiful flight but it is short.
Is the ball of the deck static?
If your point of reference became the ground beneath the ball, i.e. make the swing you would to play the ball of the deck, then that point of reference is static... and you can adjust tee height accordingly to influence whether you hit the ball low or high on the face.
Why do golfers hit their heel?
Hitting the heel of the club occurs most often because of one of two things: A hand path that moves outward from the body. A “wide” cast of the club.
How to see impact on golf club?
Before we start, I might recommend that you purchase a can of Dr. Scholl’s Foot Spray powder. Spray it on your club face before you hit a shot, and you’ll be able to see where your impact actually is. Face tape works as well, but it can skew the spin on the golf ball as well as your launch monitor numbers if you’re practicing with one.
How to hit the heel of a golf club?
The flatter you swing the club, the more likely you are to hit the heel. What goes around comes around, they say, and the ensuing heel hits slice and kill distance. If this is your problem. you need to feel a swing that is more up and down with the hand path staying in under the shoulders, closer to the body. Try putting a tee inside the ball you’re hitting and hit IT. This may help you feel more down and in coming into the ball.
How far from the center of the club face is the heel and toe?
And when you consider the fact that the heel and toe are less than than 1 inch from the center of the club face, it gives you an idea of how hard our game can be.
Why do I hit my toes?
Most toe hitting is the result of a the golf club coming into impact more upright or vertical than it was at address. I see this a lot in my students who start down from the top of their swing far too steeply, and have to raise the handle of the club into impact — one of the most common reactions to a steep transition. Typically, a video of their swing shows an early extension of the lower body and the raising of their swing center.
What is double cross golf?
A golfer sets up for a fade, which requires an out-to-in path, but then contacts the shot on the toe, which creates hook spin. If that’s your ball flight pattern, try a little more neutral grip, which will help you to release the club correctly.
Can recreational golfers improve their scoring?
I’m totally convinced the majority of recreational golfers can make the quickest and biggest improvement in our scoring if we will just dedicate the time to learn good chipping technique and to practicing that technique with a purpose.
What does it mean when a golf ball shanks?
A shank occurs when the ball strikes the hosel of an iron and causes the ball to shoot off to the right (for a right handed golfer).
Why is it important to have a good grip on a golf club?
The grip is one of the most important and overlooked fundamentals in the golf swing. Your hands have a direct correlation to the club face throughout the swing. Poor contact is often the result of gripping the club too tightly so the muscles fail to work properly throughout the swing. In addition, a weak grip makes it nearly impossible to hit the ball straight.
How to shank a golf club?
Shanks occur when you can not pinpoint the middle of the clubface and the hosel moves forward toward the ball at impact. Place a tee in the ground between you and about an inch from the ball. Practice making swings so the heel of the club strikes the tee through impact. If the hosel returns to the tee you can not shank the ball.
How to hit a shank in golf?
Allow your hands to return back to impact in a similar position as your set up. Shanks and heel hits sometimes occur when the arms and hands extend out and closer to the ball through impact. Therefore, swing your hands and arms closer to your body, specifically your left thigh. If your hands and arms extend a few inches out at impact the clubface will also move out a few inches. Contact with the ball moves from the center of the clubface to the hosel resulting in a shank.
How to fix heel hit on golf club?
Next, place a ball on the tee and try to hit it. Therefore, to fix the heel hit, place a ball on the inside tee and set up with the club behind the outside tee.
How to set up a golf club for a gate drill?
Players that struggle with heel hits should set up with the club face behind the outside tee and make a swing and return to strike the inside tee. On the other hand, players that strike the ball on the toe can do just the opposite, set up to the inside tee and return the club to the outside tee at impact. Go slow in the beginning so you feel yourself groove the difference in motion.
What does heel hit mean in golf?
Heel hits with the driver typically result in a slice and loss of distance. Coming over the top with an outside to inside swing path is probably the most common reason for a heel hit with the driver. The club head cuts across the target line during the outside to inside swing path.
Why do you keep your golf club back?
Keeping it back will ensure the golf club gets delivered on a more inside to out swing path and a better chance of solid contact.
What happens when you come over the top in golf?
Coming over the top with outside to in and how to fix. The over the top golf swing causes a multitude of problems in golfers, not the least hitting heel golf shots. It also leads to toe shots, fat shots and thin golf shots as well. When an over the top golf swing combines with a weak grip and an open clubface, heel shots often occur.
How to know if your golf club grip is weak?
To fix you firstly need to grip the golf club correctly which means showing 2 knuckles on your left hand so your grip is strong enough so it squares the clubface on the downswing. No knuckles showing on the left hand is a sure sign your grip is too weak!
Why do my arms extend past the address position?
Because you are too close to the golf ball at address, on the downswing your arms will naturally extend past the address position pushing the golf club out pass the golf ball causing heel contact .
What is heel shot in golf?
A golf heel shot is when the golf ball strikes the far left portion (not the hosel) of the clubface. Most commonly hitting the golf ball on the heel results in golf slices that curve around to the right and into trouble.
How to address a golf ball?
Next, bend your knees slightly, grip the golf club and let your arms hang down naturally by your sides. Now, the butt end of the golf club should be pointing at your belt buckle and your hands should be approximately right beneath your chin line.
Can you fix heel shots in golf?
The good news is with just a slight change to your set up, grip and swing plane you can fix your golf heel shots and hit the golf ball more consistently.
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.
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.
How to maintain a good path in backswing?
It’s possible to have a proper path in your backswing without sacrificing width. 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. While you practice, be sure to keep your lead underarm close to your body to maintain a good path and width.
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.
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.