One of the most common misses is topping or thinning the golf ball. Often, a thin shot can be recoverable, but topping can be a score-killing shot, and immensely frustrating if you don’t know what’s causing it. 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.
Why do I miss the golf ball to the left?
Quite simply, you are failing to make contact with the ball in a whiffed shot because the club doesn’t reach down enough to allow for such a contact to occur. That’s right, the bottom of the swing arc is too high in relation to the position of the ball.
Why won’t my golf ball go up in the air?
Apr 13, 2009 · Problem: When the ball flies dead right, it means your lower body slid ahead, which drops the club too far inside. Golfers see their tee shots go right and automatically curse the slice. Sometimes...
Why is my golf ball lying above my feet?
Feb 18, 2014 · When golfers begin learning the rotary swing, the most common miss is one that starts left and tends to go further left. If you have performed all the other fundamentals correctly, then this is almost always caused by the arms releasing too early in the downswing.
Why do golf balls go to the left on a sidehill?
If you’ve got the ball too far left (closer to your lead foot) at address, your swing will find its bottom point before it reaches the ball. By impact, the clubhead is traveling up and over the ball, usually clipping it above the equator. If you’ve been topping the …
How do I stop missing the golf ball?
- Keep your head still throughout the backswing. ...
- Next, you need to make sure you take a divot at impact. ...
- Finally, in order to create that divot, you'll need to shift your weight forward to your front side throughout the downswing.
Why do I keep missing the golf ball when I swing?
Is missing the golf ball a stroke?
What is it called when a golfer misses the ball?
Why are my drives always low?
Is a lost ball a 2 stroke penalty?
Do air shots count in golf?
Does it count if you accidentally hit your golf ball?
Why do you hold your golf club in your palm?
When your club is in your palm, and you’re squeezing your fingers to keep it there, that added tension will delay your release and likely hold the face open for too long.
Can your arms get stuck behind you?
Though your hips will turn faster than your arms on the way down, when your hips turn too much, your arms can get stuck behind you, leading to a severe in-to-out path which can lead to blocks and block-cuts.
Can you adjust your clubs for loft?
Much of the club technology allows for clubs to be adjusted for loft and face angle. If you tend to slice the ball, adjust any of your clubs to a more draw-biased setup to help you while you are working to improve your technique.
What happens when your lead arm stays straight?
But when your lead arm stays too straight post impact, it delays your release of the clubhead — which can leave the clubface too far open.
How to get a square clubface?
1. A good grip. It would be pretty irresponsible for any anti-slice instruction not to start with grip. Your grip controls your clubface and your clubface controls the curve of the ball. Having your lead hand in the fingers (not the palm) will help you deliver a square clubface at impact. Using your trail hand grip by allowing it ...
How to position a golf ball on a tee?
A good guideline is to position the ball on a tee in such a way that its equator is at the same height as the top edge – or crown – of the clubhead. If whiffing shots are still an issue you may want to position the ball so that its bottom will line up with the top line of the clubhead.
What is a whiff in golf?
A whiff still counts as a stroke and because no distance is gained at all it constitutes a shot error that should be avoided at all cost.
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.
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.
What is the most common miss in golf?
One of the most common misses is topping or thinning the golf ball. Often, a thin shot can be recoverable, but topping can be a score-killing shot, and immensely frustrating if you don’t know what’s causing it. 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.
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 make a change?
It’s okay to make the opposite mistake and hit too much ground on the way to improvement. Be willing to exaggerate your changes, because all-too-often the “feel” and the “real” are very different. Make up your mind and do it. Don’t be afraid to hit that ground and make a mess.
Checkpoints for Practice
Swinging down hard with the arms causes them to release, shutting the club face & causing a miss to the left
Video Transcription: Missing Shots Left
One of the most common misses in golfers learning the one plane swing is pulls or misses to the left. This is a very, very common cause. I see it all the time, every day that I teach. It's a very, very simple thing to fix, but you just have to understand what's causing this.
What happens if you hit the ball too far left?
If you’ve got the ball too far left (closer to your lead foot) at address, your swing will find its bottom point before it reaches the ball. By impact, the clubhead is traveling up and over the ball, usually clipping it above the equator. If you’ve been topping the ball often, check your ball position first.
Is the topped shot embarrassing?
Ah, the topped shot. It’s embarrassing, all right. Even worse, the ego damage is compounded by a lousy result, which moves you only a little closer to the intended target.
What is reverse pivot?
It’s true that the reverse pivot is a leading cause of slicing. It’s also responsible for a large percentage of topped golf shots. Briefly, a reverse pivot is when your weight shifts to the left on the backswing, then right on the downswing and follow-through – the reverse of a correct transfer.
What Causes a Pull?
For a shot to produce no side spin, the clubface must hit the ball with an angle that is square to the club path.
Related Golf Swing Errors
The reason your club path might be of the outside-in variety may have something to do with an infamous golf swing error. Yes, it is quite possible that you are “coming over the top”, or that your swing is “over the top”.
Other Possible Reasons
It is still possible that none of the previous sets of causes are to blame for your pulling shot issues. If that’s the case, read further for other possible reasons.
What is a backswing in golf?
Backswing: You could be taking the club back too far inside, pulling the club away from the target line. The club should track a gentle arc on the way back, not a rapid arc to the inside of the target line. Downswing: The club might be swinging too much to left field at impact.
What is a left-hander hitting?
A left-hander whose shots start to the left of the target line and continue flying left, on a straight line ( not curving left), is hitting a push. Again, the divot, if there is one, will match the ball's direction.
What is the divot in golf?
The divot, if there is one, will match the ball's direction. Here is Roger Gunn's checklist for a right-handed golfer hitting a pull: Grip: Not normally a factor. Set-up: Watch out for aiming too far left, or your shoulders might be pointing too far left. Ball Position: The ball might be too far forward (toward the front foot) in your stance.
What is the difference between a backswing and a downswing?
Backswing: The club is likely being pushed outside the target line on the way back . The club should track a gentle arc on the way back. The club should be over your shoulder at the top, nor over your head. Downswing: Your arms might be pushing away from the body at the transition into the downswing.
Who is Brent Kelley?
Brent Kelley. Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. our editorial process. Brent Kelley. Updated April 18, 2019. Are you hitting lots of golf shots that start out left of the target and continue flying left, on a straight line, until they land left ...
