Hitting the ball too far

**dagolfer** · July 21, 2008

I have a problem with the one par 3 at the course i play weekly. The card reads 217 yards and it is o so slightly down from the tee box in elevation. My 5 wood gets it there but the ball normally rolls off the green. My 3 iron hybrid comes up short inless the tees are in the front of the tee box. How can i adjust my swing to make one of these clubs work for this hole. Choke down on 5 wood? Swing harder with 3 iron hybrid? Deloft the face of the hybrid?

**GaijinGolfer** · July 21, 2008

You could tee the ball up higher so that you hit it higher on the clubface and get a higher trajectory, you could also choke down on the 5-wood.
I wouldnt try to swing harder with the hybrid, when you try to swing hard theres no telling where the ball will go.

**powerfade** · July 21, 2008

Is it rolling off because it's coming in hot or because you're hitting the back of the green? I'm guessing you're hitting the back of the green? If so, try to choke down on the 5 wood. Practice it on the range first (comparing it to your normal 5 wood) to figure out how much to choke.

Swinging "harder" on any club is a recipe for...a high score.

**dagolfer** · July 21, 2008

Here is what happened today when i played, i hit my 5 wood and the ball landed just off the green proceeded to bounce onto green and then roll the whole way of the back. This has happened many times and i am sick of it. However if the tees are forward on the tee box i have no problem because it is in the hybrid range.

**NBGC** · July 21, 2008

Another thought, instead of changing your swing, what type of ball are you using?

I drove a 284 yd par 4 last week and my Pro V1 absolutely stuck. In fact it popped/rolled back about 1 yard from the nasty ball mark. May not work if your trajectory is really low, but on a normal traj, a good tour ball should still have enough backspin to only roll a few yards after hitting the green. Just an idea.

**dkinser86** · July 22, 2008

Here's a situation where you can be creative. When I was younger, and didn't hit the ball as far as I do now, on longer par 3, I would tee the ball a bit higher take a club more open the face a bit, hitting down sharply on the and try to hit a high cut, with a 3/4 swing. After lots of practice with it, it worked out. During a match in an Invitational, I came to the par 3 and knocked to within a couple of feet and made the birdie. Ended up winning by a shot!

**powerfade** · July 22, 2008

Here is what happened today when i played, i hit my 5 wood and the ball landed just off the green proceeded to bounce onto green and then roll the whole way of the back. This has happened many times and i am sick of it. However if the tees are forward on the tee box i have no problem because it is in the hybrid range.

So it landed

short of the green, bounced on, then rolled off? Choking up will not help. You'll land it even shorter and likely get caught up by whatever fronts the green. It sounds like your trajectory is too low for a 5 wood if you're getting too much roll. Do you agree? Where's your ball position? A ball or two ahead of center - at the bottom of your swing arc. Are you delofting the 5 wood? Can you hold greens with your irons or do you play for roll out? Do you let your hands and clubhead release through impact? Does the butt-end of the club point back at you just beyond impact (keeping your shoulders square or slightly open at impact)? If the butt end travels too far forward pointing more skyward past impact (shaft more vertical), you're holding off the release which inhibits a nice high trajectory. This can also happen if you sway into the ball. (Don't tee the ball too high with a 5 wood and don't play it too far forward - there's already a lot of loft built in).

**chingali** · July 22, 2008

Where is the best place to be if you don't hit the green, short or long? If you can work that out then I think you may have your answer as to which club to use. If the trouble is long, bang away as hard as you like with the 3 hybrid, if the trouble is short hit the 5 wood.

**m11** · July 22, 2008

Are you delofting the 5 wood?

pretty much covers the two things i wanted to mention.

It sounds like you are making good contact pretty consistently so your swing is probably pretty ok. Sounds like you may be delofting the club. A normal 5wood trajectory shouldnt cause the ball to roll that much. Are you pressing your hands forward too much? Try setting up with your hands just at or maybe an inch or two ahead of the ball, and take the same swing. If you were delofting, that kind of setup might create a more natural/higher 5wood trajectory, and therefore landing softer. You certainly do not want to tee the ball up higher. That'll only cause you to swing below the ball putting a nice idiot mark on the top of your wood. Bringing the ball forward will cause you to catch the bottom few grooves instead of the center of the clubface causing you to come up about 10 yards short and end up with a low trajectory

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Hitting the ball too far

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