I think I'm afraid to hit the ground

[klaymon]

I've been video taping my swing and trying to figure out why I'm topping/blading everything lately. I've found I'm folding my left arm up at impact (chicken wing, I guess). I have the concept in my head that I cannot help the ball up, but I think I'm afraid to hit the ground with my club even though I know I have to. My right arm is straight as a ruler, but I pull my left arm up and that makes the club pull up.

Are there any drills for helping get this thought out of my head other than "Just hit the ground"?

[Hustle]

Give this a try...

Dig a hole about 2 inches deep and around the size of a dollar bill. Place a ball in the dollar bill sized hole and make swings until you are making solid contact.

I am not an instructor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[crawf061]

Harvey Penick always said that you should focus on clipping the tee under the ball. Even when your ball is not on a tee, pretend that there is a tee beneath it and that you are supposed to clip it.

Also, it always helped me to take a little time and just take practice swings where I would thump the ground, but not enough to take a divot (depending on the conditions, this can be easier said than done). I feel like this helped me to feel where the ground is.

[Hustle]

Hey, here is another idea. Keep in mind that I am no training pro, I am just offering some advice. But it seems to me that all you really need is the sensation of swinging through the ground a couple of times. So take your normal position while standing on a 2 by 4 and take normal swings until you are making divoits. After 30 or so swings remove the board and you should be sending dollar bill divoits to the sky...