Hitting Down: Instruction Necessary?

[jambalaya]

STOP LEARNING IT!!!!.

Actually I think I will hold onto it for a while longer. This new approach is helping me hit the ball straighter than I have in a long time. My distance is not bad. In fact I am still outhitting my usual playing partners. No more shanks which was plaguing my game for about a year. I am hitting more fairways with my driver than just about ever. I just need a tweak to help get a little more consistent contact with my irons. There is some little something that just eludes me. I think part of it is hitting down on the ball. Through the many suggestions that I have recieved on this thread and the results of my last range experience, I think I will work it out.

I also appreciate the other suggestions but I have been through starting the downswing with the hips and using the right hand more and those didn't work for me. I am convinced that thinking about moving my hips as a trigger to my downswing is a killer. It just doesn't work. The more my right hand gets involved, the more I shank. In my opinion you make a good backswing that gets you in a good position at the top and your first move, whether it be your hands dropping, the left shoulder tugging or some other thought starts a chain reaction. The hips bump and start to open, weight shifts, the shoulder turns, the arms drop, you release into the ball and follow through. There is no time for thinking about how all those things happen after the first move.

[Righty to Lefty]

All these swing thoghts are probably driving this guy nuts. Wow basically he needs to find out where his swing is bottoming out (this can be done by taking some half swings and brushing the ground and paying attention to where the club making contact and place the ball just behind that mark.) and ensure that he is transferring his weight to his frontside at impact and that will shift the middle of his swing a few inches in front of the ball and he is then "hitting down on the ball" which has nothing to do with how steep or flat his swing is. Every swing hits down on the ball because the club is on a descending path into the ball and that is all " hitting down on the ball is, no more, no less. Sure if you catch the ball thin you probably caught the ball as the clubhead was starting its path up but that can be fixed easily. This is in no way a technical question that requires all these swing thoughts in my opinion. Swing thoughts murder a golf swing.

[MRL]

I have come to the conclusion that despite improvement in my game recently by using the "Golf Swing and it's Master Key" book, I seem to be sweeping the ball a little more instead of hitting down on it with my irons. I know of two instruction books or videos that discuss and emphasize hitting down on the ball and how to do it. I have not bought the books or videos of either. But I thought, how much discussion is really necessary and to I really need a $90 DVD to help out? What you usually find is a small part of the video devoted to hitting down and the rest of golfing fundamentals you already know about.

Its fairly simple, it is a weight shift problem. When weight does not get transferred to the left side something needs to compensate for it. This is where the scoop comes in, its the easiest and quickest way to get the club to the ball. Therefore making up for staying back on the right foot. Focus on this when practicing and you will gradually improve, trust me. -At the top of the backswing check where your weight is. If the leg is straight most of the weight will be outside the right foot making it impossible to get the weight back to the lead foot. Increasing your chances you will need to scoop. -Make sure you maintain the flex in this knee. This will allow the weight to stay inside the right foot at the top. As you come down you will have more power stored and it will be much easier to get your weight on the lead foot. When weight gets to the left side it becomes much easier. You heard some people say the release should be natural right? No doubt and this how. Everything works better in the golf swing when you do not need to make compensations for something. Its imperative you realize that scooping is a compensation for a poor weight shift. Focus on this and you will see improvement. Good Luck! MRL PGA Level 3 Apprentice

[Sandy Sammy]

Actually I think I will hold onto it for a while longer. This new approach is helping me hit the ball straighter than I have in a long time. My distance is not bad. In fact I am still outhitting my usual playing partners. No more shanks which was plaguing my game for about a year. I am hitting more fairways with my driver than just about ever. I just need a tweak to help get a little more consistent contact with my irons. There is some little something that just eludes me. I think part of it is hitting down on the ball. Through the many suggestions that I have recieved on this thread and the results of my last range experience, I think I will work it out.

Well jamabalya I have been having lessons for the last 3 months consisting of lessons, computer GASP analysis and explanar training, the first thing my coach said was stop using the left arm, everything for 2 months was driven towards me releasing instead of tugging with the left arm, once the release was sorted and my club was moving correctly around me (note this took 2 months of constant drills with my coach) he then got me working on the hips.

I have had a few lessons before this 3 months intense period and I will tell you know it has been an ABSOLUTE revelation what my coach has been teaching me, my shots are high, straight, true and distance increases by the week and my handicap is going down at an incredible rate (i've took approx. 10 off my handicap in 3 months). Again this change from the left arm to the hips and release has taken me 3 months (with computer analysis and explanar use and constant drills) and the results are incredible. I told my coach I don't care how many times I have to shown the release, how many times I have to return to doing the same drills, I want to do it right and its now working wonders . Having had my swing compared to Ernie (on the GASP computer) recently apart from working the hips a little more and power through the release a little more (cross over arms) my swing is near exactly the same. I can't say any more except my putting is still crap .