Hitting the ball low

[steve617]

Me and a fellow golfer was having a discussion about hitting a low ball in a situation trying to keep the ball low when hitting under tree limbs.

I told him I played the ball back and he he said he plays it off his front. Which would be the method of choice.

Thanks

[PiKapp23]

I always play the ball back in my stance with slight forward press and hit a longer club with a softer 3/4 swing and a low finish.. If I really want to get ball to run I, I'll still put ball back but I'll close the clubface which allows me to swing a little harder and with the hook spin on the ball it will run more. Of course if you do this you have to aim a little further right (for right hander). It takes a little practice to master these shots, especially with modern low CG clubs. Main key is swing softer with longer club.

I have known others that played the ball of front foot, but I think this requires a more perfect swing or club manipulation. When ball is forward in stance the swing arc will be starting to come up, adding loft unless you're hitting the ball 'thin'.

[Petden]

When Im keeping the ball low, I will try and sweep moreso than usual, and close the face a little, however, to counteract the draw, I setup more left (I'm a lefty). Finishing low Is also key, I find that is the most important thing for me.

[steve617]

Thanks that is pretty much how I play it. I like using my 17* 2iw in a lot of situations like this. I think the key also is the shorter back swing.

[Dub]

As stated by others....I do about the same for those intentional low shots...more club....ball further back in my stance.....shorter backswing and equally shortened follow-through. I hang back in stance after impact to work the ball right.....or allow for a natural turn through at / after impact for a straighter shot.

Great shot for punching back into fairways from wayward drives w/o giving up too much yardage.

[st0wgolf08]

I put it back in my stance, hands way forward, almost past my left hip, and aim my feet to the left to make sure i don't swing across and hook it. I also make more of a wrist flick, my punch is pretty much all wrist.

[ks8829]

I will play the ball back in my stance and use my 6 or 5 iron and control my distance will the length of my backswing.

[hamletsdead]

I usually hit a 4-iron way way back, about 5 inches right of center towards my back foot. Way easier to hit it low that way. Think about the general advice about chipping -- most people play chips way back, even off their right ankle. You are looking for definite ball-first contact, so back in your stance is much easier. Then all you have to do is take a half-swing and keep your arms low at the finish.

[ebough]

You are right; your friend is totally out to lunch. Moving the ball back in your stance de-lofts whatever club you are using, causing the club face to be more vertical and put less rise on the ball.

[TheNatural]

Yea Im fairly new and know that you play back ..

[bunkerputt]

I used to play it way back (5 inches) in my stance when I first started. That just de-lofts the club and encourages you to hang back and come over the top. Now I generally play it maybe an inch back at most, but try to release it a bit later by accelerating with a 3/4 swing and feeling like I'm cramming the back of my right wrist into the ground at impact. You need enough room to turn the club over so that the loft is off of it at impact, but not so much that you end up releasing fully and hitting it higher. That's why I recommend playing it only slightly back.

[Jay-Bird]

play it back a bit, flatten the swing plane, hit the ball hard and smooth, shorten the follow through.

[MiniMoe]

use the driver - can't get much lower

[wackfudge]

i hit the ball lower by holding the lag in my hands

[mikelaw]

Play the ball back, short backswing, good tempo, keep the back of your left hand towards the target as long as possible.

[jorruss]

The key to hitting it low is the position of your hands at impact. Your hands must be in front of the ball at impact to de-loft the club and launch the ball lower. If you are playing in the wind, that is often not enough to keep the ball low. Because having your hands in front creates a decending blow, you will create backspin, which will cause the ball to rise in the wind.

In order to play in the wind you have to minimize spin. To do that, play the ball slightly back of center, but not too far. You don't want to come down too steeply and create too much spin. Also, take 2 or 3 extra clubs and choke down on the grip. The shorter club will reduce your clubhead speed which also creates less spin. For example, if you normally hit a 7 iron from 150 yards, in the wind you might have to choke up on a 5 or 6 iron (depending on the wind) and play the ball slightly back of center. The final step is to swing normally with a limited followthrough and let the club do the work for you. The combination of less loft, slower swing speed and hands ahead will produce the low, penetrating ball flight that you are looking for.

[willman611]

i usually just take extra club and move the ball a little back in my stance and just take a nice easy smooth swing and hold off a little on turning the club head over.