Why do I hit the ball so high?

[pchaney301]

Well, I can't seem to figure out why I get so far under the ball with my irons. Most of the time, I can't get any distance out of my irons because the ball gets in the clouds because I'm not hitting the ball solid and its kind of just going under it like a lob wedge.

Any ideas?

[Jay-Bird]

Work on getting solid contact on the ball first. What's with the notion that you want to actually hit under it with a lob wedge?

Golfing the ball accurately requires that you make solid contact with the ball first. Try to imagine you're actually squishing the ball into the club. You'll find consistent iron distance.

[Smw]

Good lag and impact position naturally delofts the iron. Offers more control as well.

[ddalet]

Try a forward press.

Many of the greats played with an exaggerated press, almost so that that club and your left arm made a straight line.

I had a similar problem of high ball flight (excessive), so I press a bit now and that has brought it down, at least with the long irons. Still hit my short irons pretty high.

[buddycris75]

how do you create good lag?

[3BillsOnTheFly]

You want to let the club lag when you start your downswing. I would start your practice with pitching and work your way up. The pitch is a miniature version of your swing and is the most practiced shot among tour pros.

[ddalet]

how do you create good lag?

wrap a wet towel around your clubhead and swing around with it. The feeling you get will show you how to lag.

Basically your hands have to trail the rest of your swing. You will know you have it because you will feel a natural whip like release of your hands later and quicker than you would if they were leading. Don't confuse this with swinging hard. I hope this helps.

[buddycris75]

wrap a wet towel around your clubhead and swing around with it. The feeling you get will show you how to lag.

o ok i see what you're sayin. next question. what does lag do for you?

[freakybayar]

i have a HL shaft and i think i lose alot of distance because it just goes up a mile,

make sure you have the correct shaft

[CG031]

o ok i see what you're sayin. next question. what does lag do for you?

Clubhead speed which equals longer distance which equals lowering your ball flight in order to achieve the distance gain.

[pchaney301]

Thanks for all the input. I'm going to try some stuff tomorrow when I get out to the course. It's been about 100 degrees here lately, pretty hot, but I'm going to get out there tomorrow afternoon.

[mdouet]

To generate lag I tell myself to "let my hands win" through the swing.

[pchaney301]

I went out and played day before yesterday with a buddy of mine that played a little college golf, so he knows a pretty decent amount about the correct way to play golf. He got me to have my hand further in front of the ball when I make contact. I think some of the time my hands would be behind the ball, causing me to get under it.

[bunkerputt]

I used to hit the ball pretty well a year ago and then started hitting it really high for some reason. I mean, I went from a 250 yard 3-wood to maybe 160 yards that was higher than I have ever seen in my life. I was convinced they were all skyballs until I saw a mark on my clubface. It turns out that, in an attempt to get my hands higher in swing plane, I had actually started tilting left on my backswing, a.k.a. "Reverse pivot". I had fought this tendency when I first started, but thought I had it nailed. Lo and behold, it snuck back in unknowingly.

Stand up straight and try to touch the outside of your left knee with your left hand. This "tilting" feeling is what you should NOT feel in your swing. If you ever develop pain under your left rib after playing a lot of golf, you probably have a reverse pivot.

[ScottyWrrn]

set up a tee a few inches in front of the ball ( not in the ground, just laying down ) try to make the tee dissapear and that will make the ball go out more than up

[imtomtomim]

one more thing to check is your tempo. If you're firing your swing from the top instead of letting it drop through and then flowing with the swing, your temp gets quick and you tend to hit down to the ball giving you a lot more spin and a higher shot. One of my main problems.

You could be setting up wrong, ball too forward, maybe going for more of a flop shot like position. Also, you could be taking the club away steeply and chopping down at the ball which makes it spin really hard and go high and short.

Main suggestions, check your setup, then takeaway, then tempo.

[pchaney301]

I used to hit the ball pretty well a year ago and then started hitting it really high for some reason. I mean, I went from a 250 yard 3-wood to maybe 160 yards that was higher than I have ever seen in my life. I was convinced they were all skyballs until I saw a mark on my clubface. It turns out that, in an attempt to get my hands higher in swing plane, I had actually started tilting left on my backswing, a.k.a. "Reverse pivot". I had fought this tendency when I first started, but thought I had it nailed. Lo and behold, it snuck back in unknowingly.

When you say try to touch my left knee, do you just mean to reach for it and that motion should not be felt in my swing? I have lost a lot of distance too, and I can't figure out what the deal is. I mean I've literally lost a lot of distance with every club, so it has to be something in my swing. I didn't get to go play today, but I'm going tomorrow so I want to try a few things on the range.

[bunkerputt]

When you say try to touch my left knee, do you just mean to reach for it and that motion should not be felt in my swing? I have lost a lot of distance too, and I can't figure out what the deal is. I mean I've literally lost a lot of distance with every club, so it has to be something in my swing. I didn't get to go play today, but I'm going tomorrow so I want to try a few things on the range.

Just try to reach for it. That is, stand up straight, don't bend forward, backwards. Just try to bend left and touch the outside of your knee. Kind of like the motion your spine would make if you were carrying a 100lb dumbell in your left arm. What you are concerned with here is the bend in your spine. You don't want this kind of leftwards bend of the spine in your backswing. This raises the right shoulder, and causes you to do the opposite on the downswing, generating zero power, and adding a lot of loft to the club. If you make a correct shoulder turn, your shoulder plane will be flatter, and you will actually be able to generate power and keep your swing on plane. It's nearly impossible to swing on plane with a reverse pivot because of the position it leaves your hips in. When you start down, you will have to make some large compensatory movement to get the club on plane. The reverse pivot is, in my opinion, the number one killer of power, solid contact and distance. Ask me how I found out