getting a more piercing trajectory w/Irons and driver

[Sandwedge74]

hi Sandtrap,
I recently moved from NYC to Sonoma Valley, California - I am playing a lot of golf and my game is pretty solid - as in - I am not hitting fat shots or topping the ball. My driver are more less straight and I average about 6 fairways a game and usually between 6 and 8 GIR. Usually around 32-34 putts per round. I have a great teacher but he is bucks and I am a musician so I cant really fork over 90 bucks for a lesson whenever I feel like it.
this is my question - I notice many better golfers get this kind of trajectory where the ball just pierces thru the sky and then lifts a little bit before it lands.
I take a shallow divot in front of the ball with my irons and with my wedges - a slightly bigger divot.
How do I learn how to get this kind of trajectory?
The reason I really want it is because I play rounds in the late afternoon when its cheaper - no doubt due the windy conditions. I usually hit my 7 iron in no wind around 155 smooth or 162-165 hard. However in these winds I usually need to hit a 5 iron 155 or so.
my usual ball flight is just normal looking I guess - doest really pierce but just go and has almost a rainbow like type of trajectory. However my balls do back up a few inches so i know I got some backspin on the ball
any thoughts would be great thanks!

[bjw181]

That trajectory is caused by a delofted clubface at impact and a downward striking blow. That little lift at the end is due to clubhead speed. The more MPH, the more spin, the higher the shot, and the longer the carry.

[JimmyAyo]

Have you had your lofts and lies checked on your clubs? Go to a custom fitting facility like Dicks and have them checked for your swing. I use an 8.5 driver and I still get plenty of lift. If I used a 9.5, It would go into orbit. On the contrary, my long to mid irons are like eye level bullets that just go. 4-iron at 225, 5-iron at 210 and 6-iron 190; they come off the club like an airplane off a runway.

I went to Dicks and had everything from the loft/lies to the shafts on my woods and drivers customized for my swing. I lost like 5 strokes on my handicap in a month based off of comfort and the club finally working for me instead of the other way around.

[misty_mountainhop]

Check your balls(!) - some are designed to fly higher than others.

Check your irons - someone has already mentioned lofts etc but your irons of themselves may be promoting a higher flight. I don't know much about your Tour Burner irons (and the TM web site is awful) but they may well be designed to get the ball up fast (low centre of gravity etc) and you may find it difficult to hit a low shot by design. Your shaft may be promoting a high flight too, both due to its type and its flex characteristics. If you want to hit a lower ball, you could do worse than a blade-type of club (high CoG, long hosel) fitted with a tip-stiff, heavy shaft like the Dynamic Gold in whatever flex suits you. Might find that simply fitting this kind of shaft in your current set will help you get what you're after.

Check your shot shape - do you hit a draw, fade or straight ball? You'll find a draw easier to keep lower into the wind; a fade typically flies somewhat higher.

[leezer99]

From Golfinstruction.com

1. Play the ball slightly farther back in your stance (1/2 to one ball back of its normal position)
2. Narrow your stance, setting your weight more toward the front side. This will reduce your movement off the ball, shorten the arc and reduce the power shift, which leads to lower ball flights.
3. Grip down on the club. Besides giving you more control this also shortens the arc to create a shallower path and lower ball flight.
4. Grip the club with relaxed hands and swing smoothly, free of tension.
5. Take one or two clubs more depending on the severity of the wind and DON'T TRY TO KILL THE BALL but JUST SWING EASY!

[verse214]

Go get fitted and try different shafts - shafts will make all the difference. If you are currently striking the ball correctly then it is definitely the shafts.

I play with Project X 5.5 and recently got a full fitting on a trackman and the fitter told me that my ball was ballooning. hit with KBS tours and the ball flight and landing angle immediately improved.

Go hit some shafts and see how they work out for you.

[bunkerputt]

I used to struggle with high shots, but now I find I hit the ball so low I almost overdid it. Here's what I did...

Swing easy. Develop a flatter swing so that your spin rate is lower. Make sure your club is square to slightly closed at the top of the backswing. A lot of height comes from an open club at the top which comes from too much forearm rotation at the start of the backswing. Strong talented players (aka Tiger) can pull this off with some consistency, normal guys will struggle. Try to feel like your left forearm is pointing at the sky in the 8:30 position and not behind you (cf. Hogan). Stiffer shafts help reduce the spin a bit if you are a hard swinger anyway, and it sounds like you are with a 160 yard 7-iron. Aim to get your hands ahead of the club at impact. This is primarily a result of starting down with your lower body first and then getting your arms moving quickly from the deltoids with loose, supple wrists. The clubhead just stays back due to the laws of physics. If you grip it tight, and lose acceleration somewhere, those two things combine to allow the clubhead to catch up to your hands creating loft and causing high, flippy shots.

With the driver, tee it a bit lower, play it where you would a 3 wood, hit it in the center of the face (not so much towards the top), and plan for some yardage loss. It should come off nice and low, however.

[$2 Nassau]

Careful with putting the ball too far back in your stance and hitting down on it too much. This just causes the ball to go up (if you really chop down on it). You want to come into the hitting zone with a fairly shallow angle of attack, with a delofted clubface. That will give you the piercing ball flight. Or like my buddy says - it'll allows you to hit a "heavy ball."

[mc0388]

Go get fitted and try different shafts - shafts will make all the difference. If you are currently striking the ball correctly then it is definitely the shafts.

YEP, I agree

[unoiron]

You want to come into the hitting zone with a fairly shallow angle of attack, with a delofted clubface. That will give you the piercing ball flight. Or like my buddy says - it'll allows you to hit a "heavy ball."

$ Nassau,

If you don't mind, a few questions: Does your buddy take a shallower divot? Does he naturally work the ball left to right or right to left? (I find it easier to hit a "heavy ball" left to right, i.e., a 2-3 yard fade.) Also, could you describe the ball flight? E.g., does it start low and rise before hitting its apex and dropping softly? (This is the shot I'm dying to develop with consistency.) Much appreciated.