Iron Play - Hitting down on the ball

[TopWalker]

Biggest weakness of mine is my iron play. What are some thoughts and swing tips to help one hit down on the ball and take a good divot?

TW

[Zeph]

Difficult to tell why you don't hit the irons well without any information really. There are lots of swing flaws that can be the cause. A video would help.

Throwing out random tips could do more harm than it would help.

[The Recreational Golfer]

Though the club hits the back of the ball, aim for the front of the ball. Think that you're going to make first contact there. You won't, of course, but it will be enough for the club to still be going down when you do make contact, and your divot will start in front of the ball. Once you get it figured out, the difference in your ball striking is quite dramatic.

[Steve Keeler]

I've said this literally a thousand times..."swing the club, don't hit the ball"...try this next time and let the ball get in the way of a good swing!

[rasilva]

I'm still a golf newbie but i would say Steve is right. As my instructor says in the lessons, make your swing perfect, the ball changes nothing (it's just there in the way of the swing).

[Zeph]

Telling someone to swing and not hit will in most cases not help anything. Besides, you can be a hitter and still hit the ball on the way down and take a good divot. Like I said, many things can cause you to have this problem, getting help from a pro or video taping your swing is the best way to go about in fixing it.

[The Road Dog]

Check out this video, it's pretty good at describing what you are concerned about.

http://www.golf.com/golf/video/artic...906801,00.html

[mtsalmela80]

Im curious what exactly is the topic creators problem? At a 13 handicap, you cannot be screwing up all that many iron shots.

Hiting the ground behind the ball? missing the ball?

[Boyder]

Check out this video, it's pretty good at describing what you are concerned about.

This video clip has been a favorite of mine for some time and has helped my ball striking a lot. That along with focusing my attention about a half inch ahead of the ball instead of the back of it ...

[senorchipotle]

take some advice from one of the best, this two minute clip has helped me more than i can describe.

[TopWalker]

Thanks for the tips and feedback. Here in MN we're just thawing out so my game is always on a stop n start basis, i.e. have played less than ten rounds since September.

Anyways, I'm just looking for peoples' thoughts when they're over the ball or things they think of that helps them strike down on the ball with success. I've tried hitting down on the "front" of the ball with mixed success. For me, sometimes if I think of just one or two things it makes a dramatic difference.

Some new lessons will start next month with warmer weather, but my game is pretty solid other than my irons. I usually 'pick' the ball and have an open club face which leads to a 6 iron having the loft of an 8 iron; high short shots.

TW

[Caddyshack]

take some advice from one of the best, this two minute clip has helped me more than i can describe.

Ernie makes it look so so easy :(

[Steve Keeler]

Telling someone to swing and not hit will in most cases not help anything.

Totally disagree. It is a semantics thing. In my experience telling someone to "hit" down only caused a steeper angle and deeper divots. When focused on swinging the club, the results were a swing more on-plane and contact at the bottom of the arc. (TW stated later he was a Picker...which would have changed my original response, and I would have told him to stop watching video's of John Cook!--Joke)

Like I said, many things can cause you to have this problem, getting help from a pro or video taping your swing is the best way to go about in fixing it.

Totally agree, and finding out TW is a picker is even more of a reason to get instruction and a club fitting...

TW good luck and if you find yourself close to Bemidji at the end of July you can find me at the Town and Country playing the Birchmont or on the lake hunting muskies..

[senorchipotle]

Ernie makes it look so so easy :(

i've found that when you practice doing the correct stuff, it really is easier. physically and mentally.

[KevinC]

This is a great Tip TRG. I never thought of that before. I usually take my divit before the ball. I have to club up 2-3 clubs when I hit. Im losing all my power by hitting too far behind the ball.

Thanks Kevin

Though the club hits the back of the ball, aim for the front of the ball. Think that you're going to make first contact there. You won't, of course, but it will be enough for the club to still be going down when you do make contact, and your divot will start in front of the ball. Once you get it figured out, the difference in your ball striking is quite dramatic.

[Zeph]

Totally disagree. It is a semantics thing. In my experience telling someone to "hit" down only caused a steeper angle and deeper divots. When focused on swinging the club, the results were a swing more on-plane and contact at the bottom of the arc. (TW stated later he was a Picker...which would have changed my original response, and I would have told him to stop watching video's of John Cook!--Joke)

I didn't say one should tell people to hit down, but look at the swing to find what is causing someone not to hit down. Hitting vs swinging is a mental thing, which makes it maybe even harder to fix. My point was that trying to go from hitting to swinging simply by force of mind is not an easy task. I would rather recommend, first getting some help or taping the swing, then finding drills and points of focus on how to fix it. I'm in the same situation myself, I hit the ball, I throw away all the lag. I've tried many times to think that I should swing, but I can't get any permanent results. Perhaps a driver swing now and then will work, but nothing permanent, and it's even harder with the irons, which you got much better control of than the long driver.

Hitting can also be related to swing flaws you haven't seen. With the body in the wrong position at some point during the downswing, you may be throwing away the lag just to hit the ball properly. I haven't embarked on the journey yet to fix my hitting problem, but when I do, I'm hoping it can be done with training aids, drills etc. That will force-learn the muscles how do to it, instead of trying to let the mind convince the muscles to change. Looking ahead of the ball have worked for me lots of times, achieving much better lag, but it's only tricking my mind, and I want to look at the ball, not ahead of it.

[KaiL]

This may help... In golf most things are opposite to what you think. So if you want to hit the ball up, think down.
I know its very difficult to try to focus infront of the ball and try to hit there instead of the ball. I was there, and never can't quite make it until I changed my thought process.
Think "down, down" instead of "down, up" when you swing at the ball. Down at the ball and further down after the ball. The club will go up without you thinking getting it up to complete the swing.

[Rebel_Golfer]

take some advice from one of the best, this two minute clip has helped me more than i can describe.

Great video, thanks! Always have tried to emulate the Big Easy as much as possible!