yes, another "hitting down on the ball" ?

[Dr. Slice]

whenever i try to hit the ball first, i dont know if i dont get my wrists through fast enough, but almost all the time i shank it.

my swing stays pretty much the exact same as when i "pick" the ball i just try invision the club hitting the ball first and that obvisiouly doesnt work.

what are the major things that change in your swing from picking to hitting down?

[Bogeyman68]

I try to make sure that my hands are ahead of the clubhead at impact. With the shaft ahead of the ball you are more than likely going to hit down on the ball. Not to mention you will deloft the club a little which will usually result in a little more distance.

[canes113]

whenever i try to hit the ball first, i dont know if i dont get my wrists through fast enough, but almost all the time i shank it.

If you shank it, then your club face is open with the hosel making impact with the ball first. Sounds like you're forgeting to square the clubface at impact since you're thinking too much about hitting down on the ball.

I don't change my swing... I just make sure the divot is in front of the ball. If that happens, then I'm definitely hitting down on the ball. It's tough on the range to see that sometimes since there's so many divots. I usually place a tee next to the ball and make sure my divot is in front of it.

[RC]

Got to shift more weight forward by getting the hips more toward the target. To really hit down on a ball in a normal position, you have got to get your swing center forward. You can push your hands more ahead of the ball at impact, but if you are are hanging back on your right side, then nothing good happens.

[Zeph]

If you shank it, then your club face is open with the hosel making impact with the ball first. Sounds like you're forgeting to square the clubface at impact since you're thinking too much about hitting down on the ball.

Squaring up the club is not something you should be able to forget to do, as it should happen automatically.

Shanking and picking the ball can be results of too hard grip, throwing away the club and/or rotating the club on the backswing, unable to square it up coming down. A video of your swing would help.

[westcyderydin]

you do not have to change your swing to hit down on the ball. just use your normal swing. put the ball on a tee (teed all the way down to the dirt), and then swing. you want about a dollar bill sized divot just in front of the tee. now think about what is happening here. if you are sweeping the ball, the bottom of the swing will be at the ball or before the ball. to hit down on it you are really just making the bottom of your swing just in front the ball. so if you are having problems with this drill try moving the ball slightly back in your stance so the ball is just behind the bottom of your swing.

[Zeph]

That is hardly a drill. Trying to force the swing bottom forward consistently is hard. Those who hit the ball fat or pick it, usually do because of a problem in the swing. When doing things right, the divot will come all by itself.

[westcyderydin]

That is hardly a drill. Trying to force the swing bottom forward consistently is hard. Those who hit the ball fat or pick it, usually do because of a problem in the swing. When doing things right, the divot will come all by itself.

that is a great drill, although very basic. it is pretty much just monitoring what kind of contact you are making with your irons at the range. but it also is a great way to learn to hit "down on the ball". and most people pick the ball because that is how they taught themselves to hit a golf ball. then they just need to learn to hit it correctly. like i said above it usually means moving the ball back in the stance, using the normal swing, but hitting the ball in the downswing and one way to have them understand this is to show them that the bottom of the swing is in front of the ball. it is not hard at all, i could teach this to an 8 year old. and yes the divot will come by itself if you're doing things right but that is hard to tell to somebody who is trying to do it right.

[Dr. Slice]

im going out golfing in a couple of hours and i will try some of the things you guys have mentioned and tell ya how it goes

[thrasher]

whenever i try to hit the ball first

Don't try to hit the ball first. When you make your practice swings, try to strike the grass ahead of where you are looking. When you have that down, do the same thing with a ball;

try to take up a thin slice of grass in front of the ball . That will force you to contact the ball first