Hitting up at the ball, helping it in the air

[Rainmaker]

I have heard this a lot - if you hit it fat, you're trying to help the ball in the air.  Does that sound right to you?  For those that have struggled with this - did you ever feel like you wanted to hit up on it with an iron to help the ball in the air?  I never really thought about it . .but I don't think I ever tried to help the ball up in the air by intentionally hitting up on it.  I mean, it's sitting on the ground, isn't it?  How could I "hit up on it"?  

Do you think this is what causes a fat shot?  Trying to help the ball in the air?

[SavvySwede]

I think "scooping the ball up" is one of those things that is more instinctual than intentional. There are plenty of other causes for a fat shot.

[billchao]

51 minutes ago, Rainmaker said:

I have heard this a lot - if you hit it fat, you're trying to help the ball in the air.  Does that sound right to you?  For those that have struggled with this - did you ever feel like you wanted to hit up on it with an iron to help the ball in the air?  I never really thought about it . .but I don't think I ever tried to help the ball up in the air by intentionally hitting up on it.  I mean, it's sitting on the ground, isn't it?  How could I "hit up on it"?  

Do you think this is what causes a fat shot?  Trying to help the ball in the air?

It's an old school saying that basically means you're flipping or adding loft. The opposing image would be to drive the ball down into the ground, "compress" it against the ground, etc., to try to get someone to hit the ball with the correct shaft lean.

And no, I don't think it causes a fat shot. That is to say, not all fat shots are caused by this, and if someone saw you chunk one and told you to stop helping the ball up, the advice would be just as helpful as "keep your head down."

Fat (and thin) shots are caused by low point control issues. One can have them with or without a flip.

[Buckeyebowman]

12 minutes ago, SavvySwede said:

I think "scooping the ball up" is one of those things that is more instinctual than intentional. There are plenty of other causes for a fat shot.

Yep! To me "scooping" and "hitting it fat" are 2 different things!

[Rainmaker]

Yeah - I just thought it was odd.  I always did think so back when people used to tell me that, lol.  I definitely agree that it might seem like what you *should* do is pick it clean vs hit down on it.  But help it up or hit up on it?  Not in my conscious mind, anyway.  I'm imagining a student telling his teacher this - "I'm trying to help it in the air by hitting up on it.  Right?"  Hmm  . .hard to imagine, lol. 

 

28 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Yep! To me "scooping" and "hitting it fat" are 2 different things!

 

Just for purposes of definition . .what I mean is actually hitting the ground first and then the ball.  Vs scooping, picking, or catching it a little heavy, etc. 

I also don't necessarily mean what I call "brain fart" . .where, once in a great while,  your brain malfunctions during the swing and you just dump it into the ground, lol. 

 

Edited May 14, 2016 by Rainmaker

[acerimusdux]

I think it's more about not getting the weight forward. People who are new to golf, and have played baseball or softball, which have more of a slight uppercut swing, often leave their weight too far back, which can also lead to hitting the ground too far back.  

They may not be consciously "trying to hit up on the ball", though. But they haven't learned the proper golf weight shift & pivot, which is different from what they are used to. 

[tshapiro]

On May 14, 2016 at 2:05 PM, acerimusdux said:

I think it's more about not getting the weight forward. People who are new to golf, and have played baseball or softball, which have more of a slight uppercut swing, often leave their weight too far back, which can also lead to hitting the ground too far back.  

They may not be consciously "trying to hit up on the ball", though. But they haven't learned the proper golf weight shift & pivot, which is different from what they are used to. 

+1

Also, Unlevel setup and/or a swing that starts with the hands/arms from the top instead of the lower body. 

[Lihu]

7 minutes ago, tshapiro said:

+1

Also, Unlevel setup and/or a swing that starts with the hands/arms from the top instead of the lower body. 

This seems to contribute to a lot of issues. I think it's what most people term being out of "sync".

[Buckeyebowman]

On 5/14/2016 at 2:05 PM, acerimusdux said:

I think it's more about not getting the weight forward. People who are new to golf, and have played baseball or softball, which have more of a slight uppercut swing, often leave their weight too far back, which can also lead to hitting the ground too far back.  

They may not be consciously "trying to hit up on the ball", though. But they haven't learned the proper golf weight shift & pivot, which is different from what they are used to. 

Good point. How many times, when watching baseball, have we heard "he really stayed behind that one!" Admittedly, in a golf swing you don't want to get "ahead" of it, as in your head moving in front of the ball. That's a disaster!

What people haven't learned is that golf is a game of opposites. Hit down on the ball, it goes up. Swing left, the ball curves right. Swing right, the ball curves left. For the most part, anyway.

8 minutes ago, tshapiro said:

+1

Also, Unlevel setup and/or a swing that starts with the hands/arms from the top instead of the lower body. 

My buddy's boss was a damn good golfer and claimed that he started his downswing with his left shoulder! My buddy tried that idea and wound up swinging all arms, and his game suffered. I told him that there is what you feel, and what is real! I bet him that if he could get video of his boss's swing, he'd see it starting from the ground up!

And I can't tell you how many times I've seen guys set up with their shoulders absolutely level to the ground! You're reaching further down the shaft to take your right hand grip. How is that possible? Something is out of whack here!

[saevel25]

7 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Hit down on the ball, it goes up.

Actually hitting more down decreases the launch angle. There is just so much loft that it can't counter act that. Hitting up increases the launch angle with the driver :) 

On 5/14/2016 at 10:09 PM, Rainmaker said:

I have heard this a lot - if you hit it fat, you're trying to help the ball in the air.  Does that sound right to you? 

It's not helping the ball into the air, more than it is a lack of weight forward at impact and a lack of a steady head through out the golf swing. This causes a flip which is the problem for both a fat shot and a thin shot. 

On 5/14/2016 at 10:09 PM, Rainmaker said:

I mean, it's sitting on the ground, isn't it?  How could I "hit up on it"?  

Do you think this is what causes a fat shot?  Trying to help the ball in the air?

As long as you catch the ball below the equator of the ball it will get in the air. 

If you play the ball slightly forward and have a shallow angle of attack. You can catch the ball on a slight upswing if you sweep the grass instead of taking a divot. 

[Buckeyebowman]

My buddies and I also call this "scooping". Instead of making a proper swing "down and through" the ball, you hang back a little, lose your lag, and wind up with the clubhead arriving at the ball well before the hands. If you don't blade or top it, you will scoop it. You will hit the ball plenty high, since you are increasing the loft of the iron, but you will also wind up short, and generally right of your target.