Why do I keep hitting the ground before the ball?

When a player hits the ground before the ball it is generally because their club is attacking the ball from too shallow an angle. Golf coaches refer to this as the "Angle of Approach".

Why do I hit the ground before the ball when chipping?

The most common movement that causes a chunk shot is that the golfer's weight moves too far behind the golf ball and causes the club to bottom out before the ball. We call this movement a lateral shift.

Why am I hitting the ground first with my irons?

Instead of keeping their upper body over the ball (where the sternum is directly above the ball at impact), they lean back through the contact. This causes the sternum to move away from the target and the lowest point in the swing arc moves back too - causing the player to strike the ground before the ball.

Why am I hitting the ground first with my driver?

Hitting the ground first is because your angle of approach (angle at which the club is striking the golf ball) is too shallow. To put it in another understandable way, you are trying to hit the ball with an upwards motion.

Why am I hitting ground balls in golf?

Specifically, players who hit ground balls are leaving too much weight on their right foot as they come down into the ball. When your weight gets stuck on your foot in the downswing, the club will bottom out before the ball – meaning it will be on the way back up when it actually arrives at impact.

HOW TO STOP HITTING THE GROUND BEFORE THE GOLF BALL

Why can't I hit a golf ball consistently?

One of the most common mistake"s golfers makes is swaying or "moving-off" the ball during the swing. Moving the body sideways or up-and-down is detrimental to hitting the golf ball consistently. Often, you don't realize you're doing it until you ask someone to watch your head position during the swing.

Why am I not hitting the golf ball in the air?

In order for a golf ball to get airborne, the club head must contact the ball at the low point of the downswing. The ball gets trapped between the club face and the ground. The ball then spins up the face of the club, and the loft determines just how high and far the ball goes.

Why are my irons going low?

One reason amateurs tend to hit irons too low is that they narrow their swing radius, taking the club back by letting the lead arm (left arm for right-handers) bend too much. It doesn't have to be locked, but it should maintain a fairly straight appearance all the way to the top.

Why are my drives not getting off the ground?

Tee shots that are too low can actually be caused by cutting your backswing short as well. If you don't finish your backswing, you won't be able to get positioned correctly behind the ball – meaning you are more likely to end up leaning left at impact and again fighting with a downward angle of attack.

Why are my drives going along the ground?

Often times, a low drive is caused simply by teeing the ball up too low. A number of golfers, worried about teeing the ball up too high and hitting a high, looping drive, tee the ball up just off the ground.

Do whiffs count in golf?

Under the Rules of Golf, any stroke in which you intend to hit the ball counts. It doesn't matter how far the ball goes. If you swing and miss, and you were trying to hit the ball, then it counts. If you take another swing at it, then you're counting your next stroke after the whiff.

What is the most important shot in golf?

On the other side, many argue that the putt is the most important. One such advocate was the legendary teaching pro Harvey Penick, who strongly believed that the short game, around the green, was the essence of scoring well. He contended that a two foot putt counted just as much as a tee shot.

How close should you stand to the golf ball?

The ideal distance you should stand from the golf ball is one where the butt of the club is pointing at your belt buckle and is about 6 inches away from your thighs. This should be the same for all clubs in the bag. It doesn't matter what club you're using, your arm position should be the same.

Why am I not getting distance with my irons?

This can be a symptom of body rotation or club head speed. There are drills you can do to increase your body rotation and your club head speed, generating more power behind your swing and allowing you to hit longer irons.

Why am I not getting loft on my irons?

If your shots are too low, there must be a flaw in your impact position. At impact, the shaft of the club must not lean too far forward (toward the target) or too far back (away from the target). Every degree that the shaft leans toward the target reduces the loft by the same amount.

Why can't I hit my irons far?

One reason you might not be hitting the ball very far is that you have too high of a spin rate with your driver and irons. An easy way to spot this is watching how high your shots go in the air. Golf shots that get hit with high back spin rates tend to climb higher into the air.

How high should you hit a 7 iron?

A seven iron should go about 140 yards. This is considered to be the standard distance for an average male golfer. For women golfers, the distance is going to be closer to 120 yards.