Chisag's Tip Of The Day #20

[chisag]

Compressing The Ball (revisited) 

... This will be a quick one as it is a follow up to a Tip I already posted. When strolling through golf stores I constantly see golfers pick up an iron and take a little swing to just past impact. I am amazed at how many actually lean back a little and make a move like they will lift the ball in the air instead of staying down with a forward shaft lean and compressing the golf ball. Again there are plenty of successful players that basically pick the ball off the turf, barely brushing the grass. I have seen players flip their wrists through impact with at least some reasonable success. But all of these players will never be elite ball strikers. Obviously looking at a par 3 on all the Pro Tours you see divots after the ball that is perched on a tee. When you hit down and through the ball you get better contact, consistent trajectory/spin as well as more accurate shots. This tip is really for better players looking to improve although a really dedicated high index player could also benefit. 

... Everyone has heard golf is a game of opposites and that is never truer than hitting an iron. You hit down to make the ball go up and that really just doesn't translate very well to common sense.  In my last Tip on this subject I stated there is no need to hit down on the ball but take a level swing with the low point a few inches in front of the ball. After helping a few golfers the last few weeks with this and watching those in golf stores practicing the opposite move needed for good ball striking I will admit there are those that absolutely need to concentrate on hitting down on the ball. Most have probably heard announcers talk about "covering the ball" and this refers to staying on top of the ball while moving weight to the front foot as opposed to leaning back away from the ball with weight either distributed evenly or slightly/heavily remaining on their back foot.

... As always there are many ways to describe the same thing because we all process information differently and when teaching in person I constantly changed my descriptions until something clicked with my student. One of my most successful drills was simply trying to drive the ball straight into the ground. To exaggerate I often had the student start their swing while leaning forward and staying there. I would put a ball on a tee just above the ground and place another tee down into the ground 2" in front of their ball so it was below the surface and ask my student to hit their ball straight down into the tee. Another drill for better players was asking them to imagine they are hitting the shot with the middle of their shaft. Taking their normal backswing I asked the to attempt to make the middle of their iron shaft hit the ball. This keeps them covering the ball with their hands ahead and forces them to hit down and through. 

... Just remember you almost always have to exaggerate, and not just a little, to re-train your brain to do something differently. So try one or both of these drills and those of you that have never really compressed a golf ball with a forward shaft lean, weight on the front foot at impact and then taking a nice divot afterward are going to be amazed at the difference. Good luck! 

[revkev]

So 2 questions

First, my GI clubs had a good deal of offset. I always had to feel as if I was swinging up at it to make good contact. I wasn’t but it felt like it. Didn’t like it. Does this make sense?

Second, I’ve started hovering the club with my fairway woods and am crushing the heck out of them. I’m thinking of doing this with my irons too. It seems to foster hitting down and through the ball for me. That’s good for fairway woods to - not steep but just a little pinch.

Does that make sense, also?


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[chisag]

43 minutes ago, revkev said:

So 2 questions

First, my GI clubs had a good deal of offset. I always had to feel as if I was swinging up at it to make good contact. I wasn’t but it felt like it. Didn’t like it. Does this make sense?

Second, I’ve started hovering the club with my fairway woods and am crushing the heck out of them. I’m thinking of doing this with my irons too. It seems to foster hitting down and through the ball for me. That’s good for fairway woods to - not steep but just a little pinch.

Does that make sense, also?

 

... Yes both makes sense Rev. Most GI and certainly SGI irons are designed with offset and wider soles and as much weight low in the head as possible so they can be swept off the turf. Hitting a SGI iron fat will usually produce a better shot than hitting a Players iron fat because the sole does not want to dig into the ground but glide over it. You can hit down and through with them but they will be a little balky going through the ground. Some GI irons are a little thinner soled and made to both be swept and hit down and through. Players irons are made to compress the ball but again many can be swept with reasonable success but they are designed to get down into the ground and come out clean after making a nice divot. 

... There are many good players that hover all their clubs. I sole my clubs, even my wedges, and then lift them ever so slightly so they do not get caught in the grass or anomalies behind the ball.  Like you, I find it makes hitting down and through a little easier. 

[revkev]

Thanks!!!

I take a much better divot with my players distance irons than I did with the GI clubs. Just a nice, little, shallow divot in front of the ball normally pointing at or just left of target (because it’s after the ball.)

I’m going to be trying to hover iron when I practice Friday and play Sunday afternoon. Do you also hover Driver?


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[chisag]

5 hours ago, revkev said:

Thanks!!!

I take a much better divot with my players distance irons than I did with the GI clubs. Just a nice, little, shallow divot in front of the ball normally pointing at or just left of target (because it’s after the ball.)

I’m going to be trying to hover iron when I practice Friday and play Sunday afternoon. Do you also hover Driver?


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

... Yup, I hover all my clubs.