Most students come in and complain about consistency with their ball striking, most notably, solid contact. To strike a ball solidly when it is sitting on the ground, we must first strike the golf ball before the ground, which will lead to a divot in front of the golf ball. Struggling players don’t understand how to use the loft of the club effectively and are trying to get under the ball to lift it in the air. While this may work on a fluffed up lie in the rough or while the ball is sitting on a tee, it is a different story when the ball is sitting on the ground.
A golfer trying to get underneath the ball leads to divots before the ball, clubhead energy transferred into the ground rather into the back of the ball, and the dynamic loft of the club increasing, which turns a 7 iron into a much higher lofted club. So even when you do manage to get out of your own way and get the ball up in the air, the ball will be flying higher and shorter with less energy with a loss of total distance. Fear not, there are a few things you can work on to regain your distance with your irons!
First, let’s look at where you are making contact with the ground in the downswing. Take a golf tee and place it about 1” on the outside part of the golf ball and hit a shot. Now look where the turf contact was in relation to the golf tee. If the contact was before the tee, you will need to work on shifting some weight to your left side that will help bring the bottom of the arc closer to the ball.
Next, work on the feeling of a punch shot with your full swing. With a punch shot, the shaft will be leaning forward at impact leading to a lower ball flight along with weight more on the left side. This will help control the dynamic loft (the actual loft of the club at impact) to get more distance.
Lastly, let’s work on hitting the ball in the middle of the clubface. Place two tees in the ground about 1” outside the golf ball on each side to create a gate. Now, swing the club through the gate and hit the golf ball without hitting either golf tee. Using some foot powder spray on the clubface will confirm your impact location.
In summary, creating a more effective low point, lowering the dynamic loft and finding the middle of the clubface will create outstanding results that will increase your distance and confidence in your game! Our TrackMan 4 Launch Monitor will measure the Low Point, Dynamic Loft & Centerface Contact, so if you are curious, stop in for a lesson to learn your TrackMan numbers!