Can you give me any tips for hitting down on the ball with my irons?

Question

I tend to "scoop" the ball rather than hit down on it. I am trying to learn how to hit down and through the ball and then take a divot rather than hitting a divot prior to the ball (thus hitting it "fat".) Any suggestions or tips. Any helfpul websites would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Well you can read that one guys website or listen to the guy with the net, both decent ideas, but i think i can tell you what your doing. Don't move the ball back in your stance if your comfortable where it is now. Hitting behind the ball can only come from a few things. Starting with the most common mistakes for beginners then working towards more advanced are moving your head, sliding your base (or hips), an over release of the club head, or a crazy combo of the 3. First is your head. Your head does not need to move during the swing, especially the downswing and at impact. To fix this try to hit a shot without looking for it as soon as you strike it, give yourself like a 2 count before you look up. What this also fixes is a possible dip in your shoulders which can cause your swing plane to drop and cause you to hit the ball fat. Next is sliding your base or your hips. Golf is a turn, but most beginners tend to 'jump' at the ball and instead of rotating around your center, people tend to slide there hips forward causing the to have to reach backwards to hit the ball and hitting it fat. Last is the most advanced, the over release of the club head (or early release). This is where the angle of you wrist is not held throughout impact and is released shortly after you enter the slot position, resulting in the scooping of the ball and/or a nasty hook or fat shot. You can fix this by focusing on swinging down your target line while having the emblem of your glove pointing toward your target at impact, therefore retaining the bend in your wrist. This is not a big deal and is easily fixed if you can quickly identify which one of these is your specific problem. Based on the wording of your question i'm going to say it is probably your head/shoulders. Make sure your shoulders stay level through your swing. I don't have any specific websites to tell you to go to but as far as helping people with their swing i'm 3/3 on Y!answers and have helped everyone so just check those. I know this will help!! Keep it in the short grass : )

Answer 2

Ball position.  If you are hitting it fat, move it back in your stance.

Answer 3

Scooping can be caused by your left wrist cupping instead of rolling over.  This will kill all your chipping ability too.  If you want to get the sensation of a flat left wrist at inpact put a ruler in your golf glove so it goes up your left arm and practice chipping.  It won't let you break your wrist this way.  You want a flat and firm left wrist at impact.

You may also be hitting off your backside causing the scoop.  Make sure your feel like you are trying to push your back knee to your front leg on the downswing to get to your frontside.

Answer 4

Ok, this is not as hard as it seems. Confidence is everything in golf and once you see a couple shots stick where they land you will have all the divot confidence in the world. Address the ball the same way as you would any other time trying to make solid contact. From that address position move your stance toward the lying ball just enough that the club face is addressing the ball closer to the hosel than a normal shot. ie. if your address is dead center of the club face, the ball will be positioned about a quarter inch closer to you or "inside" the club face. Now keep your eye on the ball and swing away. Basically the ball is just closer to you than before and it is the same shot only this time you will take a divot. But always remember YOU MUST RELEASE THE CLUB. If your swing is without a release start working on that before anything else.   Hope that helps.

Answer 5

Been there. "Scooping" you'll hit ground first and lose a lot of power there. And hurting your hands and elbows...

Try http://www.mcgolf.com/ and don't listen to any thing! I followed it and was hitting 200 yard board with my hybrid.

Answer 6

I recommend taking a lesson, but I bought a Swing Glove and did some practice swings and it helped.  Go to their site and check out the video.

My feeling is that it is important for a golfer to take regular lessons.  I've had the same teacher for 7 years...not cheap but I'm a good ball striker and I always have a consultant for my game.  The solution for my 'scooping' problems may not be the same for you.  Remember....not many of the touring pros don't have teachers these days.

Answer 7

I had that same issue and this is what I did.

I have a golf net at home and put sand down in the grass where I was hitting from.  Smooth it out and make a line in the sand.  Put the ball just past the line and practice taking the club back two feet in your swing and conciously hit down on the ball making sure you don't make any marks in the sand behind the line.  I did this every evening for a couple weeks, slowing taking the club back farther and farther as I progressed and now that motion comes naturally.

You can also try putting a dime in front of the ball and swing down at the dime instead of the ball.