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How do i become a better ball striker


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I have been having trouble with my ball striking ablilty. I was wondering: Is there anything I can do to get better at this? I know that if I can get this under control, I will be able to improve my game a lot. Any suggestions will be great! I have the PBS that I need to start working on it again, but would appreciate any other help!

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I'll bet there are a lot of people on here who are willing to offer advice. However, they are all going to ask for a video. Two videos is even better, one down the line towards the target and one facing you perpendicular to the target line. With a video of your swing the 'experts' can see your specific problems and give advice just for you. Everyone is different. Oh yeah, one piece of advice without seeing your swing. Always double check your spelling when posting a subject. A spelling error stays with you all the way down the line. :rolleyes: Good luck.

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I didn't mean to submit this post. Thanks though

I'll bet there are a lot of people on here who are willing to offer advice. However, they are all going to ask for a video. Two videos is even better, one down the line towards the target and one facing you perpendicular to the target line. With a video of your swing the 'experts' can see your specific problems and give advice just for you. Everyone is different. Oh yeah, one piece of advice without seeing your swing. Always double check your spelling when posting a subject. A spelling error stays with you all the way down the line. :rolleyes: Good luck.
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Here's the deal. Hit the quadrant of the ball that is the lower right. You split it into 4 quadrants and you drive the head into that part of the ball, driving through the ball into the ground.

 

You can sweep it, but I think you will become a better ball striker if you focus on hitting behind the ball and driving it into the ground. If you can't do that, then it's going to be hard to become good at striking it.

 

I know people that can't get off the tee for crap, and hit thin iron shots all day, but then save themselves from 100 yards in and putt like Tiger. They end up with great scores and it blows my mind. Then again, when they are off with the short game, it gets ugly. "I don't know how I shot 87 today." Because you didn't get up and down 13 times, like the last round.

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I know people that can't get off the tee for crap, and hit thin iron shots all day, but then save themselves from 100 yards in and putt like Tiger. They end up with great scores and it blows my mind. Then again, when they are off with the short game, it gets ugly. "I don't know how I shot 87 today." Because you didn't get up and down 13 times, like the last round.

 

Very true, I agree 100%. Practicing short game is great but it is always a shortcut to great but inconsistent golf (except those who are able to train it everyday).

 

To become greater ballstriker one needs to eliminate as much timing issues as possible through changes in one's swing mechanics to more biomechanically sounder. I know that I sound as a broken record but this is the only truth. Well, maybe not the only, since you can train your butt off for several hours a day as an alternative. If you have no time or possibilities to do it - biokinetics is the answer.

 

Cheers

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GolfGuy10

When i hear a student who hits his irons high and bad i look at impact and work backwards. If you cant hit a 40yd pich low no way a 75yd or 100yd shot. There will be times you need to hit it high but start with impact.Do you take a divot in front of ball? Where exactly is contact on clubface ,High, Low, Toe Heel get some impact tape. Tour Pro's work on short game and putting more because they know swing changes take time sometime months.Do you know the difference between adresse and impact? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself.

Good Luck

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GolfGuy10

When i hear a student who hits his irons high and bad i look at impact and work backwards. If you cant hit a 40yd pich low no way a 75yd or 100yd shot. There will be times you need to hit it high but start with impact.Do you take a divot in front of ball? Where exactly is contact on clubface ,High, Low, Toe Heel get some impact tape. Tour Pro's work on short game and putting more because they know swing changes take time sometime months.Do you know the difference between adresse and impact? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself.

Good Luck

 

I agree FlyingWedge. The added benefits of working on the short game impact alignments is they become more ingrained and these proper alignments work right into your full swing motion. Grind hard on impact alignments around the chipping green. Develop the proper mechanics, take the feel of those solid mechanics to replicate the alignments in the long swing. There are no shortcuts!

 

Kevin

I could be wrong
I've been wrong before
I'll be wrong again
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It is easy to be tempted to start off making full golf motions to build impact alignments I have been there and have fail to only learn that short strokes like chipping and pitching motions best build total motion impact alignments. Time is on our side, it takes as long as it takes, but with proper impact alignments we can build our game. Understanding the difference between impact and address is needed. Start off chipping and LOOK - LOOK - LOOK at your motion, impact hands with a forward leaning shaft the shaft will become vertical and in-line with your left arm at the bottom of your motion, continue to follow-through both arms straight while keeping the clubhead below your hands. Sense/feel your motion with your hands give them direction, you are the conductor of the band. Sustain the line of compression that is "The SECRET" prep impact and build your motion around impact and your ball flight will come down.

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Jeff has my same line of thinking. I had a problem with inconsistency and a high ball flight. I'll probably always hit the ball high given I'm 6'4" tall, but I'm much better. I'm pretty positive that you have some type of flip motion in the impact area, that adds loft to the club and it's tough to be consistent when you do that.

 

I'd suggest the following:

 

1) Understand the flat left wrist at impact.

 

2) Understand what happens when a ball is properly struck with an iron

 

3) Understand the 'new ball flight laws' (aka D-plane)

 

4) Understand that the pivot is the lifeblood of the golf swing and to accomplish 1-3, you need to have an effective pivot. So understand what a good pivot is and find a way to execute a good pivot.

 

But, lots of chipping and pitching help make that transition into the full swing more and more seamless, IMO. 1-4 are all prevalent in the chip and pitch shot swings. I feel it's best to get 1-4 down pat with chip and pitch shot swings before trying to get it down with the full swing. Many will disagree.

 

 

 

 

3JACK

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Jeff has my same line of thinking. I had a problem with inconsistency and a high ball flight. I'll probably always hit the ball high given I'm 6'4" tall, but I'm much better. I'm pretty positive that you have some type of flip motion in the impact area, that adds loft to the club and it's tough to be consistent when you do that.

 

I'd suggest the following:

 

1) Understand the flat left wrist at impact.

 

2) Understand what happens when a ball is properly struck with an iron

 

3) Understand the 'new ball flight laws' (aka D-plane)

 

4) Understand that the pivot is the lifeblood of the golf swing and to accomplish 1-3, you need to have an effective pivot. So understand what a good pivot is and find a way to execute a good pivot.

 

But, lots of chipping and pitching help make that transition into the full swing more and more seamless, IMO. 1-4 are all prevalent in the chip and pitch shot swings. I feel it's best to get 1-4 down pat with chip and pitch shot swings before trying to get it down with the full swing. Many will disagree.

 

3JACK

 

Anyone who disagrees with that, doesn't love G.O.L.F.! :lol: :drinks:

 

KC

I could be wrong
I've been wrong before
I'll be wrong again
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+1 to 3jack and the possibility of the flipping issue. That's exactly what I do and what I'm working to fix. Last season was my first serious year in a long time. I worked a lot on setup and grip, but my years with the swing thought of firing my wrists through impact causes issues. I've managed to eliminate the conscious action, but I still have a casting slight flipping stalling issue that causes a sky high draw (5-10 yds). It used to be a big slice, but somewhere along the line last season after working a lot on positions I got myself attacking more from the inside (finally) and the draw crept in. I shot some good scores (for me) but hit a wall where I just needed better ballstriking to improve.

 

Right now I'm working hard on continuing the turn all the way through (inside to inside) and holding off the release (feeling low and left). It feels so good to hit that frozen rope shot where the ball whizzes off the clubface. I can't hit full shots right now and focus on 9-3 swinging, but sometimes even that's a bit much and I take it back a bit less. Too often last year I would hit shot after shot at 9-3 or full swings and get mad because I couldn't find the impact I'm looking for. Classic definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Now I find where I'm getting the impact I want and practice on slowly increasing it, but whenever I lose it, I go back and find it right away. I think eventually I'll get there. I also focus on perfect setup on every range shot and hit everything at a target. It's tough to not just beat balls sometimes, but without hitting to a target I just get sloppy on the alignment. I feel that my grip and setup is pretty good. That's the philosophy part I guess.

 

As far as training aids go, I've got a PBS that goes to the range and the course with me. I'll do the 4 on 4 off drill and use it on the course if I feel myself getting sloppy (don't worry rules nitpickers, I don't keep a handicap). I've also got the gyroswing that I use at home. It gives great feedback on plane and casting issues. Just take short swings and groove that feeling through the impact area. I use that for about 5-10 minutes a day (one charge of the batteries). I've got the impact bag to freeze impact and a mirror to check angles. The last thing I have used on occasion is an old nine iron that I jammed a driveway marker down the grip on. I left a few feet sticking out and it's good to check alignment at the top (easy to see if the marker is pointing at/just inside the ball) and the marker will hit you on the downswing if there's any flipping going on. I don't use it that much with everything else now. I think that's about enough stuff and if I can't do it I'm hopeless. The good news is, I played two weeks ago and had my best ball striking round ever using the 9-3 swing. I got compression on a lot of shots and hit more greens than ever before.

 

Sorry for the novel, but I'm at work and it's a slow day. In a way, I'm glad there's no magic tip that makes someone good aside from practice your butt off. Well, maybe understand what you're goals are and how to get there and practice it off. No sense in useless or bad practice. I like the quest.

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+1 to 3jack and the possibility of the flipping issue. That's exactly what I do and what I'm working to fix. Last season was my first serious year in a long time. I worked a lot on setup and grip, but my years with the swing thought of firing my wrists through impact causes issues. I've managed to eliminate the conscious action, but I still have a casting slight flipping stalling issue that causes a sky high draw (5-10 yds). It used to be a big slice, but somewhere along the line last season after working a lot on positions I got myself attacking more from the inside (finally) and the draw crept in. I shot some good scores (for me) but hit a wall where I just needed better ballstriking to improve.

 

Right now I'm working hard on continuing the turn all the way through (inside to inside) and holding off the release (feeling low and left). It feels so good to hit that frozen rope shot where the ball whizzes off the clubface. I can't hit full shots right now and focus on 9-3 swinging, but sometimes even that's a bit much and I take it back a bit less. Too often last year I would hit shot after shot at 9-3 or full swings and get mad because I couldn't find the impact I'm looking for. Classic definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Now I find where I'm getting the impact I want and practice on slowly increasing it, but whenever I lose it, I go back and find it right away. I think eventually I'll get there. I also focus on perfect setup on every range shot and hit everything at a target. It's tough to not just beat balls sometimes, but without hitting to a target I just get sloppy on the alignment. I feel that my grip and setup is pretty good. That's the philosophy part I guess.

 

As far as training aids go, I've got a PBS that goes to the range and the course with me. I'll do the 4 on 4 off drill and use it on the course if I feel myself getting sloppy (don't worry rules nitpickers, I don't keep a handicap). I've also got the gyroswing that I use at home. It gives great feedback on plane and casting issues. Just take short swings and groove that feeling through the impact area. I use that for about 5-10 minutes a day (one charge of the batteries). I've got the impact bag to freeze impact and a mirror to check angles. The last thing I have used on occasion is an old nine iron that I jammed a driveway marker down the grip on. I left a few feet sticking out and it's good to check alignment at the top (easy to see if the marker is pointing at/just inside the ball) and the marker will hit you on the downswing if there's any flipping going on. I don't use it that much with everything else now. I think that's about enough stuff and if I can't do it I'm hopeless. The good news is, I played two weeks ago and had my best ball striking round ever using the 9-3 swing. I got compression on a lot of shots and hit more greens than ever before.

 

Sorry for the novel, but I'm at work and it's a slow day. In a way, I'm glad there's no magic tip that makes someone good aside from practice your butt off. Well, maybe understand what you're goals are and how to get there and practice it off. No sense in useless or bad practice. I like the quest.

 

Great bit of information you are apply all the knowledge and understanding with alot of hard work. Keep us posted!

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  • 1 month later...

ON ball striking - I have been flipping at it and can't seem to get a handle on how to work through it. I feel like I'm going through the right "process" but the results are not good. I have lost a considerable amount of distance and when this issue started - I had also shortened my backswing to about 3/4. I am just having a heck of a time taking my hands out of it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - I'm still thinking good...

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IT's interesting as I am just getting into a practice schedule to prep for tourney play starting next year. The last 2 weeks I haven't even wanted to hit full shots. I spend about 2/3 of my bucket hitting 50 yard pitch shots with my PW. I hit 10 or so with fairway woods and driver (combined) with a focus on throwing the but of the shaft at the swing plane then throwing the head of the club down the target line. I'll hit all but the last 5-10 to 150 or so with my 8 iron, then back to pitching. Then to the putting green for an hour or 2 of putting and chipping (50/50).

 

For me pitching and chipping reinforce that crisp impact and the release of the shaft through the impact.

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ON ball striking - I have been flipping at it and can't seem to get a handle on how to work through it. I feel like I'm going through the right "process" but the results are not good. I have lost a considerable amount of distance and when this issue started - I had also shortened my backswing to about 3/4. I am just having a heck of a time taking my hands out of it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - I'm still thinking good...

Something that has helped me. When I get tot eh top of my backswing I make sure the butt of my shaft is essentially pointing at the swing plane. Then the next step is purely mental. I thinkof throwing the butt of the shaft through the hitting zone, like I'm going to stab the butt of the shaft into an imaginary wall just over the ball. That visualization forces me to hold that angle longer and the hands naturally release for me. Essentially it forces me to lead with my hands which prevents me from flipping.

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I used to have inconsistent chipping problems on the green so i started practising hitting chips from the green. That tought me to hit the ball clean everytime around the green. Somehow that made me hit my full irons very clean. works wonders for my long iron contact to the ball. with mid to short Iron i just focus on hitting down on the ball. I dont even bother to tee the ball up on the tees anymore with my irons =)

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I'll bet there are a lot of people on here who are willing to offer advice. However, they are all going to ask for a video. Two videos is even better, one down the line towards the target and one facing you perpendicular to the target line. With a video of your swing the 'experts' can see your specific problems and give advice just for you. Everyone is different. Oh yeah, one piece of advice without seeing your swing. Always double check your spelling when posting a subject. A spelling error stays with you all the way down the line. :rolleyes: Good luck.

 

spell checking - does that make your thoughts more professional?


Location:  Colorado Springs, CO
Handicap:  3

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Good strikes come from confidence. Confidence comes from repeatability. Repeatability comes from understanding your swing and what you are intending to do, getting feedback from someone assisting, and practice - mostly practice. I've seen some pretty ugly and technically bad but very repeatable swings put up some pretty good scores.

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spell checking - does that make your thoughts more professional?

 

Possibly, but only if people can read your thoughts, which is highly unusual. Spell checking can make your writing easier to read and eliminate confusion. In the case of the original poster, a word in the subject was misspelled. I thought he would appreciate knowing that. Apparently he did, as he changed the spelling. As it is, misspelled words are easy to spot on this site; they are underlined with a red dotted line. It's pretty easy to right click the misspelled word and correct the error.

 

Thanks for asking.

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I can't believe no-one has mentioned it in the simplicity which its to be examined as.

 

Hit down on the ball. That's all, & exaggerate the motion.

Just give it a shot and then thank me :partytime2:

I've seen more than one person screw up their swing with the "hit down on the ball" mindset. While physically that's what happens, the wrong mental interpretation can really mess a person up. I've seen it take people with decent swing planes start to come in too steep trying to swing down on the ball.

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