Lower ball flight

irishtoffee

Hi lads have any of you got any tips on getting a lower ball flight on say 8 iron to wedge.Thanks.

Niall09

Go down the grip, play the ball a bit further back in your stance. Do a 3/4 swing and hit the ball easy (= less backspin --> lower ball flight). Note that this will go about the distance of a normal 7 iron.

ShriekingSheet

With general stock shots, as opposed to the punch kind of shot Niall described, I see a lot of guys hitting it too high due to a pretty weak impact-position.

In words, I'd say keeping your wrist hinge a little longer through the ball, so your hands are ahead of the club head as it strikes the ball. Your hands should be ahead of the club head at address anyway so you're just bringing them back to where they were.

The opposite of this is releasing the club too early so the club reaches the ball ahead of the hands and it kind of scoops it.

Anyway that's all theory not to be overly concerned about. To get a feel for this, I think the Faldo drill is good where you have a club at your feet on the target line. You start your swing and stop 1/4 of the way back as the club in your hand gets to paralell with the club at your feet. It should be bang on the same line and you should have a nice wrist hinge here.

Anyway, the drill is that you stop your swing here, check that you're on line and hinged nicely, then swing up to the top from there and hit through the ball.

I find it makes your plane better and as you swing, if you get the feeling of just turning back and through with the chest and shoulders while keeping that wrist hinge as long as possible it will give a more penetrating flight.

Kinda hard to explain but it's a tried and tested drill the world over which gives you a few good benefits.

Mister Sifter

What would you do for a higher flight?

ShriekingSheet

Graeme1982 wrote: »

What would you do for a higher flight?

Depends if it's low with a long, shallow divot or a steep, chunky one.

The former is probably more common and the swing plane being too flat is usually the cause of a lower, right to left ball flight - bad shots being hooks and the odd block. Getting the swing more upright will get more air on the ball but (as opposed to getting a lower flight) this is a pretty difficult change to take on and I'm really just posting my thoughts as opposed offering this as advice.


Edit: If you meant what do I do when I need to hit it high (eg: over a tree) that's easy - as lofted a club as possible that will get me there, ball at left heel, open stance and club face, start ball well left of target and swing close to max power to produce a very high cut.

Mister Sifter

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

Depends if it's low with a long, shallow divot or a steep, chunky one.

The former is probably more common and the swing plane being too flat is usually the cause of a lower, right to left ball flight - bad shots being hooks and the odd block. Getting the swing more upright will get more air on the ball but (as opposed to getting a lower flight) this is a pretty difficult change to take on and I'm really just posting my thoughts as opposed offering this as advice.

It's something i'm struggling a tad with and think it maye take a few lessons over the winter to iron things out. I've always hit a low ball, and starting to find it quite limiting with certain shots.

My bad shot is generally a low snap hook, although this is improving with a recent grip change. One thing i have noticed recently thouugh is that i'm taking very chunky divots.

ShriekingSheet

Graeme1982 wrote: »

It's something i'm struggling a tad with and think it maye take a few lessons over the winter to iron things out. I've always hit a low ball, and starting to find it quite limiting with certain shots.

My bad shot is generally a low snap hook, although this is improving with a recent grip change. One thing i have noticed recently thouugh is that i'm taking very chunky divots.

Just got a lesson the other day re: being to steep and taking chunky divots.

Picking the club up too soon is definitely a cause for me. Sweeping the clubhead away lower, slower and wider is what I'm working on. I'm trying to feel like my arms are really extended as the shoulders turn and when I hit paralell to the ground, the pro tells me to watch my hands - they should not be higher than my pockets - they should be lower. Working for a very upright posture goes hand-in-hand with this.

This gives you more room so you're not hitting down onto the ball in the same steep manner you toook the club up. The club can attack the ball from a shallower angle.

In your case, you probably are a little bit inside/flat on the way back and coming into the ball. A feeling that you're taking it back a little bit more on the outside might help but you know yourself - ask your pro.

Mister Sifter

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

Just got a lesson the other day re: being to steep and taking chunky divots.

Picking the club up too soon is definitely a cause for me. Sweeping the clubhead away lower, slower and wider is what I'm working on. I'm trying to feel like my arms are really extended as the shoulders turn and when I hit paralell to the ground, the pro tells me to watch my hands - they should not be higher than my pockets - they should be lower. Working for a very upright posture goes hand-in-hand with this.

This gives you more room so you're not hitting down onto the ball in the same steep manner you toook the club up. The club can attack the ball from a shallower angle.

In your case, you probably are a little bit inside/flat on the way back and coming into the ball. A feeling that you're taking it back a little bit more on the outside might help but you know yourself - ask your pro.

That's making sense, cheers sheet!

I had a lesson (my first ever as it happens) and he pinpointed that i was stooping over the ball. Arse and chin up was the message, but in truth, i still tend to get a little lazy at times and slouch.

Sionnachster

Niall09 wrote: »

Go down the grip, play the ball a bit further back in your stance. Do a 3/4 swing and hit the ball easy (= less backspin --> lower ball flight). Note that this will go about the distance of a normal 7 iron.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting this or way off but either way... Would gripping down on and 8 iron and combining a 3/4 swing with deeper ball position actually produce closer to the distance of a 9 iron and not a 7 iron as you suggest? I can't see how it would possibly hit it further. I've been instructed that moving down a single inch on the grip knocks roughly 5 yards off your usual distance with an iron. Normally a great tip when unsure whether or not you've too much club on a Par 3. Obviously only relevant if you can consistently hit the yardage the same.

Genuinely not having a go here Niall but are you sure this is the case? I'm quite happy to be corrected on this. I know the next time I choke down on an 8 I'll think of this post!!

PhilipMarlowe

The ball back further in your stance effective de-lofts the club so the 8 is more like a 6 or a 5 iron...

Here's a good video lesson for solid ball striking producing a low flight... more upright takeaway and slightly closed clubface

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpYbjGjQCC4

Sionnachster

I understand the de-lofting of the face but a 3/4 swing 8-iron with the ball back in the stance is not something I thought could achieve that distance. I suppose when put simply, Less loft = More Distance no matter what the club...

I love this game...

irishtoffee

Thanks for the replys lads.

Niall09

Sionnachster wrote: »

Maybe I'm misinterpreting this or way off but either way... Would gripping down on and 8 iron and combining a 3/4 swing with deeper ball position actually produce closer to the distance of a 9 iron and not a 7 iron as you suggest? I can't see how it would possibly hit it further. I've been instructed that moving down a single inch on the grip knocks roughly 5 yards off your usual distance with an iron. Normally a great tip when unsure whether or not you've too much club on a Par 3. Obviously only relevant if you can consistently hit the yardage the same.

Genuinely not having a go here Niall but are you sure this is the case? I'm quite happy to be corrected on this. I know the next time I choke down on an 8 I'll think of this post!!

Yup, your right! I made a mistake, sorry

ShriekingSheet

Yeah Niall just made a typo. Otherwise it was a good description of a punch shot when you need to fire one in low.

Sionnachster wrote: »

I understand the de-lofting of the face but a 3/4 swing 8-iron with the ball back in the stance is not something I thought could achieve that distance. I suppose when put simply, Less loft = More Distance no matter what the club...

I love this game...

Just on this point, it's good to also understand how the length of the club affects the ball flight too because, IMO, it's at least as important as loft.

The length of the club = the size of the circle around your body the club head makes. The bigger the circle, the further the ball goes. Hence why taller guys with longer arms have a naturally bigger circle and tend to hit it further (not because they're stronger or hit it harder).

A bigger circle also has less control, so a short shafted wedge is more accurate than a 5 iron for reasons of both length and loft.

Back on point, with the low punch shot, you need less loft to bring the flight down, but you don't want the big circle that comes with a longer iron because that gives less control. So you shorten the shaft (by gripping down) of a less lofted club, delofting it a little more by hitting off the back your stande and having your hands further ahead than usual.

So with a short shaft in hand, feck all loft and the ball back in your stance, you've done all the hard work and all you need do is turn back and through!