One of my favorite ways to get better at golf is to practice with drills.

Drills narrow down one or two skills and give you a way to focus your practice. If you are a golfer that struggles with hitting down on a golf ball, there are some great drills to help make this considerably easier on you.

I’ve not only tried each of these drills but have also tweaked them a bit to work much better.

Why Hitting Down on The Ball is Important

Hitting down on the golf ball will allow for the full loft, power, and spin of the golf shots you are trying to hit. The golf ball must be struck first, with the divot coming after the ball. In order to do this, you must hit down on the golf ball.

Of course, there are swings with fairway woods and your driver where the ball will be hit more on the upswing. However, for excellent iron play, amateur golfers need to hit down and through their golf shots to get the best possible results.

4 Best Drills to Hit Down on a Golf Ball

1. Hit The Line

The hit the line drill is simple but helps players visualize exactly what impact looks like and how to make your golf swing more efficient. When working on hitting the line, the best way to do this drill is to purchase a can of white spray paint and make sure you have the permission of the driving range to complete the drill.

Step 1: Draw A Line On The Ground 

Set up to hit a golf shot and make a small mark with a tee where the golf ball would be. Once you have this mark, take the paint and draw a straight line of paint on the ground extending out a foot or two to the target. Make sure the line is straight.

Step 2: Set Ball Up

Next, you will set a ball up at the start of the line. When you hit the ball, you are going to attempt to hit the ball first and then clip part of the line.

Step 3: Keep Working down the line 

As you work through your entire practice session, set the ball up this way each time, and have your visualization be that you need to clip a piece of the line each time. When you get really good at this, you won’t need the line there anymore.

Many golfers will hit golf balls on the range like this because it’s good for the turf to grow back as well.

2. Left Hand Dominance Drill

One of the major reasons that golfers have trouble hitting down on the ball are those that try and get their right hand a bit too involved in the swing. The right hand is not the hand that develops the most consistency through the golf ball.

If you want to hit solid shots with tremendous power, the left hand dominant swing is the way to go. Here are the ways to do it.

Step 1: Grip The Club with Your Left Hand Only 

First, you will want to grip the club with just the left hand. Some players will try to take an entire backswing and downswing using the left hand only, but this will take some strength. Most golfers do the best working on this golf swing drill and then make a transition into a full regular swing.

Step 2: Take a Partial Backswing

This drill is all about getting the feeling down. Take about a half to ¾ backswing with your iron in your left hand. Leave the right hand off the club.

Step 3: Create Resistance with Right Hand 

On the downswing, you will want to create an angle of attack that feels like the left hand is pulling the club down through impact. Hold the center of the shaft with your right hand to create a bit of resistance, and the left hand should feel as though it’s pulling down through impact.

Step 4: Try a Full Swing 

Try this a few times, then switch to taking a regular golf shot. Make sure that you are still focusing on rotation in your swing. Your weight should transfer as you never want the upper body to take full control of the swing.

Here’s a video breakdown of this drill:

3. Two Ball Takeaway Drill

The takeaway drill is my favorite drill to fix quite a bit of problems that you can come across in your golf swing. One of those issues is lifting the club too far off the ground on the takeaway. If you lift the club up and alter your spine angle, returning the golf ball to the proper impact position is very hard.

This two ball takeaway drill works well for beginners as well as experienced golfers that need a little pick-me-up and refresher in their golf game.

Step 1: Take Your Typical Stance

The first part of this drill is to take your traditional golf setup. Since this is a drill in which you hit a real golf ball with a full swing, make sure that both your left foot, right foot, hips, and spine angle are correct before you start.

Step 2: Keep The Club Low and Take It Back Slow

I like to do this drill with something like an 8 iron or 9 irons; they are typically forgiving and make the learning curve just a little easier. I put one golf ball in front of the clubface and one golf ball about six inches behind the back of the club head.

The goal is to take the golf club back very low and slow so that it knocks this other golf ball out of the way. When you keep the club low and slow, it makes it much easier to return it to the ground at impact.

So many amateur golfers pick the club fight up at the start of their swing, which creates some performance issues.

Step 3: Ensure a Proper Weight Shift

To make a proper weight shift, you must feel as though weight is moving back to your right foot at the start of your swing, and on the downswing, the weight needs to transfer back to the left foot. This efficient weight transfer creates a ton of power and impressive trajectory.

Step 4: Transfer to a Full Finish

One of the things that I always found most impressive about this drill is that I’m able to compress the golf ball considerably better. I actually get more distance with this drill, even though I’m tapping another golf ball on the back swing.

In addition, when I struggle with poor tempo or feel like my timing is off, I like to use this two ball drill.

4. Golf Alignment Stick Drill

Golf alignment sticks are some of the most effective practice aids that we have to work with. Alignment sticks can be used to work on backswing angles, alignment, angle of attack, coming over the top, and more.

Essentially if you know how to use them, they are one of the most effective training aids golfers have to work with. To have more luck hitting down on a golf ball, I like to use this chipping drill with a golf alignment stick.

P.S. If you don’t yet own a set of alignment sticks, here’s our favorite:

Step 1: Grip Club and Alignment Stick

The first part of this drill feels a little awkward, but you can get used to it rather quickly. Simply grip your golf club and an alignment stick at the same time. The golf club head will be on the ground as it always is, The alignment stick will run in the opposite direction, and it will come up high enough that you have to tuck it under your left armpit.

Step 2: Use a Pitching Wedge or Sand Wedge

I highly recommend using a pitching wedge or a sand wedge here. We are only going to take little swings with this drill to try and learn how hitting down on a golf ball around the green can help you create more spin.

Step 3: Small Swings, Don’t Let Shaft Hit You

The backswing of this shot will feel pretty standard to you. However, for golfers that don’t hit down the ball, the alignment stick’s shaft will likely hit you on the left rib. Do this at a slow pace so you can feel it. The idea is to rotate and turn through the ball so the alignment stick never hits your side.

You may have to make some adjustments to your mindset here as well. I like to start focusing on hitting the back of the ball on the downswing. The alignment stick gets in the way for players that try to lift or flip the golf ball by scooping it.

Step 4: Let Go of the Alignment Stick, Try Full Swing

Once you have done this a few times and you get the concept down, go ahead and put the alignment stick down. At this point, you can start taking full swings and getting that same feeling of hitting down and through the ball as opposed to trying to lift it up out of the grass.

You will notice that your chip shots fly higher, and they stop on the green considerably closer.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1

Source link

The old-fashioned bump and run is possibly one of my favorite golf shots as it has given me numerous hole outs in 28 years on the golf course.

A bump and run is a shot that sends the golf ball rolling further than it flies. Unlike a standard chip shot, you produce a lower launch and limited bounce for nice topspin and a greater chance of getting it close to the cup.

Your ball is less likely to veer significantly off path when keeping it on the ground, increasing your chances of getting up and down.

To execute this shot, you must place the ball in the back of the stance, align the ball with the toe of your club, and stand the shaft upright. Plus, you need to strike the ball with the toe of your club to take speed off the ball. You need optimal control of the golf club here because if the clubface opens at contact, you will produce too much toe spin and send the ball wide of the target.

As you can see, this is different from your typical greenside shot, where you deal with a shorter shaft and aim to deliver a shot-stopping spin.

I use different clubs for this shot, depending on my lie and the layout ahead of me. However, I never use anything weaker than a sand wedge or gap wedge, but a pitching wedge is my most popular choice for its reduced loft. I feel that a lob wedge generates excessive launch resembling a chip rather than a proper bump.

If I have significant green to cover and the putting surface is quick, I may opt for a 7-wood or a 2-utility iron. These stronger lofted clubs help me induce ample speed and topspin to make it to the cup.

Conversely, you’ll find a gentle pitching wedge nudge with a pendulum stroke is sufficient when you have limited green to play with. On mid-range bump and run shots, I trust my 7 or 8-iron for the job.

When This Shot is Most Useful

Long Chip Shots

I find that a good bump and run works a treat when you have ample green to work with, but the putting surface is lightning, and I am not feeling my putter. The other option is to use a sand or lob wedge and carry the distance in the hope that it generates solid spin and stops rapidly.

However, the higher launch prompted by weaker lofted wedges brings bounce into the equation, which can cause your ball to deflect away from the cup. If the green is pacey, your ball may pick up speed and roll off the dancefloor.

The rolling nature of a bump and run eliminates this stress and allows you to use the contours of the green to your advantage.

Limited Green To Work With

Contrary to the previous point, I also use the bump and run when I have minimal green to work with. I find that a pitching wedge offers a balance of loft, ball speed, and spin for greater control on these shots.

All you need is a light touch, and the weight of the pitching wedge head gently propels your ball towards the cup.

Up Against The First Cut Of Rough

I’m not sure if any readers suffer this fate, but the Golfing Gods love to punish me by placing my ball up against the fringe, or first cut of rough, around the green.

This lie makes it difficult for me to get under the ball for a high launch and soft landing. And if I try to putt it, I may catch the top of the ball and lose speed.

This is the perfect chance to use a fairway wood because it contains weight in the head, minimizes spin, and produces clean turf interaction. Therefore, the clubhead glides through the turf and helps me impart sufficient pace on the ball to make it to the hole.

3 Drills to Practice Getting Better at a Bump and Run Shot

1. One Hand Swing

I mentioned earlier that the setup for a bump and run differs from a standard short game shot, which is why it can take some getting used to. The one-hand swing is a drill that has helped me with feel, ball striking, and distance control on these shots.

The mission is simple. Place a ball on the ground, line it up towards your back foot, grab a pitching wedge in your strong hand and place your left hand behind your back.

Ensure the wedge shaft is upright, then take a quarter-practice swing and follow through. Repeat this five times and get a feel for the shot. Once comfortable, take a quarter swing one-handed and stroke the ball to its target.

Besides familiarizing yourself with the setup, this drill secretly helps you improve your ball striking. This is because you have limited power and rely on a clean strike to produce an element of speed for forward roll. You will definitely induce a few air shots at the start, but it is all part of the journey.

2. Land The Ball on a Coin

The coin drill was probably my favorite as a junior because it boosted my distance control skills. I would sit on the chipping green for hours, trying to land as many golf balls as possible on a coin. This worked for flop shots, standard chips, and the bump and run.

The approach was different with the bump and run since it required limited airtime. I placed the coin closer to my ball than the others and positioned 10 balls.

If the ball landed before the coin, I counted it as a bogey since it didn’t possess sufficient speed to make it to the cup. Conversely, when it landed over the coin, it was also a bogey because it rolled too far past the cup.

Finally, I counted direct hits on the penny as pars, and I refused to move to the next drill until I was a maximum of 4 over par.

3. Varied Lies

As I explained earlier, the bump and run work in various scenarios, including up against the first cut of rough on the fairway or the fringe.

Place five golf balls in each different lie, and position a swing stick 2-feet behind the cup. Your objective is to get the ball to roll past the cup, but not further than the alignment stick.

When your ball lands in the target zone, it counts as a birdie. But if it is short of the hole or passes the stick, it is a bogey.

Your mission is to finish at least -5, and if you can’t, you repeat the drill.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years. Current Handicap: 8

Source link

Some golfers can admit to the fact that the main reason they are a high handicapper is because of bunkers.

If it’s still taking you more than one swing to get out of the bunker, it’s time to make a change in your game. Not all high handicappers can stick the ball close to the pin, but getting out of the bunker in one swing needs to happen every time.

Here are the best bunker drills you can use to increase confidence and performance and hit your target score.

1. Big Backswing Drill

Your browser does not support iframes.

One of my favorite drills for teaching high handicappers to get out of the bunker in one shot is the big backswing drill. When players hit their shots into green side bunkers, they often fear their ability to get the ball out of the sand.

With this fear comes a lack of confidence, which brings about a swing that includes some deceleration.

If you want to hit a good bunker shot, you must have plenty of acceleration and a big enough backswing. In addition, the finish should be high and complete.

How To Do The Big Backswing Drill

The big backswing drill is truly a simple drill that you can do in any greenside practice bunker. Take a few golf balls and your favorite current sand wedge down to the bunker. Put the golf balls in a spot in the center of the bunker, not on a slope.

Ensure that your setup is perfect and you are lined up toward your target.

Instead of taking a small backswing and trying to lift the ball out, take a big backswing and hit about an inch behind the ball. Continue that backswing speed through impact and get to a higher finish.

The first few times you do this, it may feel a bit awkward and inconsistent.

More than anything else, amateurs need to learn the mental side of playing these greenside bunker shots.

Learning to take these big swings with an open face and hit the sand behind the ball will only help you become a better player around the greens.

2. Line In The Sand Drill

Perhaps the most common bunker drill for high handicap golfers is the line in the sand drill.

The idea behind this drill is to teach players what the weight distribution, set up and overall mechanics of a greenside bunker shot look like.

Keep in mind this is not a drill for the fairway bunkers.

All you will need is a practice bunker, your wedge, and a few golf balls for this drill.

How To Do The Line in The Sand Bunker Drill

Find a practice bunker where you can work without any other golfer nearby. Setup with a golf ball in the sand and then draw a line back from that golf ball that extends a few feet. This is going to be your practice line.

Setup to this line as if it were the golf ball. You should have a slightly open face, and the ball should be a bit forward or center, closer to your lead leg.

In addition, it makes sense to have a little extra weight on the left side. Don’t exaggerate this feeling as it could end up in delofting your wedge. Simply put about 60% of the weight on the left leg.

Once you have your grip, stance, and set up in place, start taking swings where you do not hit a ball. Instead, you make a perpendicular line across impact with your wedge.

If you do this right, your line in the sand will look like a stack of lowercase “t’s.” This shows the club going into the sand before the line and coming out after the line. A quick session of this will ensure your mindset is right for the next bunker your ball ends up in.

My favorite way to do this drill is to take three swings using the line and then hit one ball. Continue this pattern until it starts to work!

3. Variation of Golf Clubs

The sand wedge is the club selection of choice for most golfers looking to get out of a hazard. However, it should not be the only club that you use. Different clubs have loft and spin characteristics that can help you manage the lie and the location of the pin.

The most common clubs to consider using out of the bunker include:

• Sand Wedge: best overall, typically around 56 degrees of loft, good ball flight, and mid to high spin.
• Lob Wedge: perfect for high lofted shots when the pin is too close, and there isn’t much room to work with.
• Gap Wedge or Approach Wedge: best for the longer greenside bunker shots where you can’t open the face quite as much.
• Pitching Wedge: when there is no lip on the bunker, and you have to go across the green, the pitching can get the trick done.
• Putter: yes, some golfers use a putter out of a greenside bunker. Make sure the lip is lower and the sand is more compact.

You have quite a few tools in your bag to get a golf ball out of a bunker, and learning these may help this part of the game feel a little less overwhelming.

How To Use Variation In Club Choice Drill

Find a practice bunker where you can vary the distance you have to the pin. Take three or four golf clubs with you into the bunker. It’s always best to vary the shots you hit, so it is more like golf course conditions.

I recommend taking three shots with the lob wedge, three with the sand wedge, three with the approach wedge, etc.

Repeat this process until you feel as though you have more than one solution for hitting out of a bunker.

When a player feels stuck with just one shot, it brings up a lack of confidence. Eliminate this by giving yourself more than one tool.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1

Source link