My name is Bobby Eldridge with the PurePoint Golf Academy. Today, I wanted to talk about pitch shots and more specifically, pitching the golf ball with loft. The most common golf instruction problem I've seen is when a golfer tops the ball over the green when pitching.
Well, I have a great golf instruction tip for you today. Are you ready? The reason that you struggle when you pitch is because the golf club swings down in the downswing, and just before it gets to the golf ball, it starts to swing back up and you wind up hitting the middle of the golf ball.
When you pitch the golf ball, the goal is to hit down on the ball and to have the ball crawl up the face of the golf club and go onto the green. The only way to make this happen is for the leading edge of the club to hit the bottom of the golf ball. The reason that many golfers skull the ball over the green is because they focus on the follow through being high and as a result, hit the ball on the upswing. In short, they don't hit down on the ball, but rather hit up on the ball.
Imagine the golfer with the high follow through. As they come down, they start to swing back up again. Can you imagine how high the club face is at follow through? This is the incorrect way to hit a pitch shot. I've been in golf instruction for a long time and this is one of the most common problems I see.
The correct way is to put a little extra weight on your left leg, or the front leg, lean over on top of it, and with your arms, swing the club head down and let the golf ball go up. It will crawl right on up the club face. The key is to follow through low to the ground, not high.
In the downswing make sure, with your weight on your left side, that you swing your arms down and get the leading edge to swing into the ground. And then, the golf ball will crawl all the way up the face and take off for the target.
So remember, ball in the middle of your stance, weight on your left leg, swing your arms up and down. We like to keep golf instruction simple.
For better impact and for a little more loft when you're pitching, get the feeling that you're swinging the club face down into the ground.
Distance From Golf Ball
Hit Down to Get the Ball Up:
This may sound a little bit crazy to some but, with every club except the driver and putter you should be striking the ball with a slightly downward blow. What this does is, it allows the loft of the club to work as it's supposed to and launch the ball up into the air. Proper golf ball contact will also increase distance because when the ball is hit at impact, the descending movement compresses the ball witch in turn releases more energy sending the ball further.
There is a common mistake made by beginners. What they tend to do is try to scoop the ball and help it into the air with their fairway woods and irons. This is a critical mistake because hitting up on the ball will only causes a lot more miss hits and give the player poor distance on each shot.
When you are swinging your irons and even fairway woods you should be aiming at the bottom front of the ball itself or even a little bit before the ball. This will allow the very bottom of your swing arc to still be on a descending path when you make contact with the golf ball. If you watch a good player when they hit the ball with a 9-iron for example, you'll notice that their divots always begin in front of the ball and never after the ball. What this means is the golfer is making contact with the ball first still on the downswing, and then contact with the turf takes place.
When this is done correctly the golf ball gets squished or pressed between the clubface and the ground, witch increases the compression and results in more distance and spin for that particular shot. If you try to hit up on the ball with your fairway woods or irons you could end up topping the ball or even missing it.
The Exception:
There's always one exception to every rule. This one involves hitting your driver off the tee. With this club you want to try to make golf ball contact on the slight upswing or the beginning of your upward swing arc. One of the main reasons for doing this is because the driver has very little loft and it's harder to get the ball into the air.
The other reason is the drivers now have very few grooves witch helps to eliminate spin that is put on the ball during compression. It allows the ball to travel through the air with a piercing or floating type action and travel great distances.
One of the most important tips you can learn about equipment and your golf game is when to make proper golf ball contact. It all depends on what club you are using and the situation. Try and use this little bit of info the next time you're on the course and watch what happens.
Both David Nevogt & John Bolt are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
David Nevogt has sinced written about articles on various topics from Recreation and Sports, Golf Guide and Golf Guide. Bobby Eldridge is the Head Instructor for the PurePoint Golf Academy where he teaches "The Simple Golf Swing" theory. You can check out PurePoint Golf instructional DVDs at. David Nevogt's top article generates over 9900 views. Bookmark David Nevogt to your Favourites.
John Bolt has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Improvement, Food and Drink and Golf Guide. John Bolt is the owner of Golf Equipment Source and has created the ULTIMATE FREE online guide to properly fitted equipment used for golf.Learn more about golf equipment http://www.golfequipmentsource.com. John Bolt's top article generates over 60500 views. Bookmark John Bolt to your Favourites.
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