Coaches Corner!
Pick it or Divot? Spin or no Spin?
Most people watch the professionals and wonder how they get the ball to do the things it does. It's like they are playing a different game. Well, they really are......
The average golfer tries to pick the ball off the turf or "sweep it". This results in all the various mishits. The ball either comes out low and rockets through the green or they hit behind the ball and it lands halfway to the green. The dreaded top shot is the most frustrating one; you take a huge swing and the ball makes an awful sound as it takes a large hop and then rolls 30 feet. Every once in a while the timing is perfect and the ball lands on the green and stays.
The professional golfer aggressively tilts their body toward the target and creates tremendous force into the ground with the leading edge of the club hitting just below the ball as the ball hits squarely in the center of the clubface. They never even think about trying to hit the ball up, they just mash down on the ball. It shoots out like a guided missile, hits the green then either stops after one hop or even spins backward. It's sooooo different.
My advice to most players is to decide if you have the time to learn how to hit down on the ball or accept that you will be limited to a few good shots per round for your entire golfing career. There's no shame in realizing you don't want to put the time in. You can break 100, you can even break 90 if you have an amazing short game. But if you ever want to live in the 80's more permanently or become one of the few to shoot in the 70's, you must learn to make center face contact by hitting down on the ball.
This is attainable for all. First you learn how to shift your weight forward on the downswing. Then you make the club shaft lean forward as it gets near impact. Next you get that leading edge of the club to enter the ground at the same time it hits the ball. Poof! the ball compresses and the best feeling in the golfing world is yours. The ball flies high and lands with a lot of spin. It's glorious, and now you're playing the same game as the pros!