Trevor Ng
Golf is a game of precision, and ball striking is a crucial skill to develop for any golfer. The term ball striking refers to a golfer's ability to consistently hit the ball toward the target with accuracy, distance, and trajectory. Good ball strikers exhibit this skill week after week, season after season, with remarkable consistency. While some golfers may rely on luck to get their shots on the fairway or green, ball striking drills can help improve your game and make you a more skilled golfer. This introduction will cover various aspects of ball striking in golf, from the fundamentals of grip and stance to advanced techniques for achieving powerful and precise strikes. We will also explore common challenges golfers face and provide practice drills to help you improve your ball striking ability.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ball striking | Refers to a golfer's ability to send the ball toward the target with the proper direction, distance, and trajectory |
| Golf club | Should strike the ground in the proper spot, i.e., hitting the ball then the turf |
| Setup | Having the ball in the right place and the correct spine angle are important |
| Swing path | Coming over the top or too far from the inside can impact the quality of the strike |
| Rhythm | Swinging with the rhythm of a seven-iron can help improve ball striking |
| Drill | Place two tees in a line perpendicular to the target line and swing to strike them |
| Drill | Focus on a mark in front of the golf ball and try to hit through it |
| Drill | Lay down a club on the ground perpendicular to the target line and set up the ball next to it |
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What You'll Learn
The importance of centre contact
The term "ball striking" refers to a golfer's ability to consistently hit the ball toward the target with accuracy. It is a crucial skill in golf, and mastering it can significantly lower your scores on the golf course. One of the most important components of ball striking is ensuring centre contact, which means making contact with the centre of the clubface on full swings.
Centre contact on every swing is essential because it improves your distance and trajectory. It also ensures that you are striking the ball with the right part of the clubface, which is crucial for achieving the desired direction, distance, and trajectory. Striking the ball on the heel or toe, known as shanking, can lead to inefficient and inaccurate shots, negatively impacting your game.
To achieve centre contact, it is crucial to focus on the quality of your strike rather than the result. One effective drill to improve your centre contact is to create a gate using two tees, with the gate wide enough for your clubhead to pass through. Place a ball slightly behind the gate and perform your normal swing, focusing on taking a divot along the line beyond the gate without touching the tees. This drill helps you develop a consistent strike pattern and improves your overall ball striking.
Additionally, you can use an aerosol can to spray the face of the driver and then hit a shot to clearly see the strike location. This technique provides valuable feedback on your strike pattern and helps you adjust your swing accordingly. Another useful drill is to place a club on the ground in front of your left foot, pointing down the target line, and then step on the clubhead so the shaft comes off the ground. This drill ensures your swing path is on the proper line and helps prevent common errors such as coming over the top or too far from the inside.
In conclusion, achieving centre contact is crucial in golf as it improves your distance, trajectory, and overall consistency in striking the ball. By incorporating drills that focus on the quality of your strike and making any necessary adjustments to your swing path, you can significantly improve your centre contact, leading to more accurate and efficient shots.
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Drill: mark in front of the golf ball
To improve your ball-striking, Mark Durland suggests a simple drill where you put your feet together and make some half to three-quarter swings, focusing on the feeling of the clubhead hitting the golf ball. This helps to isolate the lower body and gives better control of the bottom of the golf swing, which is crucial as it determines where the clubhead will make contact in relation to the ball.
To set up for this drill, stand with your feet together and behind the golf ball (for right-handed golfers, this means to the right of the ball). As your hands start back, step towards the target and hit the ball. This gets the pressure spiking into the lead foot before you get to the top of your backswing, just like the pros.
To ensure you are striking the ball correctly, you should aim to hit the ball and then the turf. To practice this, lay a club on the ground perpendicular to the target line of the ball and place your ball next to it. Imagine a line running through the ball, continuing like a goal line in football. Your goal is to hit past this line with each shot. Make sure the ball is in the middle of your stance, with your feet straddling the line.
Another drill to help with your swing path is to place a club on the ground in front of your left foot pointing down the target line, and then step on the clubhead so the shaft comes off the ground. This will help you to use the proper footwork in your swing and get your swing path back on the right plane.
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Drill: centre of the clubface
Hitting the centre of the clubface is a key part of golf, and there are a number of drills and techniques to help you improve your strike.
One of the most important components of a great ball strike is being able to make sure your golf club strikes the ground in the proper spot. For all shots of the ground, minus the sand shot, you want to try and hit the ball and then the turf. This is when your club is striking the ground immediately after hitting the ball, or on the target side of the golf ball. When you approach each shot, lay a club on the ground perpendicular to the target line of the ball. Take your golf ball and set it up next to the club. Imagine a line running through the ball, continuing like a goal line. Your goal is to hit past the goal line with each shot. Make sure the ball is in the middle of your stance, with your feet straddling the line.
The two-tee drill is a great way to centre your clubface at impact. Place a tee in the ground on both sides of the ball and have your clubhead pass through the middle without making contact with either tee. If you hit a tee, you will likely not hit the centre of the face. Keep working on this drill to get the feel of a clean shot.
Your grip has a lot to do with hitting the ball in the centre of the clubface. When you place your hand onto the club’s grip, your thumb should look similar to your lead arm. Allow your lead arm to hang facing your body.
To make consistent contact, you need to create space between your body and your club. Standing too close to the club at address will produce heel contact, and standing too far away will produce toe contact. When you make a backswing, your trail elbow will bend and fold to create energy. On your downswing, this trail arm needs to straighten and extend down towards the ground, which will help you make solid contact.
The clubface angle at impact determines 80% of your shot’s direction, and your wrists control that angle. Wrist angle, especially flexion and extension, will open and close the clubface in the golf swing. The quickest way to learn how to control the clubface is to measure your wrist angles and make necessary adjustments.
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Drill: step drill for footwork
To strike a golf ball correctly, it is important to ensure that the golf club strikes the ground in the proper spot. This means that for all shots, except the sand shot, you want to hit the ball and then the turf.
The step drill is a fantastic way to learn how to transfer your weight in the downswing and ensure that you finish with 100% power through the shot. This move was made famous by Gary Player, who, due to his size, needed to use all of his weight to power his shots.
- Take your normal stance and make your normal golf swing.
- After you make impact with the golf ball, step your rear foot across your front foot and down the target line.
- You can even try it a few times on the course just for fun.
- If you've been holding back and hitting fat or thin shots or pushing the ball, you should see these errors slowly disappear.
Additionally, Debbie Doniger, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher, adds a twist to the step drill to promote earlier leg motion and body motion during the transition:
- Set up to the golf ball the same way you would for a normal step drill, but with your feet together and your lead leg back about a foot.
- As you complete your backswing, step forward with your front foot, push down, and swing all the way through.
- This will help you if you hang back on the transition.
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Drill: club on the ground
This drill is designed to help you correct your swing path. Place a club on the ground in front of your left foot, pointing down your target line. Then, step on the clubhead so the shaft comes up off the ground. This will help you get your swing path on the proper line.
If you tend to come over the top, producing a slice, you'll need to adjust your swing to be more out to the right. To do this, place the club on the ground in front of your left foot, and step on the clubhead to bring the shaft off the ground. This will help you visualise the correct swing path.
If you're coming too far from the inside, try placing the club behind you, underneath your right foot. Stand on the clubhead and maintain pressure on that trail leg for longer during the downswing. This will help you use the correct footwork and get your swing path back on the right plane.
For this drill, it's important to be mindful and intentional about every hit. Take a minute to analyse your swing and the point of contact with the clubface. Are you hitting the toe, heel, or centre? Adjust your stance and posture accordingly. For example, if you're hitting the toe, adjust your stance to strike the farthest of two tees, and vice versa if you're hitting the heel. Repeat this 25 times for each adjustment.
By focusing on the details of your swing and making adjustments as needed, you'll develop muscle memory and improve the consistency and power of your strikes.
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Frequently asked questions
Ball striking refers to a golfer's ability to routinely send the ball toward the target at the proper direction, distance and trajectory.
The goal of ball striking is to make contact with the centre of the clubface on full swings.
Before striking the ball, lay a club on the ground perpendicular to the target line. Place the ball next to the club and imagine a line running through the ball, continuing like a goal line. Ensure the ball is in the middle of your stance with your feet straddling the line.
A common drill is to place two tees in the ground and create a gate that is wide enough for your clubhead. Place a ball slightly behind the gate and attempt to take a divot along the line beyond the gate without touching the tees. This helps you focus on the quality of the strike.
Coming over the top or too far from the inside are two paths that can cause issues. If you come over the top, you may need to adjust your swing to be more to the right. If you come too far from the inside, place the club under your right foot and stand on the clubhead to adjust your swing path.
