Hitting the ground before the ball

I am a golf beginner and do not yet have the proper golf terminology down, so please excuse the description of my problem.

Whenever I go for the full swing I tend to strike the ground before I hit the ball resulting in bad shots. When I try and be careful to avoid hitting the ground, I end up hitting only the top part of the ball, again resulting in bad shots. There are times when I will make a good connection with the ball, but I have no idea what I did right to repeat that process.

Can anyone help diagnose what the problem is and suggest ways to cure it?

Thanks.

hi kalio
go to the golf lessons section there are lessons on how to set up to the ball correctly

Hi Slater,

I went to the Golf Lessons section and it seems I am setting the ball correctly according to the instruction. The ball is always either in the center or a little forward in my stance if I am using the long irons.

The throughswing instruction suggests that the problem may be that I am trying to hit at something rather than firing the club through to the target. I have tried to be mindful of not hitting at the ball and feel that I am trying to hit through it. Either I haven't really understood that concept or it doesn't really seem to help in terms of getting solid impact with the ball.

Kalio

You say you are a beginner at golf, have you been on the course yet or a re you going to the range? What I would recommend is that you hit balls off a tee when you practice and maybe also if you are on the course. This may help you to groove your swing, by taking the ground out of the equation. As Harvey Penick said to his pupils "Clip the tee". I would recommend you hit plenty of balls when you practice off a tee, once you get the strike going well, put the ball on the ground and recreate the same feelings- this time "cutting the grass/ daisys" (another Penick thought). It may be best also to say hit 10 balls off a tee, then ten balls on a normal lie alternatively to get the groove going and develop muscle memory.

My experience with hitting fat is threefold: Either you are swaying, straightening the right knee, and/or casting.

Fixes:

Swaying/Straightening Right Knee-----maintain the flex in right knee you have at setup and maintain your spine angle througout the swing. This will prevent you from changing the bottom of your swing from address to impact.

Casting----maintain right wrist cup long into the downswing....see Greg's right hand drill.

Thanks guys. I will try your suggestions this weekend and see how it goes.

Also have this problem. I went tonight on the course and tried leaning back slightly but bending the legs a bit more to get lower and i think that helped, and to be honest it felt more comfortable. I think i was over the ball too much before. I have my first lesson this weekend.

Thanks all. I tried all of your suggestions and Greg's right hand drill. The drill seems to help a lot. Now, I am rarely hitting the ground before the ball and more often than not, the ball goes straighter than before.

I also hit a par three 9 hole course on Sunday and except for the first hole I did relatively decent for a beginner. The first hole I got stuck behind a hill and just couldn't figure out a way to hit it over. Finally after 7 shots I managed to get it over the hill. I think I averaged a double bogeyed for each hole rest of the way. If I can get the ball to stop rolling after it lands, I could post a much better score.

i wouldn't be too concerned about hitting the grass before the ball, especially if your a beginner..... everyone does it and even the pro's still do it. whats happening is your trying to hit the ball and not letting the club just swing through the swing plane... ever wonder why your practice swings are so good and you can't do the same when the ball is infront of the club.

don't worry about the ball, just worry about your swing.

with time it will come naturally and you will find that spin will come as you hit the ball before hitting the grass. also different balls make a difference too.

if you want something to help you stop the ball sooner on the green try a Precept U-Tri Extra Spin if you can find them.

best of luck and i hope the lesson helps.

jase