QuestionQUESTION: Hi,what is the reason i hit ground balls all the time i just don't understand what im doing wrong. If you could give me a list of reasons why people hit ground balls ill try to work on each one to see what my problem is. Thank you.
ANSWER: Hi Luke: If you're hitting grounders it means the club is on an upward path when it makes contact with the ball. This means your head is coming up during the downswing and/or your spine angle is straightening. Either is caused by poor balance which is always accompanied by poor setup/posture. To give yourself the best shot at good balance/good swings you need to assume the position over the ball the touring pros use. To get into that position do these things in this order.
1. With your knees locked straight, bend from the hips so that your shoulders move out in front of your toes an inch or two. Keep leaning forward until you feel the weight on your tip toes.
2. Barely flex the knees and you'll feel the weight settle onto the balls of your feet.
3. Play the ball far enough away to allow your arms to hang fairly straight down from your shoulders.
You'll be in position to make a good, balanced swing but it will take some time for all your muscles to get used to the new position, so give it some time and remember your head needs to stay on the same level til impact. Keep me posted with your progress and we'll make tweaks as needed.
Fairways and Greens,
John
www.golfnutts.com
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QUESTION: i found out from my grandfather that i was breaking my wrists and the start of my swing. i focused on keeping my wrists straighter and it worked for a little bit but then it felt unnatural. Im confused on when to cock one's wrist and how to keep the wrists cocked on the downswing instead of releasing them at the top of the backswing. Also i went to the driving range and i was hitting horrible of the grass but when i went to the mats i was hitting higher shots that felt better.
Answer
9 to 3 Drill
The when of cocking your wrists is not as important as how much. As to how much, when your arms are parallel to the ground, the club should be pointing straight up with the shaft at a 90 degree angle to your arms.
Uncocking your wrists too soon may be a reaction to cocking them too much during the backswing. That's a reflex action and one that is difficult to change without changing the cause. I would suggest using the 9 to 3 drill many golf professionals use themselves. Take your normal stance and set up then only swing the club back and through to where your arms are parallel to the ground. This will help set the limits of the wrist cock and also teach you the release. The point of this drill is to do just that so you're not trying to hit the ball as far as it will go.
As you learn to do this, slowly increase the length of the back and forward swings without increasing the amount of wrist cock. The back swing need not go as far as having the shaft be parallel to the ground. It's ok if it does, but it's not really necessary.
Don't get discouraged, this may take some time to sort out the timing. A year or so ago, Ernie Els visited his instructor and spent an entire week, six hours a day, doing the 9 to 3 drill. That's how important that part of the swing is, for it represents the most crucial part of the swing; what's going on through impact.
Good luck Luke, keep me posted.
John
