How to Hit Down on a Ball to Get it Up in the Air

Good players hit down on their iron shots.

Watching a long-iron golf shot fly in extremely high from 200 yards and stop next to the flag stick is a beautiful sight for a golfer. Logic would seem to dictate that for the golf ball to fly so high and land so softly it must have been hit on the upswing. In what must be a surprise even to golfers who have been playing for years, that shot can be created by hitting down on the ball.

Things You'll Need

• Practice range
• Golf clubs
• Golf balls

Instructions

1. 

   Good iron shots have backspin.

   Remove the 5 iron from your golf bag. Address a golf ball with the ball in the middle of your stance. Start your swing by moving the club back until the club shaft is almost parallel to the ground. Consciously hit down on the golf ball, carving a piece of grass as you do. The ball should quickly gain altitude and land softly.

2. 

   Hitting down on the ball creates backspin.

   Take another club from your bag, perhaps a 3 iron. Address the golf ball. Place the ball farther forward in your stance by an inch or two. Hit the golf ball with the same effort as you did with the 5 iron, but at a shallower angle. The ball will still fly amazingly high.

   The reason is that by hitting down on the ball, you are "pinching" the ball between the club and the ground. This generates backspin and also allows the club to use the angle of the club face to get the ball into the air. The backspin caused by the pinching allows the ball to fly high and land softly.

3. 

   Backspin stops the ball when it lands.

   Take your wedge from your bag. Address the golf ball. Place the ball toward the rear of your stance. The shorter the iron, the farther back it should be in your stance. Hit the ball with your wedge, making certain that you are hitting down on the ball. The ball should have a very high trajectory and a large amount of backspin on it when it lands. Hit balls with each iron, hitting down on each one. The more lofted the iron the farther back it should be at address. Hit down more--at a narrower angle--on your lofted irons than you do on the less-lofted ones. Hitting down on the ball will provide you with better trajectories, more backspin, and hopefully lower scores.

References

• Golf Simulators