How To Hit A Golf Ball- Complete Guide

Do you already know how to golf? Just like any other game, golf has its own rules and basics that golfers must take the time to learn. It does not matter whether you are a newbie or a golf expert, but going through the fundamentals of how to hit a golf ball is very vital. It is a little bit hard for a total newbie, although, with enough practice, you will eventually learn to coordinate all the techniques since they all carry equal weight and importance.

Are you eager to work on your swing? This article will help you get the golfing basics right.

The Basics Of Hitting A Golf Ball

There are some golfing fundamentals you need to familiarize yourself with before you get into the golf course and learn how to hit a golf ball.

• The stance is how your legs and feet position as you get ready to hit a golf ball. The entire swing depends on the stance since it forms the basis and foundation, right from backswing and the whole move.
• Address- You proceed to address the golf ball after taking a stance, the right posture, and properly gripping the golf club. Let your club head touch the ground right behind your golf ball.
• Grounding the club is the situation where your club is on the ground as you address the ball.
• Target is the direction towards which you are planning to hit a golf ball
• Fairway is the part of the course that has short grass, usually between green and the tee.
• Green is the place with the hole and is also known as putting green.

Get The Right Stance

Stance forms the foundation of all swings, and if you get it wrong, the entire swing might go wrong. Getting your stance right should be very straightforward, although most golfers take quite some time to get it right. Some take a lifetime.

A standard stance should be parallel to the target line with your feet a little bit wider than the shoulders when it comes to drivers. The stance is like shoulder-width apart with irons, which should be around two inches narrower than the driver stance. The closer you get to the hole, the thinner the stance should be; hence your feet become narrower than the shoulders.

The foot which is closer to your target is known as the lead foot, and it should point towards the direction of the swing you will make to increase your hip rotation when swinging. The foot away from your target is known as the trail foot, and it is usually perpendicular to your target line.

• Appropriate Posture

Your stance will always be the base of any pose. To begin with, set and bend your knees a bit to rest your weight on your feet. Then proceed to hold your club at the front and start hinging at your hips until it touches the ground. Ensure that your spine is diagonal to the ground so that you will be able to get a full shoulder and turn your hips when back swinging.

Try tilting your body a bit such that you will feel like though you are leaning away from the target line. You might not get it right at the moment, but that shouldn’t bother you. It is a whole lot of angles to master and coordinate accurately; therefore, it is very typical to take time to learn, but with a lot of practice.

• Get a Perfect Grip

A grip is the only direct connection you have with your club, and it goes to the ball too. A neutral grip is usually the starting point for some golfer, where one places the lead hand near the top of the golf club. Your palm should be around a half an inch away from the butt of your golf club. When you grip the club, ensure that it runs diagonally through your fingers. Ensure that you can also see at least two or more knuckles on the lead hand.

Go ahead and place the trail hand above the lead hand such that its palm rest on top of the left thumb. Ensure that the thumb and index finger of the trail hand are making a ‘V’ shape that points directly to your sternum.

• Prepare to Address the Ball

After getting the above basics right, you must be prepared to address your golf ball. How you do the addressing depends on the type of club you have. Your hands should be in line with the club for longer golf clubs while the ball is further up the stance and closer to the lead foot. When it comes to shorter clubs, tilt the handle and the shaft towards the target. Therefore, you will have a different posture, stance, and final address depending on the club you have.

Swinging Step 1- The Takeaway

A backswing begins with the takeaway, which is usually 12 to 18 inches. The takeaway determines whether you will make a good swing or not. Use your arms and shoulders to move the club backward way from the golf ball. Put your arms straight and begin hinging your wrists.

Step 2- The Backswing

The backswing is a continuation of the takeaway’s backward movement. Do not incline towards bending the lead arm as you move your body back further.

As you make the backswing bend your lead knee at the ball, turn your hips a bit, and start shifting your body weight to the trail foot. Most golfers want their heads in line with their bodies.

Step 3- The Downswing

As the rule of gravity has it, anything that goes up will always come down at some point. After attaining the maximum height of a backswing, you’re heading for a downswing, which should be the fastest swing component. Speed is crucial since it determines how far and fast a ball goes. The downswing is usually a process of unwinding your backswing in a reverse motion. You begin by shifting your body weight to the lead foot, turn your hips to your target, which your shoulders and arms follow.

Step 4- The Follow-Through

The follow-through is always essential even if you hit the ball already. Your hips need to face your target towards the end of the swing, and you should swing your club up and beyond the lead shoulder. Your lead foot should be carrying your weight, and just the tip of the trail foot should be in contact with the ground. You ought to be in a position where you can balance that for at least 10 seconds.

Types of Golf Swings

There are various golf shorts, which are known as golf swings, and the technique for every kind of swing is almost the same, but with some tweaks here and there.

• Drive is hitting the golf ball off the tee using a driver. A driver is basically the longest golf club, and it goes the furthest. A golfer’s aim when using a driver is to make sure the ball goes as far as possible. The main objective is to the distance the ball covers although the precision is crucial,
• The putt is the close shot on the green, and it is nearest to the whole. The right putting calls for maximum finesse and adept study of slopes surrounding the green since they affect the ball’s movement to the hole.
• Chip- you take a chip shot abbreviating your full swing, and it is usually the only point where your swing varies significantly.
• The flop shot is a shot around the green from the rough, although it sounds negative. It travels a short distance and goes a bit high.
• Punch- a punch is helpful when it is windy since you maintain the ball to the ground and make your shot under the overhanging branches.

Related: Golf Swing Tips-Perfect Golf Swing

How to Hit a Golf Ball with Irons

When it comes to making the best golf shot using an iron, you will need tempo, balance, precision, and acceleration. There are so many ways of how to hit a golf ball depending on a coach or a golfer, but the end justifies the means, and the simplest of them all is when you hit your ball crisply using the center of your clubface.

Hitting A Golf Ball Using An Iron

Make sure that your take away is smooth. You will, most of the time, hear suggestions of slow swinging on the range or golf course, but it is not usually the best goal. When the speed of the club head is quiet, the delivery in terms of distance will be short, and the shots will end up being inconsistent.

A smooth takeaway is what should be in your mind: the transition from your backswing to the downswing. When you inappropriately move during this section of your swing, you might lose your alignment, and it will be challenging to hit the ball with consistency. Ensure that your takeaway is smooth; you will be able to address the ball and accelerate swing. You will also be able to deliver your club on the ball precisely.

Unravel from your feet since most of the players start swings at the top using their hands. This will distort your angles, and you subsequently lose the power in your backswing before reaching the ball. When you do it right, you should feel the unraveling begin at your feet and legs. This will help you maintain your balance, accelerate across your golf ball, and produce power via the swing.

Anchor your head down is the other old golf tip, which is most people interpret as keeping your head down. The intent and meaning of anchor your head is to keep your head still since golf swings usually rotate on an axis where either your eyes or the head is the center. Typically, your swing goes down and strikes the ground in line with your head. Most golfers tend to move the head forward when down swinging, but when you keep it still, even with or a little bit behind the ball, your strike will be clean enough.

Keep your lead arm straight to maintain a consistent length of the lever as you make a swing. If the lead arm’s elbow bends when you are swinging, the distance between your club head and the ball changes, and you have to adjust it.

Ensure that you strike the ball first since a perfect iron shot comes up during the impact. That means your golf club should hit the ball before hitting the ground since it will start devoting. To get the accelerating and driving trajectory, strike the irons in a descending blow.

Lastly, ensure that the club is trailing along the path of your target line as long as you can manage. You can confirm if it is following through by checking your divot after your shot. Ensure that is pointing the target.

How To Hit The Golf Ball With A Driver

Most golfers usually have a hard time with how to hit the golf ball with a driver due to nervousness, hitting all over the place, or hitting a big slice. It shouldn’t be that way, and here are some tips to avoid suffering the same.

• Turn your lead shoulder behind the ball

Nervousness quickens and shortens the backswing, and it becomes hard to make a good drive after such a move. Focus on getting a full and rhythmic motion. You might lack the flexibility to do so but try turning your lead shoulder behind your ball so that you will be able to rotate fully instead of making a short backswing.

Learn to shift your weight to the lead foot as you make the downswing. A full turn back accompanied by accurate weight shifting gives you a natural rhythmic swing with more power. Always remember that the ball will not go on its own and take enough time to make the right swing. Do not lock your nerves, instead move your feet and fingers so that you are free to create a smooth swing.

• Avoid the slicing

Ensure that you keep your back to the target to allow your club to get down to the inside as you make the downswing. Try keeping your back towards your target as long as possible, then entirely turn towards the ball with your trail should be less active to stop the upper body from spinning. As the club drops inside, swing the ball out.

Your body should continue turning towards your target as you shift the lead side to make the downswing such that your chest is pointing towards the ball, and make a left turn. This prevents the club from flipping and fixes the hooks.

• Do not hit everywhere

Avoid hitting everywhere by maintaining your arm’s speed to the end. If you swing the ball and stop, you might get all sorts of misses, but keeping your arm’s constant pace creates an impactful rhythm and flow.

How to Hit the Golf Ball Straight Every Time

You might be a novice golfer and probably unsure how to hit a golf ball straight, or what could happen if you do not do so? Every golfer aims at perfecting this skill, and here is how to go about it.

• Check your stance and grip

From the tips onhow to hit a golf ball, we have had a detailed outline of achieving the right stance and overall body positioning. In case you have forgotten, your body must be in line with the target. You can confirm if your divot is well in alignment by drawing a line between the ball and your target. Your shoulders also need to be parallel to the straight line you have drawn. Hold your club appropriately, and the grip shouldn’t be too tight as you will not be able to hit the ball straight.

• Be keen on the rotation of the clubface

When you set up your golf ball, the club face square should start at your target area. As you make the backswing, check your waist high at the end. A shorter club is easier to use. Avoid cocking your wrist. For you want to hit your ball straight and hard enough, your legs and hips will always give you the strength you need.

Check your impact position when down swinging, and the only way to improve it is through practice. Practice at varying speeds while making all the vital adjustments on your arms, hands, and body. Ensure that the clubs and your hands always move together.

• Swing the club on the plane line

You can only hit the golf ball straight on if you swing the club on the plane line. Striking a golf ball is done through back and down swinging. Back swinging is moving the golf club behind your body to gather strength to hit the ball. While down swinging comes after the backswing, the golf club moves down to strike the club head.

Gather the club head awareness as well as your body awareness in order to hit the ball correctly. Often, newbie golfers stop their swing immediately after they hit the ball, which is wrong since it will impact the speed at which the driver moves. Additionally, that can make your shot miss the target.

• Relax and hit the golf ball calmly

Calmness and composition work wonders in golfing. Relaxing your hands helps to free the joints resulting in better shots. Ensure that your hands all the way from the fingertips to your shoulders are free of tension for concentration and a straight swing. Your mind should also be in a calm state for good performance.

It is not easy to hit the ball straight, especially at the beginning. One needs to practice more to learn the basics and master the skill. Another thing to note is that there are various types of clubs, and you should practice with each since there are specific tricks all clubs.

When it comes to drivers, their specialty is in the speed of every swing and strike, but the basic rules are similar. Practice more and not the position of the club head during each swing.

How to Hit a Golf Ball Low

Sometimes it can become windy while you are golfing, and you could end up becoming such a nervous wreck. As a golfer, you should be ready for anything since each day comes with new conditions, and you still have to make shots. If you master the skill of controlling your trajectory, you will be in a position to play comfortably under any circumstances. It requires a few tweaks here and there, and you will have your trajectory in control.

• What is the need to control your trajectory?

Most golfers accept their trajectory for what it is, forgetting that too low or too high shots can make your game difficult. For instance, when it is windy, high balls will give you a hard time. You will end up struggling to maintain the ball on the greens while using short wedges and irons, which will make it hard to make a score. On the other hand, low hits will help on windy days, but you will be risking getting in trouble after you miss the green long under normal conditions.

Having your trajectory under control, you will be able to make fairways and have shorter putts for birdies and pars. When the going becomes rocky due to the wind, you will still have your game going comfortably. Hitting the draws and fades will save strokes at the golf course.

• So, how can you hit your golf ball lower?

Most players get it wrong when it comes to hitting the ball low. Some position the ball far back from their stance, and instead of allowing you to make a low it, it turns out as a high hit. When a ball is away from your stance, the swing is steeper, and you will hit the ball down, a move that makes it rise up so fast. It will also cause the ball to spin back several times.

Get an extra club and swing slow. Have one or two clubs and slower, smooth swings keep the golf ball low. By so doing, the ball spins less and maintains a lower trajectory.

Tips For Hitting A Golf Ball Low

Make your stance is wide enough to increase your stability and a strong foundation. The stable base is vital since the swing will not be full, and you still need strength to complete a low hit.

After a stable positioning, get the grip right for a compact swing. The strike will be strong enough to give the ball a piercing trajectory to help it cut through the wind. You definitely do want the ball at the back of your lead foot; instead, have it an inch away from you. Shift your shoulders and move the front one down a bit.

Think of finishing low and avoid following the club above your ribcage since high swings enhance the trajectory.

Here is the drill:

• Put the ball slightly at the back of the center.
• Ensure your hands are in front at all times.
• Make your back swing.
• Your follow-through should also be short.
• Swing smoothly.
• When hitting off a tee, make it lower.
• Relax your hands and make calm swings.

How to Hit a Golf Ball Higher

Making a high hit calls for the complete opposite of a low hit. A quick swing increases both the spin and the trajectory. As the swing goes down and hits the balling, causing it to go up. Ensure that your swing steepens to increase the speed of the ball’s movement. Additionally, do not club down like you do when hitting the ball to cut through the wind; instead, swinger faster, reduce the club by one, and make a divot for the ball to move up higher.

How do you hit the ball higher?

Please start with the stance and make it complete enough for a stable base. Ensure that there is more weight on the lead side to enhance the hit. Avoid chocking the club for maximum length and move the ball forward from your stance to go higher. This works only when you shift your body weight forward because you might hang back and scull shots when your weight remains behind.

To avoid pressing the ball like it is with wedges and irons, tilt the angle’s shaft angle. Once that is done, tilt your shoulders for adjustment and dropping the trail shoulder down a bit. Make a normal backswing, but as you make a follow-through, focus on finishing high.

The high ball drill:

• Put the ball forward from the center.
• Shift your hands a bit backward at setup.
• Prolong the following swing as you focus on a high finish.
• Swinger as hard as you can since high speed causes the ball to go up higher.
• If striking on a tee, tee it as high as you can
• Cock your wrist quickly to make the club go up higher.

How to Generate Power in A Golf Swing

Golf players add the swing power because you hit the ball further, it will help reduce your score. You can make an easy and shorter 8-iron shot instead of a hard 3-iron green shot. Power has an impact on golfers’ psychological impact since you hit the ball beyond an opponent continuously. He/she focuses on making hard swings in a bid to keep up, thus losing focus with his shots.

Practice making drills that enhance the speed of the club head. Boost your skills by dethatching and swinging the club’s shaft without the head. A light club enhances your muscles’ speed and reaction time to help you improve on maximizing your bottom swing speed to create an impact

Work on aligning your feet and position them appropriately. Any slight movement on the feet’ positioning helps increase the body coil towards producing more power for a down swing or the back swing. Turn the lead foot more when addressing the golf ball. The stance should be such that the trail foot is at an angle of 45- degrees and the lead foot slightly in front to expand stance distance. The adjustments increase the speed of uncoiling the hips.

Brace your lead knee and flex it when addressing while you are applying pressure on the ground beside the lead foot when making a backswing. It will help build up a resistance that is let out in the downswing. Avoid swaying away from the lead foot so that you prevent losing your power.

Widen the swing arc by extending the golf away from your body during the back swing. You can achieve this by starting your club head, arms, hands, and shoulders. Move one piece smoothly. First, you make a complete extension by drawing your arms as far as possible from the body with your head still.

Begin the down swing with a replant of the trailing heel and roll the left and right ankles in your target line’s direction. The move draws your knees towards one direction and enables you to rotate your hips powerfully. The foot action is crucial when building the necessary leverage and move the club head at high speed.

Create a powerful downswing, which is as a result of unhinging the wrists and rotating the left arm under the right forearm. Keep that position of the wrists for as long as it is possible until the club makes a full impact.

In a Wrap

Every golfer would want to make a straight hit always, and it possible, but one must follow the basics outlined above in order to learn how to hit a golf ball appropriately. Despite the golfing technique, you want to use, learn the fundamental rules, practice, and master them. You will notice that they are similar but with a few tweaks here and there. Practice and perfect your skills.