How to Hit a Golf Ball Low
Few things give a golfer the satisfaction of hitting a long drive high into the air and watching it float down the fairway before landing about 275 yards from the tee box. But if the wind is blowing in the golfer's face or if the golf wants to escape the trees, the golfer has to take those issues into consideration and hit it low to have a shot at driving the ball for distance.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging- Change your setup to a degree. Instead of playing the ball midway between your feet, play it one ball length closer to your right leg. This will feel awkward at first, but it will allow you to take a full swing and keep the ball from flying high in the sky into the teeth of the wind.
- Flatten your swing out. Instead of coming over the top and hitting down on the ball, you will want to come a bit more from the side and coming through the ball at a lower angle. This will also make for a longer swing and you have to stay committed to finishing the swing. The tendency is to stop after contact, but you must finish the follow through.
- Keep your wrist pointed at the target as you make contact with the ball. When you are trying to hit the ball high, you will drive your right hand through the ball. However, when you are attempting to keep it low, delay that part of the swing until your left hand has gotten all the way through the ball. An easy way to help you accomplish this is to look at the button that is on the front of your golf glove and to keep it pointed at your target (the green or a spot in the fairway) as long as possible.
- Lessen the tension in your hands right after you make contact. This is a difficult technique to master; but, if you take a little bit of the pressure off your grip, it will keep your shot low and straight.
- Concentrate on the back of the ball as you prepare to swing. This is important on all golf swings, but it is especially important when trying to hit a low shot. Remember, you will be playing this shot back in your stance and that means you will be coming at the ball from a different angle than usual. To hit the ball squarely, you will have to concentrate on hitting the back of the ball.
Tips & Warnings
- Practice hitting low shots every time you go to the driving range.
- In very windy weather or to keep the ball very close to the ground, choke down the club about 2 inches, only take 3/4 of your normal (full) backswing and keep your hands in front of the clubhead.