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How to keep the ball low?

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Rock28

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I'm fired up for the next 2 days I will be golfing instead of working. Every year there are 8-12 of us that make the drive down to atlantic city and golf a couple rounds and hit the casinos to see what other trouble we can get into.

Tomorrow we play Atlantic City country club (read the review posted on here and I can't wait to play it) and the forecast is calling for heavy winds. I usually hit a high fade, which the wind, if it's in our face, just completely kills and I will be hitting 5 iron from 120 out. Any tips that work for you to keep the ball down?

Friday, we play at Twisted Dunes, as we do every year. One of my favorite courses but with high winds it is going to be extremely challenging. It always seems like the wind is against you and never helping.
 
Gotta learn to hit the knockdown for sure. Ball slightly back in stance compared to normal, choke up a hair, take a 3/4 backswing and accelerate through the ball, but hold off your follow through. I've also heard tips that recommend you "deaden the hands" through impact, but I've never really been able to connect with that idea. You will also want to club up one, maybe two - for example if you normally hit 6 iron 170 and want to hit a knockdown to 170, do the stuff I said and club up to 5 iron. Make sure you make a correct shoulder turn with this shot though, despite the short swing, otherwise you WILL slice it, hard. Learned this the hard way hahaha
 
Few different ways to keep the ball low on iron shots.

First 2 ways are taking loft off the club
1. Get a couple inches closer to the ball and when you make contact with the ball make sure your hands are way in front of the ball. This takes loft off the club which keeps the ball down.
2. Hit a less lofted club with a 1/2 swing. Less ball speed keeps the ball from climbing into the air as much and since you're hitting a less lofted club it keeps the ball down some. (for example: say you want your 7 iron full distance but want to keep it low, hit your 5 iron instead with a 1/2 swing)

3. put the ball further back in your stance like a punch shot. with a full swing though it's hard to make pure contact due to the angle of attack.
 
Moved to Swing Tips.
 
  1. Play the ball back in your stance
  2. Take an extra club
  3. swing easy
  4. keep hands low through impact

People feel they need to swing harder to keep it low. Harder swings create more spin and more loft. Granted, a hooded, club face hit hard will stay low but you bring other factors into play. An extra club back in the stance will give you a nice low penetrating ball flight that can be controlled.
 
Bumping this thread as I know people have played in some windy conditions lately. I played in some of the windiest conditions I've encountered this past weekend and I could not keep the ball low going into the wind. I was just hitting high, ballooning, spinny shots that went no where. Granted, I hit it higher than most, but I knew I was in trouble when I hit a 6 iron that went 80 yards shorter than what I normally hit it.
 
I try to keep it further back in my stance, grip down just a touch and close the club face a bit. Whether is the right way to do it or not I have no idea, but it works for me.
 
Take more club, choke down, ball position back, compact swing with a sawed off finish.

Sent from my ONE A2005 using Tapatalk
 
Tadashi70 said:
  1. Play the ball back in your stance
  2. Take an extra club
  3. swing easy
  4. keep hands low through impact

People feel they need to swing harder to keep it low. Harder swings create more spin and more loft. Granted, a hooded, club face hit hard will stay low but you bring other factors into play. An extra club back in the stance will give you a nice low penetrating ball flight that can be controlled.
Click to expand...

Freddie....with #1, how "far" back. 1 ball length back of normal, 2?
 
Agent Jay said:
Freddie....with #1, how "far" back. 1 ball length back of normal, 2?
Click to expand...

For me it's half way between the bell button and the back foot.
 
Rock28 said:
I'm fired up for the next 2 days I will be golfing instead of working. Every year there are 8-12 of us that make the drive down to atlantic city and golf a couple rounds and hit the casinos to see what other trouble we can get into.

Tomorrow we play Atlantic City country club (read the review posted on here and I can't wait to play it) and the forecast is calling for heavy winds. I usually hit a high fade, which the wind, if it's in our face, just completely kills and I will be hitting 5 iron from 120 out. Any tips that work for you to keep the ball down?

Friday, we play at Twisted Dunes, as we do every year. One of my favorite courses but with high winds it is going to be extremely challenging. It always seems like the wind is against you and never helping.
Click to expand...

Instead of making several adjustments to your swing (changing ball position, changing hand position, etc) just use a lower lofted club and grip down a little bit. It's hard enough to play golf with one golf swing why try to play with several?
 
Thanks for reviving this thread. After reading the thread from JB about flighting your shots, I was looking for something about hitting lower.

There's a lot of info out there, but most of it messes up my swing.

Jack
 
Hit the top of the ball. Works for me every time. Doesn't make the squirrels happy though.
 
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