Ideas to Ball Strike Better - Less Fat & Thin Shots - More Center Face Impacts - Fix

Ideas to Ball Strike Better - Less Fat & Thin Shots - More Center Face Impacts - Fix

I find I strike better with hovering the club at address with all clubs, arms extended more (but not fully), but definitely not bent relaxed, club on the ground.
From here keep your held level and swing around it. Its almost like your trying to mirror impact position with arms extended more (but not tense).
Hovering the club will get you going into a turn where your body frame has 'already' taken the weight of the upper torso/arms/club. From this suspended hovering position you can 'very easily' rotate smoother on the same level returning the club to impact dead center.

You don't have to hover long...it could be just a second before you get going to draw the weight to the head feel. I do it with the iron close to the ground, sometime touching the ground to feel the total weight & my grip is set, then a waggle, hover... go. I am not referring to hovering 1-2 inches above the ground with a iron with deer in headlights, just a fraction. Hovering prevents re-gripping too..

Consider each arm is 20lbs approx and club...centrifugal force will extend the elbows/reach at impact...get a bit closer to that position at address...without straining or reaching

This is very good for wet conditions, tight lies etc...well all shots really. I know its lower back uncomfortable at first holding the weight before you start, but it will strengthen your ability to hold a posture, and prob get you swinging sooner than gazing down at address, re-gripping and aligning face angle to the cows come home.
Try to incorporate a flinch or tiny forward press. What you will immediately notice is better weight distribution hovering and perhaps a tad more weight on the heals for better balance through the swing. Hovering the club makes it easier to have a nice, wide, flowing one piece takeaway, more of a sweeping motion, rather than picking it up steeper. I hover just touching grass ends, not higher.

I was golfing with my wife two days ago and she was topping it on the range prior to the round. I showed her the hover method and the very next strike was great...since then her ball striking is much much better, now she does it always...even the putter. Try this and you will hit it pure more often. Get in a good posture, hover, rotate/turn on the same level, your body will feel level easier with the slack/weight taken up

Here are some similar video's out there...also watch Zack Johnson keep a good level


Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and many top PGA players hover...

Going to have to agree to disagree about this one. Some people will have success with this, some people won't. Tried this multiple times with actually worse results. Glad it worked for you and your wife, but it's not for everyone.

cbaker2882 said:

Going to have to agree to disagree about this one. Some people will have success with this, some people won't. Tried this multiple times with actually worse results. Glad it worked for you and your wife, but it's not for everyone.

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Im with you. I tried this and no bueno.

Maybe I'm just doing it wrong, but hovering makes me get even more thin and topped shots.

Hovering unfortunately does nothing but make me hit terrible shots haha. Just one of those things I guess

Swing YOUR swing!

I know it's supposed to take tension away, but it always makes me tense up and get all sort of off

I do this with my driver. But not with the other clubs, except for the putter.

The only club I hover is the driver.

I started doing this late in the year. Helped my driver, mixed on the irons so far found to keep trying it for now
The thing I do like is that it feels more natural for the times you can't ground your club because of the lie or being in a hazard etc.
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I do it with the driver when I want to hit it high because I tee the ball higher than normal then.

Everyone has to find what works for them. I would never teach hovering the club but that's me.

If your ball striking great, keep doing what your doing...

If not try this at home, sit the iron on the carpet, compare still take a way Vs hover take a way, to get going into the back swing.

Try to notice which one keeps your head / level still / without moving up /down / around a fraction... to the 3/4 position.

I think there is more head & body movement picking the club up and getting the swing going simultaneously, at the very initial move. Try it

cbaker2882 said:

Going to have to agree to disagree about this one. Some people will have success with this, some people won't. Tried this multiple times with actually worse results. Glad it worked for you and your wife, but it's not for everyone.

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Same negative results for me. Thin to win is a constant phrase that runs through my mind after a shot.

Holding my hands higher at address is a better fix for me as my swing is not so flat.

But does not matter.

It is all about what works for you.

Glad you found a fix and hit'em well.

Here are some articles I found from Golf Digest on Hovering from Jack Nicklaus, Jim Flick & David Leadbetter

JIM FLICK: "I'm reminded of what the legendary player and teacher Paul Runyan described as "measuring out" or "underreaching" at address. Paul contended that if you didn't sole the club but held it just above the ground, and then kept your grip tension and spine angle constant throughout your swing, you would always hit the ball cleanly."

JACK NICKLAUS: Starting back with the clubhead on the ground forces you to apply too much tension to "unplug" it, resulting in a jerky takeaway and tightening your hands, forearms and body. Also, if you start with the club grounded, the natural tendency is for it to return to that spot at impact--in other words, you're pre-setting a fat shot. So un-weighting helps ensure solid contact.

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/david-leadbetter-hover

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/flick-nicklaus-club-hover


http://www.golfdigest.com/story/weekend-tip-dont-sole-the-club

http://www.shark.com/sharkwatch/golf-tips/lesson-15/

http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?74588-Hover-The-Golf-Club

I ground my driver initially to set my posture then I would hover it to release any tension in my hands/arms when I begin my back swing. This has always worked for me.

Not for me. Hovering just adds more tension in my arms.

cbaker2882 said:

Going to have to agree to disagree about this one. Some people will have success with this, some people won't. Tried this multiple times with actually worse results. Glad it worked for you and your wife, but it's not for everyone.

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yep, my experience as well. i've tried this many times with all clubs even down to putter, and the results are always terrible. i'm not disagreeing that it's worth trying, i'm just saying FOR ME it really messed with my ability to find the bottom of the arc.

I just pick one dimple on the ball and concentrate on hitting that dimple.