Good Contact

Are you looking to get a little more height on your shots? Do you have problems getting under it? What does getting under it really mean? For most golfers, that is how they explain making good contact and getting a nice trajectory on their shot. However, I find that statement to be quite misleading.

As golfers try to “get under it”, I see swings that try scoop  and lift the ball into the air. This is especially true in chipping and pitching. Rather, to achieve good contact and achieve the height, the golf club must hit the ball with a descending blow. It is the loft of the golf club that creates the higher trajectory, not the path of the golf club lifting the ball. Ideally, your golf club will return at impact to a similar position to your set up. Which means your hands should be slightly ahead of the ball and you will still be in good posture. Through impact the club should pinch the golf ball into the ground and then create a divot under and ahead of the ball. Not all divots are bad, only the ones you hit before you contact the ball. Good divots are shallow, an even width and pointed toward the target.

Essentially, good contact and “getting under it” require you to use the ground. Hitting down on the ball creates a higher ball flight. Scooping or trying to lift the ball will probably lead you down the path of inconsistency.

Lindsay MacDermott teaches at Kamloops Golf & Country Club. She can be reached at lindsay@kamloopsgolfclub.com.