High, Low, Mid...?

[Imurg]

So what's what?
How high is high?
How low is low?
And is mid really in the middle?
Or is it all just relative..?
And how does manipulating the club face to keep the ball low or fly it high fit in?
And where you hit it on the club face matters too.

Do we sometimes get wrapped up in ball height when, in reality, there are so many factors determining how high or low you hit it and the ball is only one of them.?
I've hit supposedly low flight balls, mid flight and high flight with clubs and shafts that promote low, mid and high ball flights and if there is a difference then it's feet not yards.
Thoughts?

 

[Wolf]

My honest answer is it's simply all relative to the shot at hand.

If I need to go over something I simply work out what club & shot I need to achieve the required height, like wise if I need to go low figure out the best club and shot then try to execute accordingly whether that's a punch shot into a stiff breeze or navigating under or around a branch etc...

Think in instances like these it's so easy to get caught up in things like swing path, club face etc. Simply go with what feels right, have a practice swing to get that feel, then trust yourself to execute accordingly....

If the above fails, swear at myself and try again

 

[bigslice]

I just look at distance check conditions pick club and swing.

 

[clubchamp98]

My mate hits it very high and his low stinger drives are higher than my normal drives.
His high ones are like my wedge.
It’s like shaft flex there is no industry standard

 

[jim8flog]

My experience with irons and virtually every metal shaft made is that it is all about the swing and not the equipment.

Graphite shafts on the other hand - it is very easy in manufacture to manipulate the kick/bend point to produce a higher or lower flight and therefor find a shaft that is what you are looking for.

Before they made it non conforming I played a TM 580 driver with 12 degrees loft but the shaft I fitted in to it was designed to produce a very low flight and I used to hit on a far lower flight than my current 10.5 degree TM driver.

To get a much lower flight out of current driver it's all about tee height and ball position coupled with how I swing the club.

 

[duncan mackie]

I know when I've hit it well, and generally that will deliver the highest apex.

Obviously I could (sometimes...) manipulate the club face or swing to deliver a manufactured shot - but that's a different matter entirely.

 

[anotherdouble]

Mate mate mate, I think you should just continue teaching your little cherubs to drive, kicking fragger in the gonads 2-3 times a week and enjoying your golf. This is too deep

 

[bobmac]

Hitting the ball low or high is just a matter of learning how to alter the impact position to suit the conditions

 

[jusme]

Other than proper fitted clubs (different shafts certainly do alter ball flights) manipulating ball flight is a skill that only the very best golfers have in my experience. I don't even try it.

 

[USER1999]

Compared to the pro's, pretty much everyone I have ever played with hits it too low.

 

[Orikoru]

I just look at distance check conditions pick club and swing.

Yeah, this. All this high/low ball flight stuff goes right over my head (no pun intended). I only care about trying to hit it the correct distance.

 

[Maninblack4612]

I'm supposed to be a more proficient player than most but., with the kind of "game improvement" clubs I use, I find it impossible to hit the ball low. The only way I can do it is to take a bigger club & grip down. Can do it a little bit with the driver, but not reliably. I think the pros can do it because they have so much power. If I play the ball back in the stance with hands forward it goes nowhere.

 

[garyinderry]

Yeah, this. All this high/low ball flight stuff goes right over my head (no pun intended). I only care about trying to hit it the correct distance.

Being able to or at least trying to bring the flight down can be a very useful thing. it isn't overly difficult to do using ball position back, de lofting the club or clubbing down and hitting it easier. in certain conditions it can be essential if you want to have a chance of getting it close to the pin or even just to reduce the effect of a strong side wind.


I don't hit a high ball with my irons so there is times I have to think about trying to hit it higher than normal if I want to keep it on the green.

This challenge presents itself often when playing links. its fun, it can be difficult to get right but certainly something at the forefront of my mind when I am picturing the shot I want to play.

 

[Orikoru]

Being able to or at least trying to bring the flight down can be a very useful thing. it isn't overly difficult to do using ball position back, de lofting the club or clubbing down and hitting it easier. in certain conditions it can be essential if you want to have a chance of getting it close to the pin or even just to reduce the effect of a strong side wind.


I don't hit a high ball with my irons so there is times I have to think about trying to hit it higher than normal if I want to keep it on the green.

This challenge presents itself often when playing links. its fun, it can be difficult to get right but certainly something at the forefront of my mind when I am picturing the shot I want to play.

I usually hit it thin so my shots are nice and low anyway. I've never played a links so I haven't really needed to have that thought process yet.

 

[Jacko_G]

Hitting the ball low or high is just a matter of learning how to alter the impact position to suit the conditions

Support your local PGA professional, easiest way to progress and learn. Great video Bob.

 

[Jates12]

Ive always hit the ball very high in comparison to my peers. I can hit a low one when required, but thats only when im under the trees

 

[garyinderry]

I usually hit it thin so my shots are nice and low anyway. I've never played a links so I haven't really needed to have that thought process yet.

Lol another example might be during the really baked conditions of the summer. pin perched on a back shelf up a decent slope. you might want to bring the ball down on that to flatten out the flight. land it on the front portion of the green and let it release up the green, up the slope before gently resting 4 feet from the hole. that's the ideal. it may not come off but it beats the hell out of hitting it full on the fly, bouncing through the back and making double from the thick rough or leaving it well short and 3 putting for bogey. you have to give it a chance.

 

[jusme]

Being able to or at least trying to bring the flight down can be a very useful thing. it isn't overly difficult to do using ball position back, de lofting the club or clubbing down and hitting it easier. in certain conditions it can be essential if you want to have a chance of getting it close to the pin or even just to reduce the effect of a strong side wind.


I don't hit a high ball with my irons so there is times I have to think about trying to hit it higher than normal if I want to keep it on the green.

This challenge presents itself often when playing links. its fun, it can be difficult to get right but certainly something at the forefront of my mind when I am picturing the shot I want to play.

I think its very difficult to do consistently. A few reasons. I'm a natural high ball hitter and use GI irons that don't assist that much in trying to lower the flight. Couple both those things and its not that easy. I can do it and do do it when required, but I don't have the same control over the ball/distance/accuracy by doing so.

I play with similar ability golfers, some with a natural low ball flight and they have no problem getting it even lower. I think the degree of difficulty is not only influenced by skill, but by your style/natural game

 

[Dando]

I’ve got a natural high ball flight which is great when you need to hit the ball over the trees from the next fairway!
Also I can hit long irons into greens and they’ll stop pretty quickly

 

[jim8flog]

Hitting a ball from out of the trees, Wednesday, using a putter I managed to hit it as high as a wedge so it's not about equipment