Not getting to the bottom of the ball

[richy]

I have noticed lately that I don't seem to be getting to the bottom of the ball with my iron shots. I know you're not supposed to lift the ball in the air and I'm not trying to do that but at times I'm not striking 'properly'.

Its not so much a thin shot as the ball still gets decent height, it just doesn't feel like a proper strike. I also don't take the biggest of divots if that helps.

Any ideas?

 

[SamQuirkePGA]

Practice small swings and keep the elbows close to a stunted follow through.

 

[richy]

Practice small swings and keep the elbows close to a stunted follow through.

Thanks Sam, I'll give that a try. By stunted follow through, do you mean not full as if you were hitting a little pitch?

 

[chrisd]

in practice, put a tee in the ground in front of the ball and concentrate on trying the hit the tee.

 

[SamQuirkePGA]

Thanks Sam, I'll give that a try. By stunted follow through, do you mean not full as if you were hitting a little pitch?

So the arms and shaft are parallel to the ground in the finish, with the left arm and shaft inline.

 

[SocketRocket]

Is this with all irons or shorter ones. As you are probably aware they do not all strike the ball in the same manner.

 

[duncan mackie]

Is this with all irons or shorter ones. As you are probably aware they do not all strike the ball in the same manner.

???? - what differences in 'manner'?

the swings the same - any variation is entirely incidental and a product of the variation in length, and therefore clubhead arc...

 

[SamQuirkePGA]

If you wanted to, you could do this drill with the driver.

I would recommend starting with a shorter iron.

And I am aware the angle of descent, angle of approach VSP & HSP will be different, I would suggest the manner in which you hit the ball with the irons is in fact the same. Ball first, ground after.

 

[williamalex1]

maybe some swine has cut a 1/4 inch off your irons

 

[SocketRocket]

???? - what differences in 'manner'?

the swings the same - any variation is entirely incidental and a product of the variation in length, and therefore clubhead arc...

With due respect Duncan I didn't ask you the question. Now that you have asked me it's the fact that as the clubs loft and length changes you need to strike the ball steeply with the shorter clubs and more shallow with longer ones. If not, you will be unable to strike the ball on the clubs sweetspot.

 

[SamQuirkePGA]

With due respect Duncan I didn't ask you the question. Now that you have asked me it's the fact that as the clubs loft and length changes you need to strike the ball steeply with the shorter clubs and more shallow with longer ones. If not, you will be unable to strike the ball on the clubs sweetspot.

The ball location will typically take care of this.

 

[duncan mackie]

With due respect Duncan I didn't ask you the question.

don't see any respect in your response at all Brian - you posted in an open forum, your post wasn't even quoting any previous post, didn't address an individual by name, and, to cover off the other oft considered element, you didn't even start the thread.

I see Sam's responded in like manner - you don't need to do anything because it's an inevitable consequence of the club's length - and even included the bit I deleted from mine as I thought it was frivolous 'air, ball, ground - the end.

edit - I have just realised that this forum does have threaded and hybrid mode of viewing in addition to the default linear; using the default I , as most, wouldn't see any thread structure only the posts in time order.

 

[SocketRocket]

The ball location will typically take care of this.

Really? So what if someone is flipping their wrists, if they are not transferring their weight correctly, are reverse pivoting or swaying. Swinging too steeply with long irons or too shallow with short ones.

He did say he didn't take much of a divot, I wanted to know if this was with all irons or some of them.

 

[SocketRocket]

don't see any respect in your response at all Brian - you posted in an open forum, your post wasn't even quoting any previous post, didn't address an individual by name, and, to cover off the other oft considered element, you didn't even start the thread.

I see Sam's responded in like manner - you don't need to do anything because it's an inevitable consequence of the club's length - and even included the bit I deleted from mine as I thought it was frivolous 'air, ball, ground - the end.

Duncan. Is it not taken that if I didn't quote anyone then I was addressing the OP?

 

[SamQuirkePGA]

Really? So what if someone is flipping their wrists, if they are not transferring their weight correctly, are reverse pivoting or swaying. Swinging too steeply with long irons or too shallow with short ones.

Yes really, assuming a centred strike. You can however hit the highest draws from a ball location the furthest back, I was trying to avoid getting into that.

If someone is flipping their wrists the dispersion would be the widest, the point at which they hit the ground the most chaotic.
If they are not transferring their weight correctly - we'd then have to discuss what would be correct in the first instance.
What is a reverse pivot, this also has different definitions!
Swaying - well the golfer would almost inevitably hit the ground before the ball unless the compensatory move was to pull the arms in to shorten the radius of the club head.
Swinging too steeply or too shallow, this has no meaning unless we use degrees. Once these had been established, depending on the golfers preferred pattern or desired shot, once agin we'd have to discuss.

The original question, "not getting to the bottom of the ball" my recommendation elbows close through impact and to the finish to maintain the radius of the club head or sustain the line of compression.

 

[duncan mackie]

Duncan. Is it not taken that if I didn't quote anyone then I was addressing the OP?

Not really Brian, but I accept that it's a reasonable argument, another would be the previous post chronologically (and Sam seems in his post #8 to have read it that way).

Apologies for my overly snappy response earlier.

 

[SocketRocket]

The original question, "not getting to the bottom of the ball" my recommendation elbows close through impact and to the finish to maintain the radius of the club head or sustain the line of compression.

Sam, I agree that is good advice. I initially asked the question if the OP was experiencing this problem with all his irons as he was suggesting he was not taking divots. As you know that's OK with longer irons but not with shorter ones.