Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
IT always surprises me when a new client comes for golf instruction, tells me that they have had lessons in the past, but cannot correctly explain how to make a golf ball fly into the air.
As far as I am concerned, understanding what is required to make a ball fly properly is the single most important part of the game and it is a point I constantly reiterate.
When the golf ball is on the fairway and we are using any of our irons, there is absolutely no way that we can hit up on the ball as that would involve hitting up and through the soil … which is impossible!
If you want to produce a consistent ball flight with your irons, the club has got to contact the bottom of the ball with a descending angle of attack. When the club contacts the bottom of the ball and the energy of the club descends, each one of the grooves take a small ‘bite’ out of the cover of the ball. These bites cause the ball to revolve backwards up the club face and spin up into the air.
In every other sport, leaning backwards and hitting upwards on a ball makes it fly (e.g. tennis and squash).
Naturally, your brain is programmed to believe that this approach should work with golf. One of golf’s main difficulties is forcing yourself to battle this instinct. If you struggle with getting the ball up into the air, try the following drill.
Push a tee peg into the ground so that it is barely above the level of the grass (or driving range mat). Make a number of practice swings and imagine that your job is to hit down onto the tee peg directly and blast it out of the ground.
You should notice a number of things. Firstly, you should see that even though the tee peg is a tiny object, you will have no problem contacting it.
You should also notice that due to the fact that you are trying to apply downward pressure onto the tee peg, your weight will shift towards the target as you swing.
Next, place a ball on the grass so that it sits between your club face and the tee peg at address. Your job now is to trick your brain to believe that you are only interested in hitting the tee peg and not the ball.
If you can just let the ball get in the way and aim for the peg, you will produce the required descending angle of attack and get the ball flying properly into the air.
In practice, work hard to trick your brain, focus on contacting the tee peg and simply let the ball get in the way. It works, go and try it!
For more information on this topic or to find out about the golf coaching services offered at Awali Golf Club, call 39761873 or visit www.awaligolfclub.com
Good luck and happy golfing!
