Ball Striking
by Erin Grier
In the last blog we talked about how to address the ball before we hit it. We get our grip right, set the club down, flex our knees, take the club back, follow through and finish. Here are some tips to make sure you hit the ball consistently:
Focus On Making Contact. Do not focus on where it goes. Just make contact with the ball. that will be what we will harbor on. Set up to the golf ball as if you are about to hit it. Take the club away, pause at the top. Now from here, let gravity take the club and follow through and attempt to make contact with the ball. We will do this several times, take away, pause at the top, follow through, hit the ball and of course pose and finish. Remember it is okay to miss the ball. Golf is a game of consistency and takes awhile to get, don’t be hard on yourself. To help with your ball striking though, keep your head down and eyes focused on the ball. When you are at the top of your swing, initiate your follow through and make sure those two body parts are steady on the ball. After you hit the ball or make contact, your head and eyes should turn to look down field because in theory, your right shoulder will push your head up naturally as you finish your swing.
Keep That Grip Connected. Always check your grip and make sure those hands stay closed and clasped together. This is important in keeping your entire swing connected and getting good contact with the ball. Keep that grip tight and hands together from the top of the swing to the follow through and all the way to the finish.
Balance. Another element of your swing to focus on is your balance. make sure your feet are at least shoulder-with apart. Balance and having a strong foundation is key because as your swing becomes more fluid, you will notice how your weight transfers from your back foot to your front foot.
Ball position. Make sure the golf ball is in the middle or forward middle of your stance. We want to make sure you get the purest ball striking so ball positioning in your stance matters and you will understand why it does later in the advanced blogs.
Now that we have clarified the steps to a more solidified swing, we will make the swing one smooth and fluid motion. Remember to keep your head down during the duration of your swing from the take away, follow through, and lift your head up down the field for the finish.
Mental Tips. One more important tip is that golf is a game of resiliency, persistence, and consistency. It is quite difficult to strike the ball at first so be easy on yourself. It takes a lot more attempts to make contact with the ball. Once you do, try and hit the ball 2 times in a row. Then try and hit it 3 times in a row. This is how you build consistency and also the main objective to build on. Just get familiar with how it feels to strike the ball.
Thanks for tuning into our ball striking blog! Make sure to grab a golf glove from our shop to keep those hands from blistering up because we know it takes a lot of swings and a lot of use of your hands to get things right! Make sure to sign up for our Virtual Lesson as well! to really improve your game. That will be up soon!
