hitting the ball very high

[rgosselincga]

I'm wondering if anyone has any pointers for me. I hit the ball fairly long but I hit it significantly higher than most golfers I know. I would like to get my trajectory down a little.

Cheers

[Big Johnny69]

Before we get too far into this, let me ask you a question. With all the talk about high launch, low spin drivers nowadays, why would you want to bring your ball flight down if you already hit it a long ways? Unless you play in windy conditions everyday, a high ball flight is very beneficial. Balls land softer, you can carry more hazards. I'd say if you play well as is, don't change a thing.

I was at my course on the weekend and saw a player hit his driver a few times very well on a nice trajectory. I was talking to this player after the round and he said he's looking for a lower lofted driver head because he believes he hits his driver too high. I personally don't think he does. And going to a lower lofted driver is going to bring slices and hooks more into play with the added sidespin. I just don't see the benefits of lowering your ball flight.

[jvincent]

As somebody who generally hits the ball pretty low, I think there's a happy medium to trajectory, pardon the pun.

I played with a guy last weekend who hit these towering drives that looked like they'd go forever but just ended up falling like a PW and getting zero roll.

Ideally I think you want to get your trajectory to the point where once the ball reaches it's apex, it comes down with at least some forward velocity so that it gets some roll.

[Big Johnny69]

As somebody who generally hits the ball pretty low, I think there's a happy medium to trajectory, pardon the pun.

I played with a guy last weekend who hit these towering drives that looked like they'd go forever but just ended up falling like a PW and getting zero roll.

Ideally I think you want to get your trajectory to the point where once the ball reaches it's apex, it comes down with at least some forward velocity so that it gets some roll.

Not to dispute anything you say jvincent, but I love how everyone thinks they need to lower their ball flight. Anyone who has been to a pro tournament would re-think their trajectory once they see the pros hit the ball. So if the pros are hitting the ball so high, what makes people think they need to lower their ball flight?

[jvincent]

I'm not really saying that people should lower their overall flight, but more that they should optimize their trajectory. The pros do hit it very high, but it rarely ever stops dead when it lands. They pretty much always get some roll and usually get a lot.

Part of the reason the pros hit it so high is that they simply hit it a whole lot harder than we do.

[Big Johnny69]

I agree, but if they are actually trying to hit it higher, regardless of how hard they hit it, shouldn't we be following suit somewhat? But I do agree, maximize your trajectory, don't automatically assume you hit too high. Right now I'd kill for a higher iron ball flight. Working on it though.

[jvincent]

I don't think that they are specifically trying to hit it higher. It's just a side effect of the optimized trajectory for their ball speeds.

Irons are a different story.

[Big Johnny69]

I don't know about that. I remember watching at the Canadian Open and couldn't believe how high they were hitting their irons (even long irons) along with the distances they were getting. And that was about 4-5 years ago.

[jvincent]

Sorry, I meant that for their irons they aren't as concerned with distance as they are with the drivers. Distance is a direct result of ball speed and they certainly hit it hard.

Trajectory is function of launch angle and spin and this is where your swing can have a big impact (sweeper vs divot taker).

[Big Johnny69]

Sorry, I meant that for their irons they aren't as concerned with distance as they are with the drivers. Distance is a direct result of ball speed and they certainly hit it hard.

Trajectory is function of launch angle and spin and this is where your swing can have a big impact (sweeper vs divot taker).

True, very true. But I feel as amateurs, height is our friend.

[rgosselincga]

I agrfee for the most part that high trajectory is better but I get killed in windy conditions.

My short irons go almost as high as they go far. I'd like to have the option for when I get on a bump and roll type coourse or windy conditions.

Cheers

[jvincent]

You probably need to have someone look at your swing mechanincs.

Excessive spin with the driver (from a descending angle of attack) will cause your shots to balloon. Similarly for the irons.

When I experimented for a few years with a more upright swing I hit the ball tremendously high with lots of spin. I'm now much flatter, and while I still get my fair share of spin with my irons, I also hit the ball a lot lower.

[jonf]

I ain't no pro, but I've been hitting it uber-high for years, and suffering for it. Ball just dies when it hits the ground, and if there's wind? forget about it. It was a routing occurence for me to walk up to my ball and see it sitting 1 foot behind a 2 inch deep ball mark...not exactly the kind of backspin I'm looking for. I mean, think about it. The height of the shot should be relative to distance, correct? Say a pro hits it 150 feet high, and 300 yards. If my "maximum drive" is 250 yards, I should not be hitting it 150 feet high, I should be hitting it 125 feet high, and so on. I've found that by lowering my ballflight a little (by going to an 8* driver) I have gained a lot of distance. I have lost a little bit of carry, mind you, but I get lots of roll. The funny thing is, when I hit a drive, most people still remark about how high it goes, but only because they have never seen the majesty of one of my 230 yards up, 230 yards out, hop 2 feet back drives.

[jonf]

I agrfee for the most part that high trajectory is better but I get killed in windy conditions.

My short irons go almost as high as they go far. I'd like to have the option for when I get on a bump and roll type coourse or windy conditions.

Cheers

I had this problem too, and I have been working on it all summer. I started as a sweeper - never took a divot. But this summer I've started to hit down on the ball and taking a divot, particularly with my short irons. It has worked wonders. I used to hold greens because the height of the shot simply would not allow it roll, but for the last couple months I have been holding greens because I've got spin on the ball - 2 hops, and it checks up. It's a petty sweet feeling..and not nearly so many massive ball marks to repair. I've also found that by doing this - hitting down on the ball - I've gained a lot more control on 1/2 to 3/4 shots, which I simply could not do last year. Now I can stand in the fairway with 80 yards left and feel confident taking a 3/4 swing with my gap wedge.

As for how to do this. The key is to do it gradually (I found). Don't just go out and decide to try taking huge divots with everything. I started out only doing it with the gap wedge. When I was comfortable doing it with the gap wedge, I moved on to the pw and 9i, etc. ONce I started getting the hang of it with one club it was a lot easier to move on to the next ones, and a lot less damaging to my scores than trying to make wholesale changes all at once.

[Golfbum]

I agrfee for the most part that high trajectory is better but I get killed in windy conditions.

My short irons go almost as high as they go far. I'd like to have the option for when I get on a bump and roll type coourse or windy conditions.

Cheers

To lower your ball flight you need to do one of 2 things.

1. Play with irons that have less offset, and possibly stiffer shafts. Problem here is with less offset you have a whole lot less forgiveness.

2. Learn how to hit knockdown shots with your current irons. Play the ball back in your stance, take one or two more clubs depending on the wind. SWING EASY and make a 3/4 swing. The harder you hit the ball, the more spin you put on it. Which makes the ball climb higher in the air.

Why do I know this? Because I play on a course that is really windy. It is wide open. There will be wind from every direction on any given day, and sometimes it will change during a round. I have hit 5 irons from 120 into the wind. 9 irons from 170 downwind. Don't even start talking about cross winds How about hitting a 52* wedge to a 110 yard par 3 island green and having to aim outside the water on the right side to get the ball into the middle of the green. Been there and done that.

So practice hitting some knockdown shots. Not only are they useful, they are just plain pretty to watch! I knocked down a 6 iron into the wind on a 144 yard par 3 last week and missed an Ace by an inch to the right of the cup. Man it was a fun shot to play and fun to watch.

[LobWedge]

Keep it simple. You'd be amazed what can happen by just moving the ball 2 or 3 ball-widths back in your stance.

[manitoulin]

flex on your club cause high shots the more flexable the higher the shot.