Hitting the Ball Low in the Wind

By October 19, 2018Tips & Tutorials
hitting the ball low

As you develop as a golfer, you will begin to appreciate different aspects of the game and one of those is the ability to control the trajectory of the golf ball.

Being able to hit the ball consistently straight is fantastic but there will come a time when you must consider the trajectory of the shot.  One of the most important times to consider the trajectory of a shot is in windy conditions.

If you play the ball high into the air when there is a lot of wind, you will lose control of the ball flight.  Your shot might be on target initially or you could play the shot away from the target in the hope the wind will bring it around but this strategy is very risky.

When using an iron, one of the biggest mistakes you can make when playing into the wind is to hit the ball harder.  It seems to make sense to do this as hitting the ball harder will push it straighter through the wind.  It doesn’t work.

Instead of taking this approach, take an extra club when playing into the wind and swing easy.  There is no need to swing the club any harder than a normal shot, in calm conditions.

When attempting to hit the ball low in the wind, move the ball back in your stance.  As a general rule, the further back you place the ball, the lower it will fly and you can also try narrowing your stance, to see if this helps produce a low ball flight.

Do not take a full back swing when attempting to hit the ball low.  Using a full back swing will see you hit down on the ball and this promotes more spin and a higher ball flight.  Make a shorter back swing and you will not hit down on the ball as much.

Try and keep your hands as far ahead of the clubhead as possible when hitting the ball low.  Doing this will allow you to take some of the loft out of the club and this will increase the chances of the ball travelling at a lower trajectory.

You will find that having a shorter follow through will help when trying to keep your hands ahead of the clubhead.  If you can keep your hands ahead of the clubhead throughout the downswing, you will find it easier to shorten the follow through without coming to an unnatural stop.

You cannot be afraid of playing the shot because you are trying to hold back on the follow through.  Use the tips above and s shorter follow through and low trajectory will be much easier to achieve.