How To Stop Hitting Behind The Golf Ball (SIMPLE FIX!)

How To Stop Hitting Behind The Golf Ball (SIMPLE FIX!)

Hey, guys, we are here with Performance Golf Zone.

In today's article, we're going to talk about
how to stop hitting behind the golf ball.

I want to explain why it's happening, what
you need to do to correct it, and then how

you can practice it with a couple simple feedback drills.

So, in terms of hitting behind the ball, let's
first sort of define what we want to do, and

then we'll talk about, what are the ways and
things you can do to stop that from happening,

and I'll give you some drills to do.

Now, I'm going to pull a simple alignment
rod.

Now, we're on a mat here, on which an alignment rod here will work fine.

If you're on the grass, you can use, sort
of, spray-paint a line or just have a line

as a reference.

A piece of tape, something like that would
work fine.

Now, what I'm going to do is, I'm going to
put this alignment rod basically straight

in line with the golf ball on the ground.

So, the point here is, obviously, when we're
hitting too far behind the ball, that compromises

our contact, compression, distance the ball
goes.

We want to fix that.

So, the goal would be, if I were to take a
normal setup here, if we watch good golfers,

their club will come down, will strike the
ball first, and hit the ground second.

So, if I remove this golf ball, and that's
the line where it normally is on, what we

want to be able to train to do is have the
club head hit in front of the line where our

golf ball would be.

That's the first piece of this.

So, when someone would come in to train this
in person, if we have solidness of contact

issues, I will put a line on the ground, we'll
set up as if the golf ball's right on it,

and we'll start with little short swings,
just chip length, and get you getting that

club head to hit the ground in front of it.

So, just little short, foot-long swings just
to understand, "Hey, this is what I'm trying

to do here first.

Can I get the club head hitting the ground
there in the right spot?"

After you can do this with little half-swings,
I'd typically want somebody to be able to

do three to five in a row like that, we'd
gradually build up swing length and speed.

So, if I can do it from a little half-swing,
I would then kind of build into about a three-quarter-length

swing to do it, and then, eventually, I'd
go into my full-length swing, just being aware

of where the club head is hitting the ground
relative to the line.

Obviously, you have to be careful with this
alignment rod in terms of hitting it and the

feedback you would get.

Just a simple piece of tape or spray-paint
on the ground would be ideal here.

But, that's the first concept.

Obviously, we're trying to not hit behind
the ball.

We want to hit in front of it.

Now, what are the factors that influence where
the club hits?

Well, there's a couple involved, but there's
two main influencers here.

The first part is weight distribution and/or
where your body is in space, meaning, if I

took a normal setup, let's say I'm 50/50 with
my weight in my feet, the more I move me,

my mass of my body, to my right or to the
right of the golf ball, the more I do that

anywhere in my swing increases the odds of
me hitting behind the ball.

Sort of, loosely, if you were to imagine your
low point is associated with where your sternum

location's at, the more that I turn to the
right and shift to the right, the more my

chest is to the right, the more I'm going
to hit behind the ball, or at minimum, I have

to do a lot to get back to neutral at the
golf ball.

So, where I shift where my body is, obviously,
if I go to the right, that makes it harder,

but then, also, if I stay to the right, if
I'm too far to the right with my body and

my weight in my feet, the odds of me hitting
fat shots increase dramatically, where I'll

hit more fat shots compared to if I'm more
left.

And then, the opposite of that becomes true,
meaning, if I had me being more middle, I

don't want you to be way left when you go
back, but if I stayed somewhat centered over

the ball, my sternum location is still right
over it, decreases the odds of fat shots.

And then, during my downswing, I want to be
moving a little bit to my left.

So, if I wanted to never hit a fat shot again,
completely eliminate it, I would be 50/50

with my weight in my feet at address, my head
would be right over the golf ball.

As I went back, I'd stay relatively feeling
like I'm 50/50.

I'd stay turned pretty much centered, not
a big shift to the right, and then I would

shift with my weight and a little bit of my
body to the left.

The more I move me to the left, you could
imagine, if that line is still on the ground,

more of my body to the left would certainly
be easier to have the club hit out in front

of the ball.

More of my body to the right would make me
hit more behind it.

That's point number one.

The second part with hitting in front of the
line is rotation.

So, in a simple sense, the more I rotate during
the follow-through, the more my body is open

to the target.

Again, imagine my sternum location, I said.

Not only where it is in space, right or left,
influences where I'm going to hit the ground,

but also, where it is in space, right or left,
in terms of rotation.

The more it's pointed to the right, obviously,
how am I going to get that club up in front

of the golf ball from here?

It's very difficult.

If I'm pointed to the left, I'm already pointed
in front of the golf ball, very easy for me

to hit in front.

So, that would be the second piece I would
do, which would be, I would want to have the

most body rotation, or turn my body more towards
the target to increase the odds of hitting

in front of the line.

If it was like a life-on-the-line type of
thing, I would do those two the most, meaning,

first, I'd get myself to the left of the line
with weight in my feet and my body during

the downswing.

I'd also open up a lot.

I'd turn a bunch.

That would make it easiest for me to hit in
front of the line.

And test that for yourself.

Put that line down and try and do it where
you don't shift left and don't turn your body,

and you're going to have a heck of a time
getting it in front.

If I enable myself to turn and shift left,
it's going to be a whole heck of a lot easier.

That would be the first part that I think
that I would do to get hitting behind the

ball.

Put the line on the ground.

See what feels you need to have to do it.

Look at these two pieces first - weight transfer
and turn.

The more you do those two, the easier it's
going to be.

Now, the last thing I would do from a drill
perspective to check is, I just have a towel

here, and you could use a towel, a head cover,
some sort of object behind you.

What I do is take a normal-sized towel, maybe
you could just use a beach towel or a bathroom

towel, and I would put this behind the golf
ball.

So, if I fold it over once or twice, and I
put the towel, typically, I'll put it roughly

about a grip, maybe a little bit more than
a grip behind the golf ball and have it somewhat

level, and I'm using this as a reference point.

So, when I make swings, I want to the have
the towel just high enough off the ground

where I know, if I miss that towel, I'm going
to hit the ball solid and not hit behind it.

So, I'd probably have the ball just slightly
farther back here, and I'm going to rehearse

those two feels.

I'm going to want to miss the towel.

I want to make sure I shift left, and open
as I go.

Those are going to be my two main pieces.

We'll go ahead and demonstrate while I'm here.

And that was a nice ball, first contact.

And, again, whether you choose to use the
towel, you can use the alignment rod as feedback,

you want to have something where you know,
"Hey, if I miss this object, I've done this

correctly."

Again, shifting to the left and turning will
help me get rid of my fat shots.

And there's another pretty solid ball for
a strike there.

So, line on the ground, towel behind for feedback.

Understand that you want to move more of you
towards the target.

You want to turn more to decrease the odds
of fat shots.

If you catch yourself hanging back on your
right or shifting too much to the right in

the beginning, you want to fix that.

If you notice you don't have enough rotation
during the downswing follow-through, you want

to fix that piece too.

So, look at those parts first.

Hope that that makes sense.