Stop Hitting the Ground Before the Golf Ball: 6 Proven Fixes & Drills for Pure Contact

Hitting the ground before the golf ball always happens at the worst time. You hit that 250-yard drive, have a perfect lie in the center of the fairway, and then proceed to hit three inches behind the ball.

It’s painful for the ego and destructive for your golf score.

The good news is that hitting behind the golf ball can be fixed. We’ll show you how to move your divot from behind the ball to in front of it, so you can finally hit the golf shots you want to hit.

Stop Hitting the Ground Before the Golf Ball (Key Takeaways)

If you want to return to this guide later to learn how to stop hitting the ground before the ball, here are the most important tips to take with you right now:

• Work on your angle of attack so that it is not too steep coming into the golf ball.
• Keep your head in place and centered over the ball, rather than lifting or sliding it throughout the swing.
• From the top of your backswing, rotate with your lower body and do not just use your upper body to swing down on the golf ball.
• Keep your wrist angle flat at the top of your backswing. This position encourages an easier weight transfer through impact and no flipping at the golf ball.
• Wear your HackMotion while you practice to determine the exact wrist angles needed throughout the golf swing.

This video from Rob Cheney will help you visualize what needs to be done to stop hitting the ground before the ball. It’s more about the wrists than you might think!

Why Am I Hitting the Ground Before the Golf Ball?

There are a few main reasons that golfers hit the ground before the golf ball. Take a quick look through this list to see what could be causing your issues, and then jump into the best ways to fix and the drills you can use to start striking the ball cleanly.

Too Much Head Movement

It’s best to keep your head still when you play golf. For golfers who hit behind the ball, the most detrimental movement is dipping and lifting of the head.

When you swing back, dipping the head can often feel powerful. Golfers mistake this movement for a large turn.

If you can work on keeping your head more stable and over the ball, it should help with more consistent ball striking.

Sliding Your Lower Body

Sliding the lower body is the swing flaw that creates issues with hitting behind the ball.

As you take the club back, pay close attention to the right hip. Make sure that the right hip is turning back and away and not sliding laterally.

If you slide on the way back and don’t get your body back to the starting position, the club makes contact with the ground several inches behind the ball. You have lost the low point in your golf swing.

Inconsistent Setup

When trying to stop chunking, make sure you don’t stand too close to the ball. In addition, keep the ball in the middle of your stance, not too far forward.

Ensure that your body tilt or spine tilt is not too far forward; if you are leaning with your weight on your toes, you can end up hitting behind the ball.

Professional golfers still work on their setup. They know how important it is to have the setup perfect before they take the club back; all amateurs should do the same.

Golf Club Path That Needs Help

You may be hitting the ground before the golf ball because your golf club path is incorrect.

Sometimes, working on things like setup, takeaway, and weight transfer can help the club path issues work themselves out.

A club path that is too steep causes the club to strike the ground before the ball. However, a shallow club path that bottoms out before you get to the golf ball can also cause some of the same problems.

Improper Transfer of Weigh

Are you a golfer who leans back when you make contact with the golf ball? Do you often find yourself watching your golf shots while leaning on your trail foot instead of your lead foot?

Properly transferring your weight is a key part of generating power in the swing, but it also helps players hit clean, crisp golf shots.

Transferring your weight to hit cleaner shots means getting it to your left side faster.

6 Simple Tips & Drills to Stop Hitting the Ground Before the Ball

If you think you know the issue causing you to hit the ground before the golf ball, it’s time to work on a solution.

Working on these things on the driving range; is a better place to be able to work through the inconsistencies.

Use Golf Alignment Sticks to Perfect Ball Position

Golf alignment sticks should always be on the ground when practicing. Looking down at the ground and seeing nothing but grass doesn’t help you know where to put your golf ball or your feet.

Place an alignment stick where the ball line or target line is and where your feet should be, and also one that shows the proper ball position.

You don’t have to spend your entire practice session with these alignment sticks in place, but it certainly helps to have a general idea or a guideline as you practice.

Practice Head Positioning and Learning to Keep it Still

One of the best ways to work on head positioning is to use a mirror. You don’t even need a golf club.

Practice this at home, stand in a mirror, and take some swings.

You can mark the mirror with a dry-erase marker as to where your head starts in the swing. Then, take practice swings and see how much head movement you have.

Some smaller movements are acceptable; we are humans and can’t always stay exactly still.

The biggest thing to watch out for when chunking the ball is a major drop in the head position on the backswing. When the head drops, it’s almost impossible to recover and pick it back up before you strike the ball.

Don’t Slow Down

Some golfers hit behind the ball when they are taking a full swing; for others, it is more likely in the short game.

If you are a golfer slowing down through impact, chances are your chip shots are often hit a bit heavy or fat and could even be considered a chunk.

The best mindset to have here is to accelerate through the golf ball. The club must move through impact with plenty of speed to hit the golf ball cleanly.

Expect to hit behind if you start slowing your wedge down on these chip shots. Slowing down won’t give you any control or consistency, so avoid it.

Get that Weight Off of Your Back Foot

To hit a great shot with high ball flight, plenty of distance, and a straight path, you must make contact with the ball while most of your weight is on the lead foot. This position allows for much more consistency in the game.

So many players make the mistake of hanging back on their right side and making contact with the ball from this position.

One of the best ways to fix this is to think about this weight transfer from the top of your swing.

At the top of your swing, stop worrying so much about what the arms are going to do, and instead, let the hips turn and move that weight to the left foot.

Stop Exaggerating the Shaft Lean

We know you heard that forward press can help with consistent contact; it certainly can, but there is no reason to be set up like a hockey player about to take a slap shot.

Bring your hands back to a neutral position, and then from that point, you can push them just slightly ahead if it feels comfortable.

Never get your hands so far ahead that they are ahead of the golf ball. In line with the golf ball, it is just fine.

Strangely, many golfers do this extra shaft lean, thinking it will help them stop hitting behind the ball.

In reality, it can do the opposite.

Check Extension in the Lead Wrist

The lead wrist in the golf swing controls the clubface. If your lead wrist gets to a point of extension instead of flexion on your downswing, there is a chance you’ll hit the ground before the ball in an effort to square the clubface.

Wearing your HackMotion to get the proper wrist position at the top of your swing should help you make more consistent contact with the golf ball.

After analyzing more than 1,000,000 golf swings, we have learned that the golfers who make the most consistent contact with the ball have a flat or slightly flexed lead wrist just before impact.

Summary

The only thing left to do is get out on the course and implement some of these ideas. If you want to stop hitting behind the golf ball, you will have to practice.

Head to the driving range, set up with some alignment sticks, and focus on the issues that you know cause this chunk shot. Wearing your HackMotion while you practice is like having your coach with you at the driving range.

The next time you go out for a round and you are chunk-free you will be glad you invested the time.