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!
Contents
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.