What is hitting down on the golf ball? Hitting down on the golf ball means your club strikes the ball before it strikes the ground. This creates a descending blow in golf. Many newer golfers mistakenly believe they must lift the ball up. This article will show you how to achieve this vital technique. Mastering hitting down on the golf ball is key to better iron play.
Why Hitting Down is Not Like Hitting Down Hard
Many golfers hear “hit down” and think they must smash the ground way behind the ball. This is a big mistake. You are not trying to hit the ground hard. You are trying to hit the ball first, with a slightly downward angle of attack. This concept is called ball first contact.
When you hit down slightly, the club compresses the ball against the turf. This lets the loft of the club do the work. It produces solid, consistent contact. You get better distance and control.
The Core Mechanics: Angle of Attack
The angle of attack is the path the clubhead takes just before and at impact.
- Ascending Blow: Hitting up on the ball. This is usually needed with a driver off a tee.
- Descending Blow: Hitting slightly down on the ball. This is needed with irons and wedges.
For irons, a slight downward blow is best. We want to take a small divot after the ball is hit. This proves you achieved ball first contact.
What Causes the Wrong Angle?
Most problems come from trying to lift the ball. Golfers fear hitting fat shots (hitting the ground too early). To avoid this, they stand too far behind the ball or try to ‘scoop’ it up. This leads to thin shots or pushes.
Setting Up for Success: Pre-Swing Fundamentals
Great impact starts before the club moves. Your setup must support a downward strike.
The Proper Golf Grip Matters
Your grip sets the clubface angle. A neutral or slightly strong grip helps control the clubface through impact. If your grip is too weak (hands turned too far right for a right-hander), you will often flip your wrists trying to lift the ball.
- Check your V’s: The V shapes formed by your thumbs and forefingers should point near your right shoulder.
- Hold the club firmly but not too tight. Tension kills speed.
Ball Position for Iron Shots
For medium to short irons (7-iron to Pitching Wedge), the ball should sit near the center of your stance or just slightly forward of center.
- Why not forward? Placing the ball too far forward forces your body to swing up to meet it. This promotes an ascending blow, which is wrong for irons.
- Why center? Center placement naturally encourages the descending arc needed for solid contact.
Stance and Weight Distribution
To hit down, you need your weight leaning slightly forward.
- Shoulder Tilt: Tilt your spine slightly away from the target. Your right shoulder (for righties) should be slightly lower than your left.
- Weight Forward: Aim for 55-60% of your weight on your front (left) foot at address. This slight forward lean pre-sets the downward attack angle.
The Role of the Golf Swing Plane
The path your club takes is crucial. A shallow golf swing plane is often recommended for drivers. However, for irons, a slightly steeper plane helps ensure you are striking down on the golf ball.
Achieving the Right Plane in the Backswing
As you take the club back:
- Keep your left arm relatively straight (but not rigid).
- The club should move up, staying somewhat inside the target line initially.
- Avoid lifting the club too high or too quickly with your hands. Let your body turn control the height.
Transition and Shallowing (The Iron Paradox)
This is where many golfers get confused when learning to hit down. They think “down” means steep all the way.
To get a powerful descending blow in golf without hitting the ground too early, you need to slightly shallowing the golf swing in transition.
- Shallowing Defined: Shallowing means the club shaft flattens slightly as you drop into the downswing. The clubhead drops down behind your hands.
- The Benefit: Shallowing prevents the club from coming in too steeply from outside the target line (an over-the-top move). It allows you to hit down on the ball while coming from slightly inside the target line.
If you don’t shallow even a little bit, you risk coming “over the top.” This causes slices and inconsistent strikes.
| Swing Action | Goal for Irons | Effect on Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Backswing Plane | Moderate steepness | Sets up potential downward path |
| Transition | Slight flattening (Shallowing) | Creates lag, allows room to drop |
| Downswing Path | Slightly in-to-out (for control) | Ensures downward strike at the ball |
Impact Position: Where Down Becomes Distance
The golf impact position is the single most important moment. This is where you confirm you are striking down on the golf ball.
Hand Position at Impact
For iron shots, your hands should be ahead of the clubhead.
- Forward Shaft Lean: If you drew a line from your left wrist straight down, it should pass well ahead of the ball location.
- Weight Shift Complete: Nearly all your weight should be loaded onto your front (left) side. Your belt buckle should face the target.
- Knees: Your lead knee should be flexed and firm, helping anchor your lower body rotation.
When your hands are ahead, the toe of the clubface is slightly closed to the path, and the shaft is leaning forward. This automatically creates the necessary downward angle of attack. If your hands are behind the ball at impact, you are trying to lift it.
The Feeling of Compression
Solid iron shots feel compressed. You feel the ball ‘squishing’ against the clubface for a split second. This happens because the downward force compresses the ball before the club travels into the ground.
To check if you are achieving this, watch where your divot starts.
- Ideal: Divot starts 1 to 3 inches in front of the golf ball.
- Too Early (Fat Shot): Divot starts behind the ball. This means you lifted or missed the downward angle needed.
- Too Late (Thin/Topped Shot): No divot or a tiny scrape way ahead of the ball. This means your angle was too shallow or you stood up.
Practice Drills for Developing the Descending Blow
Practice makes permanent. Use these drills at the golf driving range tips session to cement the feeling of hitting down.
Drill 1: The Towel Drill
Place a small towel (like a headcover or a small towel) about 2 inches behind your golf ball.
- The Goal: Swing normally, but your primary focus is not to hit the towel.
- What It Teaches: If you try to lift the ball, you will almost certainly hit the towel first. To avoid the towel, you must naturally swing down, ensuring ball first contact. This forces your hands to stay ahead and promotes the correct angle of attack.
Drill 2: Ball-Ground-Ball Sequence
Use a short iron (like a 9-iron or wedge). Place three balls in a line, very close together.
- Hit the first ball, focusing only on taking a divot after the ball.
- Hit the second ball immediately after, aiming for the same feel.
- Hit the third ball.
This drill forces rhythm and helps you maintain the downward momentum through impact, teaching you how to execute the descending blow in golf.
Drill 3: Weight Transfer Drill
Set up with your feet nearly touching each other (very narrow stance).
- The Goal: Make small swings (half to three-quarter swings). You cannot swing hard or swing off-balance with this narrow stance.
- What It Teaches: This drill exaggerates the importance of weight transfer. You must have your weight on your lead foot at impact to hit solid shots. If your weight stays back, you will top the ball or miss entirely.
Addressing Common Faults Related to Hitting Down
When trying to force a downward strike, golfers often introduce new compensations that lead to problems like fixing golf slice issues or excessive turf interaction.
Fault 1: Over-Steepening (Hitting Too Far Behind)
Some golfers take the advice too literally. They make their backswing very steep, often lifting the club high outside the target line. In the downswing, they drop the club steeply behind the ball.
- Result: Hitting very fat shots consistently. The clubhead digs deep into the turf before reaching the ball.
- Fix: Focus on a smoother takeaway that keeps the club more “in front” of you on the backswing. Monitor your golf swing plane in slow motion video.
Fault 2: Casting (Losing Lag)
Casting is throwing the clubhead outward too early in the downswing. This often happens when a player is trying too hard to hit down or hard. They unhinge their wrists far too early.
- Result: Loss of distance and poor strike quality. Even if you feel like you are hitting down, if you cast, you lose speed and the angle of attack becomes shallow too late.
- Fix: Use the towel drill mentioned above. Also, focus on keeping your left arm firm and turning your body through impact rather than pulling with your arms.
Fault 3: Standing Up (Early Extension)
When trying to generate power or avoid a fat shot, some golfers straighten their legs just before or at impact. They effectively stand up out of their posture.
- Result: Thin shots, topping the ball, or hitting the equator of the ball. This is the exact opposite of a descending blow in golf.
- Fix: Maintain your spine tilt established at address. Feel like your back stays close to a wall behind you throughout the swing until after contact.
The Driver Exception: Ascending Blow
It is vital to note that hitting down on the golf ball applies primarily to shots off the turf with irons and wedges.
When using the driver, the goal shifts entirely. Because the ball is elevated on a tee, you want to hit the ball on the upswing—an ascending blow.
- Driver Setup Change: Ball positioned off the inside of your front heel.
- Weight Shift: More weight remains slightly on the back foot at impact.
- Goal: To sweep the ball upward for maximum carry and minimal backspin.
Trying to hit down with the driver results in severe fat shots or low, weak drives.
Integrating the Concept into Full Swings
To make striking down on the golf ball automatic, you need to integrate it into your full swing rhythm.
Rhythm and Tempo
A controlled tempo allows the mechanics to work correctly. Rushing your transition usually causes you to lose lag, leading to casting or early release, which sabotages the downward angle you are seeking.
Use a slow count during practice swings: “One (backswing) – Two (pause/transition) – Three (impact).” This pause at the top is vital for letting the club shallow correctly before descending.
Visualization at the Range
When you are at the golf driving range tips station, visualize removing a thin layer of grass after the ball.
Imagine the clubhead is like a knife cutting butter. You want the knife to enter the butter (the ball) before it hits the cutting board (the turf).
If you focus only on the ball, you often lift. If you focus on the patch of grass just ahead of the ball, your body naturally aims for a descending strike.
Summary of Key Concepts for Downward Contact
Achieving the correct angle of attack for irons involves several interlocking pieces of the swing:
- Setup: Slight forward shaft lean and weight biased toward the front foot.
- Swing Plane: A path that allows the club to drop slightly underneath the hands in transition (shallowing the golf swing).
- Impact: Hands clearly ahead of the clubhead, confirming forward shaft lean and achieving ball first contact.
- Result: A small divot taken after the ball, proving a true descending blow in golf.
Mastering hitting down on the golf ball removes the fear of hitting fat shots. When you swing down with the correct angle, you are swinging through the ball, not at it. This provides consistency, power, and the satisfying compression that defines great iron play. Focus on these fundamentals, practice diligently, and watch your iron game improve dramatically. This is the secret to improving your golf impact position with short and mid-irons, which is often the key to fixing golf slice tendencies on approach shots as well.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Hitting Down on the Ball: Should I always hit down with every club?
No. You should hit down (a descending blow) with irons and wedges (shots played off the turf). You should hit up (an ascending blow) with the driver, as the ball is elevated on a tee. Hybrids can be hit slightly down or nearly level, depending on the lie.
How can I tell if I am hitting down correctly during my practice session?
The best indicator is your divot. For irons, the divot must start after where the ball was resting. If you take a divot behind the ball, you hit too fat. If you take no divot, you likely thinned or topped the ball, meaning your angle was too shallow or you lifted.
I keep hitting fat shots when I try to hit down. What am I doing wrong?
You are likely confusing “hitting down” with “hitting the ground hard” or “lifting your body up.” When you try too hard to force the club down, you often stop your lower body rotation, causing you to “fall back” and hit behind the ball. Focus instead on keeping your weight forward and ensuring your hands lead the clubhead at impact. Use the towel drill to ensure ball first contact.
Does the proper golf grip affect my ability to hit down?
Yes, significantly. A very weak grip (where the left hand is turned too much towards the sky for a right-hander) encourages the wrists to flip at impact to square the face. This flipping action eliminates the forward shaft lean needed for a descending blow in golf. A neutral grip helps maintain that forward hand position through impact.
What is the connection between shallowing the golf swing and hitting down?
This connection is subtle but vital for better players. If your backswing plane is too steep, you must compensate by dropping the club very steeply on the way down, leading to inconsistent strikes or hitting the ground too early. Shallowing the golf swing slightly in transition allows the club to drop onto the correct, slightly downward golf swing plane that ensures the club arrives at the ball from the inside with the correct angle of attack for ball first contact.