How to hit a golf ball

Having just returned from the driving range I was lucky enough to get a short free lesson from someone who really knows what they are doing on how to hit a golf ball.

As a child I was lucky enough to have great hand eye co-ordination when it came to a bat and a ball. However when I first came to use a golf club I looked like Happy Gilmore's younger better looking brother, not a pretty sight especially when I wasn't anywhere near as accurate or close to the distance he got in the film!

This of course poses a few minor issues, firstly because not knowing how to hit a golf ball properly means I became aware of certain rules regarding my first shots distance and the ladies tee very quickly!

Now when it comes to the question of how to hit a golf ball there are different ways to hit different clubs, for example you wouldn't hit a driver the same way you use a sand iron or a pitching wedge. And with new equipment coming on the market all the time it is getting harder to actually know how to hit a golf ball with the new equipment.

The new size of driver available for example is different, the head size is different so where as I carry a club that is 4 years old and only 400cc the new clubs are 460cc and can hit the ball much further! With the old club I line up the ball with my left heel as I address the ball and that way I catch the ball as the club is going up and the ball trajectory follows a nice smooth line. However the same shot with a 460cc driver will have very different results. The ball will follow a much much lower trajectory and probably carry less than half the distance.

So by moving the positioning of the ball with regards the alinement's of my feet this can make all the difference. I have just been practicing this and moving the ball in my stance so it lines up with my middle toe on my left foot rather than my heel. This adjusts the trajectory and the position that the club face hits the golf ball.

So this is just a quick example of how to hit a golf ball and how the smallest of changes can make all the difference to your game. I am currently reading a great book about improving my swing and I have to say that studying what you are supposed to do along with practice and having the confidence to take what you learn out on the course.


How to hit a golf ball