The key to compressing the golf ball is to hit down on it just before your swing bottoms out. That means you’ll hit the ball first and make a divot after.
A lot of amateurs that come to our school try to help the ball off the ground. Since that can lead to mis-hits and a loss of distance, a good thought to have is “hit down to get up.” That motion also allows the design of the club’s loft to do its job.
When setting up with an iron, align the outside of your feet to the outside of your shoulders with a 50-50 distribution of weight. The ball should be in the middle or a ball forward of middle in your stance with the butt of the club pointing between your zipper and left hip pocket. This slightly forward press will keep your hands in front of the clubhead for lag, but your shoulders should be fairly level since the idea is to hit down on the ball.
Here’s a great drill to produce a downward angle of attack:
Place a tee in the ground at the height you would on a par-3 hole. Place a ball directly in front of the tee.
Focus on hitting the tee out of the ground and let the ball get in the way.
Concentrating on a target in front of the ball ensures that the ball is hit before a divot is taken. Focus on the process and not the results at first since the feeling of ball compression could take several swings to get used to.
Jordan King Thomas, PGA, is an instructor at the Henry Brunton Golf Academy at Strawberry Farms in Irvine. He can be reached at (949) 556-7857 or jordan@henrybrunton.com.
