You're Correct!

The term trapping the ball is used in golf a lot and is misunderstood by most. The term is even misused by golf commentators when analyzing a super slow motion image of the ball being hit on the golfs TV coverage.

A lot of people think by hitting down steeply on the ball you will be trapping the ball. By just hitting down steeply alone you are delivering a more glancing blow on the back of the golf ball. When you think about it, a glancing strike doesnt sound very similar to trapping the ball.

Trapping the ball can also be called compression. Compression is when you deliver a de-lofted club head but also the club on a relatively shallow angle of attack. This lower loft with a shallow attack results in more compression and more energy transferred to the golf ball. This delivered impact results in a ball flight with a lower launch, and a more piercing trajectory with less spin.

So how do you trap/compress the golf ball?
You need to deliver the club head on a nice, shallow attack angle and also lower the clubs loft by leading the handle in front of the club head into impact. This style of shot is great when hitting into the wind or if you require a low running shot. Give it a go and learn how to control your golf ball.

When the club head clips the top of the golf ball it is known as hitting a top. Most people think this is because their head lifted. The top is usually a result of the players weight being too much on their rear leg which results in the low point of the swing being behind the ball. The arms then normally bend and the wrists flex to avoid the club crashing into the ground.

Adding loft to the club head at impact would be the opposite of trapping the ball and known as a scoop. The scoop will result in a ball flight which launches too high and results in less distance. By trapping the ball you are delivering less loft and the outcome is a lower penetrating ball flight.

By hitting down steeply on the back of the ball, you are only delivering a more glancing blow on the back of the golf ball. The idea of trapping the ball is to hit a lower, more penetrating, less spinning flight. If you hit down really steeply, you will be imparting more spin like a chop stroke in table tennis.