Control Trajectory by Varying Ball Position, Golf (Video) - Lesson 17 by PGA Pro Pete Styles
Control Trajectory by Varying Ball Position, Golf (Video) - Lesson 17 by PGA Pro Pete Styles

So there maybe times when you are out on the golf course and you decide that you want to hit the ball higher or lower, you can see it benefiting control in the trajectory of the shot, be it a windy day or be there an obstacle in the way that you want to try and get over.

Now to change the height of the shot, you have a couple of options. You could either change clubs or you could actually use the one club and change the way you approach the ball in your setter position and in your swing to control the loft. So if we just stick with the same club for now we can actually change the way we hit this by altering the loft at the point of impact. The easiest way to alter the loft at the point of impact would actually be to alter the loft at the point of setter.

Now if I can position this -- normal position it would be just slightly ahead of center, my hands just slightly ahead of the golf ball and then my impact position would be just 1 or 2 degrees past the ball with my hands and that would produce a normal a time loft, but if I did one to find that I want to hit them deliberately lower I would be able to position the ball a lot further back in my stance play it much more towards my right leg the natural thing now would be to get my hands a lot further in front reducing the height and the loft on the club producing a much more sort of punchy shot. It would go a lot lower under the wind or if I got a tree branches in front of me to get out from underneath that’s how I would manipulate that ball flight into a low position, purely because my hands are in front, de lofting the golf club and punching it down from that position.

Now if I wanted to hit the ball a little bit higher again I would take my time to position it a lot further forward more like maybe a 3 or 4 iron ball position up towards the left side. My hands would then sit more level not so much ahead naturally opening the loft on the club face to hit the ball higher. Make my normal swing from here and this ball would lunge up a little bit more.

I think the one consideration you have to have with this ball position when it’s forward particularly is the quality of the lie. The risk is that the club will come at the ball an awful lot shallower and if there is long grass in this area or before the golf ball the club will hit the long grass as it scoops underneath the ball.

So if you have got a Tee peg maybe on a par 3 on a high shot into a par 3 on a small Tee peg front of the stance is fine, maybe if you are sitting on the fair way and you got yourself a very good lie or even in the like semi rough you got a good lie, you can sweep underneath the ball with this ball being forwards. You will be able to hit the ball up a lot higher but the risk is that it will the ground before the golf ball resulting in some bad shots. So playing the ball backing your stance, lower ball flight probably guaranteed a descent strike, playing the ball forwards in your stance you do run the risk of getting a poor contact so only play it forwards in your stance when you have got a very good lie. And I hope that helps you control the trajectory of your shots a bit better.

 2012-07-16

So there maybe times when you are out on the golf course and you decide that you want to hit the ball higher or lower, you can see it benefiting control in the trajectory of the shot, be it a windy day or be there an obstacle in the way that you want to try and get over.

Now to change the height of the shot, you have a couple of options. You could either change clubs or you could actually use the one club and change the way you approach the ball in your setter position and in your swing to control the loft. So if we just stick with the same club for now we can actually change the way we hit this by altering the loft at the point of impact. The easiest way to alter the loft at the point of impact would actually be to alter the loft at the point of setter.

Now if I can position this — normal position it would be just slightly ahead of center, my hands just slightly ahead of the golf ball and then my impact position would be just 1 or 2 degrees past the ball with my hands and that would produce a normal a time loft, but if I did one to find that I want to hit them deliberately lower I would be able to position the ball a lot further back in my stance play it much more towards my right leg the natural thing now would be to get my hands a lot further in front reducing the height and the loft on the club producing a much more sort of punchy shot. It would go a lot lower under the wind or if I got a tree branches in front of me to get out from underneath that’s how I would manipulate that ball flight into a low position, purely because my hands are in front, de lofting the golf club and punching it down from that position.

Now if I wanted to hit the ball a little bit higher again I would take my time to position it a lot further forward more like maybe a 3 or 4 iron ball position up towards the left side. My hands would then sit more level not so much ahead naturally opening the loft on the club face to hit the ball higher. Make my normal swing from here and this ball would lunge up a little bit more.

I think the one consideration you have to have with this ball position when it’s forward particularly is the quality of the lie. The risk is that the club will come at the ball an awful lot shallower and if there is long grass in this area or before the golf ball the club will hit the long grass as it scoops underneath the ball.

So if you have got a Tee peg maybe on a par 3 on a high shot into a par 3 on a small Tee peg front of the stance is fine, maybe if you are sitting on the fair way and you got yourself a very good lie or even in the like semi rough you got a good lie, you can sweep underneath the ball with this ball being forwards. You will be able to hit the ball up a lot higher but the risk is that it will the ground before the golf ball resulting in some bad shots. So playing the ball backing your stance, lower ball flight probably guaranteed a descent strike, playing the ball forwards in your stance you do run the risk of getting a poor contact so only play it forwards in your stance when you have got a very good lie. And I hope that helps you control the trajectory of your shots a bit better.