Controlling ball flight

In order to successfully negotiate your way around most golf courses, it is important that you are able to control the flight of your ball.

Controlling your ball flight can refer to its movement through the air (for example, right to left or left to right ball flight) but in this article, we are going to discuss how to control the height of the shot.

Being able to hit the ball low and high on demand is a huge advantage as it opens up a number of different options to you on the golf course.

Most people believe (incorrectly) that you have to change your swing to produce a different height of shot. Let’s examine how you can manipulate your set up in order to produce a different ball flight.

Imagine you find yourself in a situation where you have to get the ball up in the air very quickly to get over a tree, but you are still looking to get the full distance out of the club.

In this case, imagine that your seven iron is the ideal club to fly the ball the correct distance but the natural flight of the club would be too low (resulting in hitting the top branches of the tree).

Instead of changing your club or changing your swing, try placing the ball at least an inch further forward of your stance. This will effectively add a little loft to the club encouraging the ball to fly higher.

In addition, this set up change will make your angle of attack slightly shallower, producing a higher launch angle, which will enable your ball to fly over the tree. It is also advisable to imagine a finishing position where your hands feel very high as this will also help get the ball up into the air.

Conversely, imagine your ball is much closer to the tree and your only option is to hit the ball with a significantly lower flight in order to get it to the target.

This time, place the ball at least an inch closer to your back foot at address. This change will naturally give you a steeper angle of attack, which will allow the ball to ‘shoot’ off the club face much lower.

In addition, the set up change will slightly de-loft the club at impact, which will help. In this case, it is a good idea to try and curtail your follow through as this helps keep the back-spin off the ball.

These are just two examples of how it is possible to get a significantly different ball flight by manipulating your set up position, as opposed to changing your swing.

In the coming weeks, we will examine other ways we can expand our arsenal of shots in the same fashion.

It is important to note that it is not advisable to attempt these shots until you have had a chance to practice them.

If you find yourself in these positions without having practiced, simply take your medicine, select the appropriate club and try to get the ball back on to the fairway!