By Ron Hanson | Director of Instruction, Interbay Golf Center

Beginning and experienced golfers alike have a similar tendency when trying to hit the ball up into the air — to scoop in underneath it and lift it up with the clubface. It is amazing — with all that is written about the game of golf, and all of the instruction available, that the basic concept of hitting a ball on the downswing is not conveyed. We all watch the pros hitting irons and taking divots. When we do, there are a few key questions we should ask: Are they trying to take the divots or not? In fact, they are. Realize these are the best golfers in the world — if they can’t do exactly what they’re trying to do, what chance do we have? Since they are consistently taking divots, we probably should be, too. Does the divot occur before, or after, the ball is hit? The divot should occur AFTER the ball is struck. Consider — as a ball sits on the ground, how are you supposed to get underneath it to lift it up, without taking out a chunk of the ground behind it? All that accomplishes is to greatly reduce your club speed, and to prevent your ability to put backspin on the shot, which will allow the ball to fly farther and higher, and land softer. Instead, we want to hit the ball on the downswing. We all marvel at how the pros’ shots hit the greens and spin dead, or gentle settle to a slow roll towards the pin. This action is a result of a downward motion at contact, which helps to put the necessary backspin on the ball to produce the desired result. In addition to helping the ball settle on the green, backspin also helps keep it aloft. There is a reason field-goal kickers tilt the ball backwards on the tee, not forwards — kicking the bottom half of the ball creates backspin, which increases the ball’s flight. The same principle holds true for a golf ball. A ball hit with topspin will not stay in the air for very long, it will not go very high and it will also roll for quite some distance. To create the proper backspin, the ball has to be hit with a descending blow. For those of you who are more mechanical in your thoughts, the lowest point of your swing is controlled by where your sternum is at impact. If your sternum is stuck behind the ball at impact, the lowest point of the swing will be before the ball causing a fat shot or thin shot. The sternum needs to be moving through the ball at impact in order to have the lowest point of the swing occur after contact with the ball.

LESSON

To work on hitting the ball with a descending blow, lay a tee down about two inches in front of the ball (target side). Focus on hitting the ball, then the tee. If you take a swing and hit the ball but the tee does not move, you probably did not hit the ball on the way down in the swing. Then, when you are out on the course, imagine the tee lying in front of the ball, and guide your swing accordingly. You’ll find that your chip shots are flying higher, carrying farther, and landing softer — just like the pros. Ron Hanson is the Director of Instruction at Seattle’s Interbay Golf Center, an exceptional facility in the shadow of the Space Needle, boasting an 80-stall lighted and heated driving range and the area’s top par-3 course, as well as miniature golf, food and music. Ron was named Western Washington’s PGA “Teacher of the Year” in 2007, and was the featured instructor on the Golf Channel’s Golf Makeover Episode “No Laughing Matter”. He has been the featured instructor at numerous golf shows, and released his first instructional DVD, “Golf in Balance” in 2005. Ron can be contacted at Interbay Golf Center at (206) 838-4549, by e-mail at rhanson@premiergc.com, or at his website at ronhansongolf.com