Best Way to Deal with Contact Problems in Golf Swing

Making a good contact is a skill of its own. Women beginners often develop a good-looking swing quickly and easily but have to be taught how to make a perfect contact. The first skill is learning to make good depth, brushing the ground exactly where you mean to.

Topped shots

Topped shots are the most likely bad shot of women beginners. You simply hit the top of the ball and it runs along the ground instead of getting airborne.

In a topped shot, the club strikes the ball at its top or halfway up instead of brushing the ground beneath it. One of the most common reasons that a topped shot occurs is because you are looking at the ball wrongly. If you wrongly look at the top of the ball you will hit the top of the ball. You shouldn’t look at the ball as a whole object. You must focus very definitely on the back of the ball. This doesn’t mean putting your head in a funny position but simply focusing your eyes on the back of the ball, to the exclusion of anything else.

Women golfers are also often afraid of brushing the ground. They think it is untidy to take a divot or seem to worry it will hurt. Get used to brushing the ground. You have to remember that the ground gets in the way of every shot you play. You must overcome inhibitions about striking it. Have plenty of practice swings in the garden or on the practice ground and gain the confidence to brush the ground just where you want to.

The main swing fault causing a topped shot is tension. If you become tense or hold your breath during the shot, your whole rib cage lifts and the clubhead no longer gets back down to the ground.

To cure topped shots, think of the contact. Give yourself five points for a perfect contact and zero for a horrible contact. Relax with your arms loose and long, look at the back of the ball and concentrate on brushing the ground at the right spot. Don’t try to help the ball into the air. Trust the loft of the club to get the ball airborne.

‘Fat’ or ‘fluffed’ shots

The other depth problem is ‘fat’ or heavy shots (also called ‘fluffed’ shots!). These happen when you dig too deep or, more commonly, hit the ground behind the ball. They ate often caused by loosening the grip in your fingers, usually at the top of the backswing. When you pull the club back into the fingers the clubhead hits behind the ball.

Check your ball position. The bottom of your swing should be roughly opposite your nose, in other words at the centre of the stance. Make sure the ball is positioned centrally.

If you hit the ground behind the ball you are probably trying to help it into the air, as though playing a racquet shot. You may find you keep your weight on your right foot as though trying to scoop the ball into the air. You should ensure that you transfer your weight properly on to your left foot by the end of the swing. Think down rather than up as you swing through the ball.