Why do I hit the ground when putting?
Emma Payne
Published Jan 19, 2026
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Should putter hit ground?
You'll want to keep your putter perpendicular to the ground. 2. Once you're steady over the ball, make your stroke—strike the ball squarely on its equator without hitting any of the quarters.
Why am I hitting the ground before the ball?
When a player hits the ground before the ball it is generally because their club is attacking the ball from too shallow an angle. Golf coaches refer to this as the "Angle of Approach".
How do I stop hitting the ground in golf?
Unless you can get the center swing moving forward to meet back up with the golf ball, you're going to hit it fat. A good way to stay centered is to get more weight on your front foot at address. The centrifugal force of the golf swing naturally tries to pull your weight away from the target.
Why am I hitting the ground first with my irons?
Generally speaking, a thin or fat shot is caused by having your swing center too far behind the ball at impact. This error causes your club to bottom out too far behind the ball and will cause you to hit the ground first (a fat shot) or hit the top of the ball (a thin shot).
45 related questions foundHow do you hit a golf ball consistently every time?
First, focus on the straight left arm in the impact position. Second, the club head should lag behind the hands. The towel impact drill will improve both areas of your swing. By creating the proper downward angle of approach you will now compress the golf ball, hit the ball farther and improve contact.
Why do I keep hitting the golf ball fat?
A very common reason we hit a fat shot is because we stay on our back foot. This limited weight transfer will deliver the club behind where we setup. By placing the ball slightly more forward in our stance, we may be able to encourage ourselves to transfer our weight in our golf swing.
Why do I hit my driver fat?
You can hit it fat from having too inside of a swing path or one that is too outside. Fat shots can also be caused by a release that is too early, moving your swing center too far off the ball, or even a reverse weight shift. By knowing your OWN swing habits, you can get to the correction straight on.
How do you align adding?
Here are my 7 best techniques to improve your putting alignment.
- Put a line on your ball. ...
- Use a putter with a line. ...
- Use other clubs to form railroad tracks. ...
- Audit your right-hand grip. ...
- Make sure your shoulders are square. ...
- Monitor your right forearm. ...
- Set up while looking at the hole and trust.
How tight should you grip a putter?
On a scale of 10 to 1, with 10 being as hard as you can squeeze, and 1 being the putter almost falling out of your hands, your grip pressure should be about 4. Tension is an enemy of a smooth putting stroke.
Why do I hit the ground with my golf club?
Stance too wide
If you stance is significantly wider, it can often cause your hips to move too much side to side and your hip seeks being over each foot. As your hips move too much side to side, this can often cause the club to hit the ground before the ball if you do not recenter yourself exactly the same amount.
Why am I hitting the ground before the ball with my driver?
This is caused by improper weight distribution through your swing. It occurs when you transfer weight to your left side on the backswing and right on the downswing. This is the opposite of proper weight shifting.
Should your elbows touch your body when putting?
Interlace your fingers, clasping your hands in front of you. Then, get into your putting posture, and place your hands over your belly button, your elbows bent outward at 45 degrees. Keeping your lower body quiet, engage your core muscles and use them to rock your arms and shoulders back and forth.
Why do I push my putts to the right?
A push will most likely happen when a golfer has a shorter putt from inside ten feet. The push for a right handed golfer is when the putter face at impact is open to the target line either from an incorrect swing path or there was too much hands and wrists in the stroke.
Should you break your wrists when putting?
There is an exception to not breaking your wrists. In a long putt you may need to break them in order to generate enough power to get your ball to the hole. However, in long (lag) putting it is the correct distance rather than pin-point accuracy that you are seeking.
Where do you strike the ball when putting?
It should always be in the front center of your stance. For really long putts which require a longer stroke, you can move it back slightly back. But for the most part, keep it consistently front of center. This will help you hit the ball at the right of your stroke and produce the most topspin.
How do you see the line when putting?
To find it, pick out a medium-length putt where the correct line is obvious. Then address the ball, and let your head swivel slowly left or right seeing if you can get your eyes to match that line. The nonstarters will be readily apparent, but there will likely be a few head positions that feel like you've got it.
What is a good putting stance?
Putting Stance – Video Summary
The width of your stance should be roughly hip-width with the feet pointing forward (not splayed out). The golf ball should be positioned slightly ahead of the centre of your stance – similar to the position you'd address it with a 6-iron.
Why is my putter face closed at impact?
The normal ball position would be one ball width left in the stance. If the balls tend to go left, a ball position slightly more right will support a more open putter face at impact. Accordingly, if the balls tend to go to the right a ball position slightly more left will support a more closed face at impact.
Why does my ball hop when I putt?
And generally the bouncing putts are caused by two main issues; its either hitting too much up on the golf ball, or hitting too much down on the golf ball.