Why do I keep driving the ball into the ground?
Sarah Smith
Published Jan 24, 2026
If your legs aren't involved in the swing, you will have trouble transferring your weight onto your left foot, and you will be prone to hitting ground balls as a result. Without the rotational power of your lower body carrying the club through the hitting area, your hands may flip the club at the bottom of the swing.
How do I stop driving the golf ball into the ground?
To help you stay down, think about keeping your right knee flexed and your right heel on the ground for as long as possible. This encourages you to stay bent at the hips and prevents your legs from straightening and lifting the clubhead farther off the ground.
Why do I keep hitting the ground before the golf 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".
Why do I keep hitting the ground first with my driver?
Hitting the ground first is because your angle of approach (angle at which the club is striking the golf ball) is too shallow. To put it in another understandable way, you are trying to hit the ball with an upwards motion.
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).
23 related questions foundWhy can't I hit a golf ball off the ground?
If the divot does not take out, or break, the front tee, it means you are not getting enough of your weight moving forward. You aren't moving your “fixed-point” forward enough in the downswing. If there is no divot at all, then you know that you need to be swinging down at the ball into the ground more.
Why are my drives going low and left?
Hitting the ball too low can be caused by shifting your weight to your left side. By consciously planting your right foot and keeping your weight on it, you will prevent shifting your weight to the right.
Why do I keep hitting the top of my driver?
What Causes a Driver Pop-Up? The base cause is always this: The golf club gets under the ball at impact. In other words, the golfer swings the club into impact in such a way that the clubhead slides under the ball, rather than contacting the ball around the center of the clubface as is desired.
How do I stop topping my tee shots?
Those who top it very often have the low point too early because they've lifted up away from the ball - this is one of the main cause of fat and thin iron shots. Focus on taking your divot just after the ball as trying to get the clubhead down below the golf ball just after impact will improve your strike.
Why am I topping my 3 wood?
One common reason that amateur golfers may get into the habit of topping fairway woods is that they are trying to help the ball up off the ground. When you look down at address, you see that your three wood, for example, doesn't have a lot of loft.
Why am I hitting low hooks with my driver?
Your snap hook driver could be caused by swinging too quickly and too hard. You don't need to hit every shot with 100% power. Most of the time 85% is all you need. Remove tension from your swing.
Why am I hitting worm burners with my driver?
Don't rush down from the top of the backswing, and don't straighten up in the through-swing thinking this will get the ball up. On the contrary, it usually leads to that worm-burner you're used to hitting. Posture is the primary culprit for line drives and topped shots.
Why do I hit line drives with my driver?
Cause: Insufficient clubhead speed – If you swing the driver at 90 mph or less, the ball won't compress as much on the clubface and, therefore, it will launch on a relatively low trajectory without enough backspin to send it higher.
Why can't I take a divot?
If you don't take a divot on your approach shots, you're probably pulling up (above, right) or falling onto your back foot during the downswing. Here's my favorite drill for learning to take good divots. Get into your normal setup, then lift the clubhead a few inches off the ground.
How do you stop hooking hybrids?
Adjust your grip. If the main problem leading to your hook is a closed club face, one of the ways to get into a better position at impact is to weaken your grip slightly. Before starting your swing, turn your hands just slightly to the left on the handle of the club.
What does a strong grip look like in golf?
What is a 'strong' grip? A strong grip means that the 'V' shapes made with your thumbs and your hands are pointing somewhere to the right side of your head. This is generally how I direct my students to grip the club. A strong grip can cure someone who swings over the top and/or struggles with slicing the ball.
Why am I hooking my fairway woods?
Hooking a 3-wood is a common miss, and it happens for a common reason: Players who struggle with this club tend to set up as if they're hitting a driver. The ball is positioned off their front foot, and the upper body is well behind the ball at address.
Why do I hit my 3 wood farther than my driver?
Players who hit their 3- or 5-wood as far or longer than their driver are typically using too little loft with the driver for their clubhead speed. You know, it's a funny thing with the driver and its loft compared to the other clubs in the bag.
What happens if you stand too far away from the golf ball?
Standing too far from the golf ball will result in poor posture, which could result in inconsistent shots and no control over the ball. Standing too far can result in less distance, heel shots, and can cause you to lose balance easily. Standing too far from the ball is pretty common for beginner players.
How do I become more consistent in golf?
Here are some of the biggest factors that lead to a consistent golf swing and scoring consistently well on the links.
- Setup Position. So much of your game happens before you ever hit a shot. ...
- Focus on Tempo & Rhythm. ...
- The Importance of Impact Position. ...
- Don't Forget Your Short Game. ...
- Compete Consistently.