You’re swinging hard but getting the distance of someone swinging easily. Your playing partner with the smooth tempo is hitting it 20 yards past you with what looks like half the effort. The problem isn’t your swing speed; it’s that you’re scooping the ball instead of compressing it.
“Scooping” means flipping your wrists through impact to help the ball into the air. It feels like you’re lifting it but you’re robbing yourself of distance and consistency. “Compression” means hitting down on the ball with a descending blow. The loft of the club gets the ball airborne, not your hands. When you compress it, you trap the ball between the clubface and the ground. That’s where power comes from.
Your divots are in the wrong place or nonexistent
If you’re taking divots at all, they start before the ball. You’re hitting the ground first, then the ball. Or you’re taking no divot at all, sweeping the ball off the turf or catching it thin. Both mean your club is moving up at impact instead of down.
With irons and wedges, proper compression means the divot starts at the ball and points toward your target. When you scoop, your swing bottoms out early and you lose power into the turf.
Put a tee in the ground two inches in front of your ball on the range. Your goal is to brush that tee after you hit the ball, not before. This forces you to move the bottom of your swing forward. Focus on keeping your hands ahead of the clubhead through impact. Your lead wrist should be flat or slightly bowed at contact, not cupped. Do 20 swings focusing only on brushing that forward tee.
Your ball flight is too high and doesn’t penetrate
Your 7-iron goes up like a 9-iron. It hangs in the air forever but doesn’t go anywhere. Any wind and you’re dead. The ball lands softly but short. You grab a 6-iron and hit the same high, weak shot.
This is classic scooping. You’re adding loft at impact by flipping your wrists. Depending on the make and model of your clubs, your 7-iron will have anywhere from 30 to 35 degrees of loft but you’re presenting 40 or more degrees to the ball. Proper compression produces a penetrating ball flight that starts lower, climbs to its peak and then descends at a steeper angle.
Hit punch shots on the range. Choke down an inch, ball back in your stance, hands well ahead at address. Make a three-quarter swing and hold your finish low. Hands at chest height, not above your head. The ball flight should be low and piercing. If it’s still ballooning, you’re still flipping. Do 10 punch shots per club until you feel what compression is.
Impact sounds and feels weak
When you compress the ball, you hear a crisp, solid thud. When you scoop, you hear a click or a tick. A thin, weak sound. The feel is different, too. Compression feels like you’re pinching the ball against the ground with resistance, then a release. Scooping feels like you’re sweeping the ball away with no resistance.
With compression, your hands feel a slight sting or vibration. The ball fighting back against the clubface. With scooping, your hands feel nothing.
Hit balls off a tight lie. Find the hardest piece of ground on the range. Tight lies don’t forgive scooping. You’ll hit it thin every time which forces you to hit down on the ball. Start with half swings and focus entirely on the sound. You want that thud, not a click. Make 10 swings where all you care about is the sound.
Your club shows wear in the wrong spots
Look at the face of your 7-iron. If you’re compressing the ball, the wear marks should be in the center of the face. If you’re scooping, the wear pattern will be lower on the face, near the leading edge. You’re catching the ball on the upswing. Some golfers have wear marks high on the face. That’s also scooping. You’re hitting the ground first, the club bounces up and you catch the ball with the top of the face.
Proper compression shows wear across the entire sole with the most wear just behind the leading edge.
Put impact tape on your clubface and hit 10 balls. Look at where you’re making contact. Your goal is center contact, slightly below the equator of the ball. To get there, stop trying to lift the ball. Trust the loft. Hit down and the ball will go up.
Stop helping and start compressing
Check your divots, ball flight, impact sound and club wear. If any of these four signs show up, you’re scooping. Fix it by moving your swing’s low point forward, keeping your hands ahead through impact, and trusting that hitting down makes the ball go up.
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