How do you get to be a better ball striker? Or is it mostly a natural talent?
How do you get to be a better ball striker?
We can maximize our ability with practice and equipment and time.
To be a good ball striker, it's best if your mom and/or dad were also good ball strikers.
To be a good ball striker, it's best if your mom and/or dad were also good ball strikers.
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Getting fit helped but other than that it’s just practice and reps. Experimenting with different shots also helps
CTRosarian
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Play on soggy wet turf. You won't get away with hitting the grass first if the fairway is really wet.
Don't forget that if the turf is underwater you may be entitled to a free drop from an abnormal course conditions.
Lots of short practice sessions work better than fewer long sessions.
I practice in my back yard between gardening chores. I can practice a couple times a day when the weather is nice.
Don't forget that if the turf is underwater you may be entitled to a free drop from an abnormal course conditions.
Lots of short practice sessions work better than fewer long sessions.
I practice in my back yard between gardening chores. I can practice a couple times a day when the weather is nice.
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Matthew
Well-known member
Reps
Natural talent goes a long way in almost any athletic endeavor, but obviously there would be other details on a page of considerations.
I would say two primary ways toward better ball striking is thoroughly knowing how to use the ground, and there is more than one way to do that. And secondly, using that knowledge and ability while fine tune chipping and pitching. The rest is really just an expansion of that process.
I would say two primary ways toward better ball striking is thoroughly knowing how to use the ground, and there is more than one way to do that. And secondly, using that knowledge and ability while fine tune chipping and pitching. The rest is really just an expansion of that process.
If you have a fairly repeatable swing that gets you in good positions.....it's just practice.
I'm the best iron player in my club and probably one of the best mid-am ball strikers in my province to be honest. It's because i hit balls several times a week on my lunches, have a net in my shed i hit into....and all winter i hit hundreds of balls a week on a trackman
I'm the best iron player in my club and probably one of the best mid-am ball strikers in my province to be honest. It's because i hit balls several times a week on my lunches, have a net in my shed i hit into....and all winter i hit hundreds of balls a week on a trackman
TxAggie2018
Well-known member
Speed is more or less a God-given talent. It takes a lot of work there to gain a little MPH, and no one can just keep doing more Swing Speed programs until they out-drive Tiger.
There's nothing natural about golf technique though. It's so alien from our everyday experience that it's tough to even find comparisons for.
Standing face-on to an object and throwing it sideways... that's kind of like a Frisbee I guess? How much time have you spent throwing Frisbees? Pushing an object by hitting a stick in front of it... how does that even make sense? When else do we try doing that?
Once you kind of know what you're doing, you can get handsy and save some shots if you have great coordination. But consistently good ballstriking takes lots and lots of practice of doing some very foreign things. There's no way around it.
There's nothing natural about golf technique though. It's so alien from our everyday experience that it's tough to even find comparisons for.
Standing face-on to an object and throwing it sideways... that's kind of like a Frisbee I guess? How much time have you spent throwing Frisbees? Pushing an object by hitting a stick in front of it... how does that even make sense? When else do we try doing that?
Once you kind of know what you're doing, you can get handsy and save some shots if you have great coordination. But consistently good ballstriking takes lots and lots of practice of doing some very foreign things. There's no way around it.
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I still want to get a whole lot better, but one thing I did when I decided that I wanted to improve was purchase a set of more demanding irons and practiced. I bought a season pass to the driving range and hit ball after ball.
Definitely not the way for everyone, but it made sense in my mind and I’m happy that I did it.
Definitely not the way for everyone, but it made sense in my mind and I’m happy that I did it.
As someone who recently changed opinion on Bryson this lesson video he did with Rick Shiels was very interesting. He focuses on knowing where the bottom of your swing is and a drill to practice it.
I’m becoming a fan of Bryson giving lessons. He’s come way back from the crazy mad scientist thing. He seems to have learned how to articulate his ideas in a sane way.
I’m becoming a fan of Bryson giving lessons. He’s come way back from the crazy mad scientist thing. He seems to have learned how to articulate his ideas in a sane way.
Birdman03
Well-known member
Learn to swing smoothly in a circle around your body with good tempo while maintaining your balance all the way to the finish and after. Check for center contact on the clubface and make sure the low point of your arc is on the target side of the ball.
Use a slow, partial swing until you can do all of those things. Don't do anything more until then. If you can't hit it straight ahead make adjustments in ball position and/or swing path until you do.
Try hitting 7I off a high tee on the range with your feet close together. If you can't do that well more work is needed. Ignore most swing advice and what other people on the range are doing, because all you need to do is in the first paragraph
I will show you on Friday.
It's obvious, Tour players Blades. Problem solved, you're welcome 
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Lessons and LOTS of practice.
There is zero debate. Your movement patterns are wired in your brain. If you want to change them, you MUST put in the work to create new neural pathways. You do so by drills and repetition of the correct movement. If you're over 25 it can still be done, but it takes much longer and much more effort.
If you want to be a better ball striker, get help and go to work.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Natural ability (hand eye coordination) plays a huge part in your ceiling with the game, but everyone can become better for their own ability. It's just down to practicing with a purpose and then repping that a ton.
Like any skill though, the more you do it the better you'll become, and the inverse is also true.
Not everyone's floor and ceiling are the same though.
Like any skill though, the more you do it the better you'll become, and the inverse is also true.
Not everyone's floor and ceiling are the same though.
Nobody gets to level of a good ball striker without a lot of work. So please don’t misunderstand my response as “it comes easy to some”.
Tons of practice will allow anyone to reach their potential. But that’s all.
I practice as much as most anyone who works 40 hours a week probably can. That’s a couple hours on most days and more on the weekend. The normal response to that statement will be to question the quality of the practices - and that’s legitimate. But there are so many other factors beyond even the best of practice habits or knowledge of what is a “good” swing.
I’m in the camp of good ball striking requires the combination of natural ability, hard work, and an understanding of what’s going on vs what should be going on.
There are folks who recognize the game is too difficult for their anbility and either play it just for fun or are smart enough to find another activity. Then there are those who are so naturally good at the game that they can make statements like “people make the game harder than it is”.
Then there are idiots like me who are neither of those types.
Tons of practice will allow anyone to reach their potential. But that’s all.
I practice as much as most anyone who works 40 hours a week probably can. That’s a couple hours on most days and more on the weekend. The normal response to that statement will be to question the quality of the practices - and that’s legitimate. But there are so many other factors beyond even the best of practice habits or knowledge of what is a “good” swing.
I’m in the camp of good ball striking requires the combination of natural ability, hard work, and an understanding of what’s going on vs what should be going on.
There are folks who recognize the game is too difficult for their anbility and either play it just for fun or are smart enough to find another activity. Then there are those who are so naturally good at the game that they can make statements like “people make the game harder than it is”.
Then there are idiots like me who are neither of those types.
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The "3 Ps Of Quality" has always worked well for me. (Practice, Practice, Practice)
Smooth tempo/timing/balanced swings help with better club ball contact. Better ball contact leads to better scoring.
Now I don't consider myself a great ball striker, but I do
think I'm a shade better than average. I don't really slice, or hook that much anymore. Just a few fats, or thins every once in while. Maybe a shank every 8-10 rounds. I'm way up there with holes played without losing a ball.
The toughest part about being a decent ball striker, is maintaining consistency.