How To Practice Golf's Contact

Let me first say that the ball is what messes people up in the first place. You try so hard to hit the ball that you forget about where the target is and swing only to hit the ball. You have to swing to the target! I don't really want to include this in here because I don't want you to become obsessed with contact. I believe that concentration on contact is an unnecessary distraction, and you are better off just to send your energy to the target. Contact will come automatically, with experience. With that said, be patient with yourself and read on.

As you practice, you will gain experience in how to bring the club to the ball. You will need I to relax and be totally non-judgemental while your brain soaks up the feedback that contact I (or lack of contact) gives you. You need make lots of mistakes right now, so don't get too I excited about what you perceive as "bad" contact.

Take a lot of practice swings and try to brush the ground without digging deep divots. Put a tee in the ground and try to hit it. When you can hit the tee repeatedly, put a ball on it. As you improve, lower the height of the tee progressively until you no longer need it. Hitting the ball consistently from the grass may take several days, weeks or months. Please don't rush the process. If you become frustrated when trying to hit the ball off the ground, put it back on a tee and get back your confidence.

Basically, contact is a no brainer: If you swing over top of the ball and miss completely, f you've swung too high. Any time you hit a ball that rolls, you have swung just a little too high and contacted the ball above its equator. In both cases, swing lower. Try to hit the ground a little on the next try. If you hit the ground behind the ball, that's too low. Swing higher. I told you, this isn't rocket science.

If you are hitting the ball extremely to the right with an iron, you may be shanking the ball. Take a look at the neck (hosel) of the club and see if you have ball marks on it. If you do, simply stand a little farther away from the ball. More on shanking in Troubleshooting. If you are hitting it off the toe, move a little closer.

LISTEN. You must adjust. Do not allow yourself to make the same mistake repeatedly. I encourage my students to overdo the adjustment so that their brain can learn from the feedback. Contact too high should be followed by contact too low, if anything. Chances are, if you're not adjusting, you're not learning.

At this time, you may want to play golf. Feel free to tee the ball up on all shots, except those near the green, until you have confidence in your ability to make solid contact from the ground. By the way, you can't tee the ball up in a tournament, unless you are hitting a "tee shot," but it's a great idea for now.

I highly recommend that you start with a short, par three course, then graduate to a longer, executive course. Then, when you are ready, go for the full size, championship course. Remember, the object is to have as much fun as possible. Don't go get yourself beaten up by a course that's beyond your capabilities. That's no fun at all.