Instruction – Getting Your Ball Airborne

Calling all new golfers. If you have never played golf and are wanting to learn how, this article is for you. In this article, I will walk you through all the steps in assuring you hit the ball in the air when you get out for the first time.

The first step to hitting the ball in the air is the proper grip. There are many ways to grip the club, but I find when you are first learning this is the best way to grip the club as it gives you more control of the clubhead to allow you to hit the ball in the air more consistently.

Step 1: Grip

Start by allowing the grip to rest diagonally across the base of your fingers, not in the palm. From here, point your left thumb straight down the grip, pointing to the clubhead with your index finger pointing to the ground. Your thumb should point down the shaft, creating a “V” shape between your thumb and forefinger. The sharp end of the “V” should point toward your right shoulder. From here, interlock your right pinkie with your left index finger and finish by wrapping the remaining fingers of your right hand around the grip.

Step 2: Gate Drill

Place a golf ball on a tee. From here, place your clubhead next to the tee and place a tee outside of the end of your clubhead (toe of the clubhead) and outside the inside of the clubhead (heel of the clubhead). This makes a gate for you to swing through now. The goal is to hit the middle tee out of the ground underneath the ball.

For this drill, get tees with lines on them. Start with the bottom line on the tee even with the ground where you can see all the lines on the tee when you set up to the ball. Once you hit three out of five golf balls in the air, lower the tee to the next line and hit three out of five balls in the air. Then lower the tee again to the next line and so on until you get to where you don’t see any more lines on the tee when you set up.

Step 3: The Swing to Get the Ball Airborne

Place your clubhead next to the middle tee and hinge your hips back, bending forward and bending your knees slightly. Now that you are in the correct setup position, go to the top of your backswing and have your right hand resting slightly above your right shoulder as if you are holding a pizza box above your right shoulder. The biggest key when you do this is to make sure you stay in your posture and do not stand up out of your posture. From here, swing down and focus on hitting the tee from under the ball. Once you do this, finish with your right hand over your left shoulder on your follow-through mirroring your backswing. The biggest key on your follow-through is that your right shoe is showing, right knee is facing your target and eyes are facing your target. If you’ve ever heard someone say keep your head down, this is one of the biggest myths in golf. You do not want to keep your head down; it will make you hit on top of the ball or hit the ball thin. If you ever watch the 72-time LPGA Tour-winning Annika Sorenstam, she is already looking at her target before she makes impact with the ball. This is proof that you do not need to keep your head down. Your head can rotate right and left but cannot move up and down or front and back. You want to try and keep your head as still as possible when swinging, but when you hit, follow the ball with your eyes. You will see the ball go in the air much more often following the ball with your eyes after hitting than keeping your head down. Following the ball with your eyes and allowing your head to turn gives you a lot more flexibility for your arms to extend to hit the ground to send the ball in the air.