Golf Tip

Presented by Jeff Ritter, Nike Golf Camp National Director

How to Strike the Ball Correctly

One of the most important components of great ball striking is simply being able to make sure your golf club strikes the ground in a proper spot. That means for all shots of the ground, minus the sand shot, you want to try and hit the ball then turf. This is when your club is striking the ground immediately hitting the ball, or on the target side of the golf ball.

Next time you go out to practice, instead of just hitting range balls as far as you can, challenge yourself to do this every shot. When you approach each shot, lay down a club on the ground perpendicular to the target line of the ball. Take your golf ball and set it up right next to the club.

Imagine a line running through the ball, continuing through like a goal line on a football field. Your goal is to hit past the goal line with each shot. Make sure the ball is in the middle of your stance, with your feet straddling the line. Make sure your weight is on your front foot, put your hands forward past the ball, and do a practice swing. If you can hit the spot on the mat five times in a row, you can go and hit your shot.

This will not be perfect at first, but with more practice your shots with be more consistent!