Why Do I Hit Low Golf Shots?

There's nothing more frustrating than making what feels like a solid swing, only to watch your golf ball take off like a low, line-drive right into the ground. These screaming worm-burners or stingers that you didn't ask for can kill your distance and your confidence. If you're constantly fighting a low ball flight, know that you're not alone and the problem is almost always fixable. This article will walk you through the most common reasons golfers hit low shots and give you straightforward, practical adjustments and drills to get your ball launching higher and flying farther.

First, Understand What Makes the Ball Go Up

Before we pinpoint the problems, let's quickly touch on the basic physics. Two main factors determine your launch angle: angle of attack and dynamic loft. Don't worry, this isn't a physics lecture. Here's what you need to know in simple terms:

• Angle of Attack: This is the direction the clubhead is traveling (up or down) at the moment it strikes the ball. With an iron, you want a slightly descending angle of attack - hitting down on the ball to compress it.
• Dynamic Loft: This is the *actual* amount of loft on the clubface at impact. Your 7-iron may have 33 degrees of loft when it's sitting on the ground (static loft), but how you deliver it to the ball changes that number. Leaning the shaft forward decreases loft, adding wrist action can increase it.

Hitting the ball too low is a classic sign that your dynamic loft is too low at impact. You're effectively turning your 8-iron into a 5-iron by delofting the clubface. Now, let's figure out why that's happening.

Cause #1: Your Ball Position is Sneaking Back

This is probably the most common culprit for low ball flight, and thankfully, it's also one of the easiest to fix. It’s a very simple concept: the farther back in your stance you play the ball, the earlier you will make contact with it in your swing arc. Making contact behind the bottom of your arc means the shaft will be leaning forward more, which closes the clubface and reduces the dynamic loft.

The Fix: A Simple Ball Position Reference

Many golfers are told to "play the ball in the middle of your stance," but that's an oversimplification. Your ball position should change depending on the club you're using. A consistent setup ritual is your best friend here.

Here’s a simple system to follow for right-handed golfers (lefties reverse this):

1. Start with Your Feet Together: Place the ball in the center, directly between your feet. For any short iron (Wedge, 9-iron, 8-iron), simply take a small step with your left foot and an equally small step with your right foot. The ball will now be perfectly in the center of your stance, just under your chest buttons.
2. Move to Mid-Irons (7 through 5-iron): From the feet-together starting point, take a small step with your left foot, and a slightly *larger* step with your right foot. This will subtly shift the ball position one or two ball widths forward of center.
3. Long Irons, Hybrids, and Fairway Woods: Again, from the feet-together start, take a small step left and an even bigger step right. The ball should now be well forward of center, closer to the inside of your lead heel.
4. Driver: For the driver, the ball should be positioned off the inside of your lead heel.

Drill: The Alignment Stick Check

At the driving range, put down two alignment sticks. One points at your target, and the second one is perpendicular to it, forming a "T". Place your golf ball on the perpendicular stick according to the club you're hitting. For a 7-iron, it should be about one or two ball widths forward of center. Hit five balls, then check again. Often, without realizing it, our ball position creeps backward a few inches during a practice session. This drill builds the discipline to check it on every shot.

Cause #2: You're Leaning Way Too Far Forward at Setup

Many amateurs see Tour Pros with their hands well ahead of the ball at impact - creating that "forward shaft lean" - and try to replicate it at their setup. They press the handle of the club way forward, pre-setting a delofted clubface before the swing even begins. This not only robs the club of its designed loft but also tends to push your weight too far onto your lead foot at address.

Starting with 60% or 70% of your weight on your lead side is a recipe for a steep, downward strike that drives the ball into the turf with very little launch.

The Fix: Find a Neutral, Athletic Setup

Your goal is to create forward shaft lean dynamically during the downswing, not to force it at setup. A proper starting position promotes a powerful turn and a natural sequence.

• Weight Distribution: For a standard iron shot, feel like your weight is distributed 50/50 between your feet. You should feel balanced and athletic, not tilted toward the target.
• Hand Position: With a middle iron, the butt of the club should point around your lead belt buckle or hip area. Your hands will be just slightly ahead of the ball, not pressed dramatically forward. It should feel balanced and natural, allowing your arms to hang straight down from your shoulders.

Drill: The Hang and Set

Take your setup without a golf club. Get into your golf posture - bending from the hips, slight flex in the knees - and let your arms hang completely slack under your shoulders. Now, bring your hands together as if you were holding a club. This is your natural hand position. Place a club in your hands without moving them. You'll likely find this position is far more neutral and less "pressed" than you are used to. Hit some shots from this position to feel the difference.

Cause #3: The Dreaded "Over-the-Top" Move

An "over-the-top" swing is a sequence problem. It's when your first move from the top of the backswing is to lunge with your shoulders, arms, or hands toward the ball. This throws the club onto a steep, outside-to-inside swing path. Not only does this path cause slices, but the steep angle of attack can drastically deloft the club and drive the ball down. Instead of the clubhead sweeping into the ball, it chops down on it.

The Fix: Initiate the Downswing from the Ground Up

The correct downswing sequence starts from your lower body. As you finish your backswing, the first move should be a slight shift of your weight and pressure toward your lead foot, followed by the unwinding of your hips. This "clears" a path for your arms and the club to drop down from the inside.

Drill: The Headcover Gate

This is a fantastic visual drill to cure an over-the-top move. Place a headcover (or a rolled-up towel) on the ground about a foot outside and six inches ahead of your golf ball. If you inspect the setup from behind, the ball and headcover create a "gate."

The goal is simple: swing the club *through the gate* and hit the ball without hitting the headcover. If your first move is over-the-top, you will slam right into the headcover. To miss it, you are forced to drop the club into the "slot" on the downswing and approach the ball from an inside path. This shallows out your angle of attack and allows the club to deliver its proper loft at impact, getting the ball airborne.

Cause #4: Releasing the Club Too Late

"Holding the lag" is something golfers hear a lot, but you can overdo it. Some golfers get so focused on maintaining wrist angles that they never let the clubhead release. They drag the handle through impact, holding the club face open and massively delofted. The clubhead needs to catch up and pass your hands *after* you make contact with the ball. Hanging on too long prevents this and turns the club into a low-launching chipping iron. Think of it as a failure to deliver the "whip" of the clubhead through the ball.

The Fix: Learn a Free and Passive Release

The release isn't a forceful, conscious action. It is the natural consequence of your body rotating and stopping, which transfers momentum into the arms and club, allowing the clubhead to "release." You need to learn what that unwinding feels like.

Drill: L-to-L Swings

This is a staple for a reason. Take your 8-iron and make a half backswing, stopping when your left arm is parallel to the ground and the club shaft is pointing to the sky, forming an "L". From here, rotate your body through and finish when your right arm is parallel to the ground on the other side, forming a reverse "L".

Don’t try to hit the ball hard. The focus is purely on rhythm and sequencing. You'll feel how the rotation of your torso allows the clubhead to swing past your hands naturally through impact. This drill trains your body and arms to let go of the club at the right time, adding both height and power without you actively trying to 'flip' it.

Final Thoughts

Pinning down the reason for hitting low golf shots comes down to checking your fundamentals. In nearly every case, the ball is taking off too low because of an issue with your ball position, an unbalanced setup, an improper swing path, or poor release timing. By using the methodical checks and simple drills outlined above, you can start diagnosing your own swing and get your ball flight back up where it belongs.

However, we know that identifying the root cause in your own swing can be difficult. It's one thing to read about an over-the-top move, and another to know if that's actually what you're doing. This is where personalized analysis is so valuable, which is why we built Caddie AI. Our app acts as your personal golf coach, ready 24/7 to analyze your swing or offer instant guidance. You can even send a slow-motion video of your swing and ask, "Why am I hitting this low?" to get a tailored answer that points you toward the specific cause and the right drill to fix it, taking all the guesswork out of your improvement.