Why Do My Golf Shots Go So High?

Tired of launching your iron shots straight up into the air, only to see them parachute down short of your target? You feel like you made a good swing, but the ball goes more up than out, losing precious distance and making you feel powerless. This is one of the most common frustrations in golf, but the good news is that it’s usually caused by a few specific, fixable things. This article will walk you through the primary reasons your shots fly too high and provide simple, actionable adjustments to get you back to hitting powerful, penetrating iron shots.

Good Iron Play vs. High, Weak Shots

First, let's be clear an important difference. A high, towering iron shot that lands softly on the green is a thing of beauty - that’s not what we’re trying to fix. Those shots are launched with speed and control. The shots we're talking about are the high, weak ones - the balloon balls that lack energy, often drift in the wind, and always land well short of where you wanted them to go. These weak shots happen when you add too much loft to the club through impact, turning your 7-iron into a 9-iron or even a wedge. Our goal is to use the loft the club was designed with, not add to it with poor technique. Understanding where this extra loft comes from is the first step.

Mistake #1: Your Setup is Adding Loft Before You Even Swing

More often than not, a high ball flight is pre-programmed at your address position. You might think you're helping the ball get into the air, but you're actually just setting yourself up for a weak, lofty strike. Here are the two most common setup faults.

Fault: Ball Position is Too Far Forward

One of the easiest things to check, yet so often overlooked. When you place the ball too far forward in your stance with an iron, you force the low point of your golf swing to happen behind the ball. From there, the only way to make contact is for the club to be traveling upward, adding loft as it sweeps the ball into the air. It’s a natural reaction to try and lift the ball. Think of it this way: your swing is an arc, a circle around your body. a great position to smash a driver, but disastrous for an iron.

The Simple Fix:

• Find the Center: For your mid-irons (think 7, 8, 9-iron), the ball should be positioned squarely in the middle of your stance. A simple checkpoint is to have it aligned with the buttons on your shirt or the logo on your chest.
• Use an Alignment Rod: When you practice, lay an alignment rod down on the ground midway between your feet. Place the ball on that line. Get used to what this centered position looks and feels like. It might feel a little "back" in your stance at first if you’re used to playing it forward, but this is the correct spot for a downward strike.

Fault: Excessive Spine Tilt Away from the Target

Many golfers are told to tilt their spine away from the target at address. While a slight tilt is athletic and promotes a good swing path from the inside, too much of it is a killer for iron shots. Leaning back excessively hangs your weight on your back foot and pre-sets your body for a "scooping" motion. You're trying to help the ball up, tilting the body back to create lift, instead of trusting the club’s built-in loft to do the work. It’s an instinct we have to fight.

The Simple Fix:

• Get Athletic: Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. From there, lean forward from your hips, not your waist, while keeping your back relatively straight. Let your arms hang down naturally below your shoulders. This creates the primary angle.
• Create a 'Smart' Tilt: Once you're in that athletic posture, simply bump your lead hip slightly toward the target. This will naturally create a slight, functional spine tilt away from the ball without you having to consciously lean back. Your head should feel like it's over the ball, not behind it.

Mistake #2: Your Swing Action is ‘Flipping’ the Clubhead

Even with a perfect setup, your swing dynamics can be the main offender. Most high, weak shots come from one specific action: breaking your wrists and "flipping" the clubhead at the ball in an attempt to scoop it into the air. This action kills your power and adds a tremendous amount of effective loft at impact.

Fault: You’re Trying to "Lift" the Ball Up

The core concept of a great iron strike is to hit down on the ball. The loft of the club does the work of getting the ball airborne. The typical high-ball hitter does the opposite: on the downswing, their weight hangs back on their trail foot, and their wrists flip or cast the clubhead in a desperate attempt to help lift the ball. This "scoop" motion presents the clubface to the ball with far more loft than intended. You’re actively slowing the club down and losing all the energy you built up in the backswing.

The Game-Changing Fix: Lead with the Hands

The goal is to have your hands ahead of the clubhead at the moment of impact. This is what the pros mean when they talk about "compressing the ball." Compressing the ball is just a result of a the simple mechanic, allowing them to de-loft the club slightly, transferring maximum energy and creating that powerful, penetrating flight.

To train this feel, try these drills:

1. The Punch Shot Drill: This is a classic for a reason. Grab a 9-iron or 8-iron. Take a half-swing (hands just to your waist) and focus all your attention on your body turn. Rotate through the shot while feeling like your hands are beating the clubhead to the ball. Hold your finish at waist height on the other side, and check that the clubface is still pointing at your target and your hands are still ahead of the clubhead. The ball will come out low and powerful. This is the feeling of compression. Start slow and small and gradually build up to bigger swings.
2. The Step-Through Drill: This drill is fantastic for ensuring your weight gets through the ball, which prevents you from hanging back and scooping. Set up normally, hit your shot, and as you follow through, step with your back foot past your front foot, walking toward the target. It’s impossible to a do this smoothly without transferring your weight correctly over your lead side. That weight transfer promotes hitting down on the ball and leading with the hands.

Mistake #3: You're Using the Wrong Equipment

While technique is almost always the primary reason, your equipment can certainly play a part, especially if your swing generates decent speed.

Fault: A Shaft That's Too Flexible for Your Swing

Think of the golf shaft as the engine of your club. It bends during the swing (called "loading") and then "kicks" back into position right at impact. If you have a relatively fast swing and are using a shaft with too much flex (e.g., a Regular flex when you need a Stiff or Extra Stiff flex), the shaft can kick too much. This causes the clubhead to get ahead of your hands prematurely, effectively adding loft and robbing you of control. At impact, the face is pointing higher than it should be, sending the ball on a sky-high trajectory.

The Simple Fix:

Getting fit for the right shaft is the best long-term solution. A professional club fitter can measure your swing speed and tempo to find a shaft profile that matches how you deliver the club. In the meantime, you can try a small adjustment yourself: if you feel you have a fast swing, try swinging at about 80% of your max effort. A smoother tempo can sometimes prevent you from overpowering a shaft that's on the edge of being too flexible for you. But for a permanent solution, a fitting is worth its weight in gold.

Final Thoughts

Stop trying to lift your golf ball into the air. Launching high, weak iron shots usually boils down to adding extra loft to the club through a faulty setup or a "scooping" motion at impact. By focusing on a centered ball position, an athletic setup, and committing to striking down on the ball while leading with your hands, you can take control of your trajectory and regain lost distance.

Understanding these concepts is the first step, but old habits can be hard to break alone. Sometimes, you just need a second opinion or a quick reminder on the range or the course. That’s where a tool like Caddie AI comes in handy. With our app, you can describe swing faults and get personalized drills in seconds, or even take a photo of a tricky lie to get immediate advice. We designed Caddie to be your on-demand golf coach, helping you turn practice-range fixes into real on-course confidence, so you can stop guessing and start playing better golf.