The top 5 reasons you might be hitting the golf ball high include:
- Casting of the golf club
- Improper weight shift
- Angle of attack
- Wrong equipment
- Wrong golf ball
Golf can be a mysterious game at times!
One day everything is going great, the next day we might feel so frustrated!
The game keeps us coming back for more and searching for answers. Maybe just one day we will find the solution that causes our struggles and we will be able to play consistent golf!
The reality is that on our golf journey, there will always be something, but if we have the answers to some of the common swing faults, we can spend less time trying to find the solution and more time enjoying the game.
For example, one day you are out playing you start hitting the ball too high! You struggle with the wind and your overall carry distances is impacted by the ball being too high!
This is where I can help! A common question I often hear is about the flight of the golf ball. The best golfers are able to control not only the direction of their side spin, but also how high or low they hit the ball.
This allows the best golfers to play any course with success because they can control their ball flight.
Why I am hitting the golf ball so high?
Before I dive into more detail on each of these 5 reasons you might be hitting the ball so high, let’s first understand why hitting the golf ball the right height is important. I also have solutions to each of the 5 potential reasons, so make sure you check it out and get work today to improve your golf swing and golf scores!
Why Is Hitting the Golf Ball The Right Height Important?
Being able to control your ball flight is essential to getting your game to the next level. There are 9 imaginary windows or boxes that the best golfers are able to hit the ball through. This allows the golfer to hit shots that range from the high fade to the low draw and everything in between.
With no two golf shots created the same due to weather, course conditions, pin setup and many other factors, having a variety of options for the golfer can help the golfer hit the most consistent, safe golf shots that provide the golfer with the ability to get close to the pin or hit the fairway on a tee shot.
Overall, having control of the ball flight will also help in windy conditions. If you only hit a high fade, you might struggle in certain wind conditions, especially on the most windy golf days!
Reason #1 – Why Am I Hitting The Golf Ball So High: Casting
The casting of the golf club might be the single most common swing faults among high handicap golfers. The inability to maintain any lag, leads to a loss of speed and extra loft added to the swing prior to impact. This leads to poor contract and when the ball is well struck, potentially a ball flight that is too high for your liking.
The casting starts from the top when the right hand extends too early and you lose all angles in your golf swing. This causes issues with ball flight, distance and overall consistency. If you can get rid of the casting, you will see an overall improvement in ball striking.
Solution
While many tried to hold the lag to stop casting, there is a better solution. This approach will help you free up your swing, not cast the club and have overall better results.
Reason #2 – Why Am I Hitting The Golf Ball So High: Improper Weight Shift
A golfer who gets stuck with their weight or pressure on the back leg, might have trouble compressing the ball and flighting it lower. As the golfer hangs back, he or she might add additional loft to the club at impact. Instead, make sure you get 85-90% of the pressure on your front leg and get your hands ahead of the ball. This all starts with the proper weight shift.
There are many drills you can use to feel what the proper impact feels like. One possible helpful drill is where you place about 90% of the weight on your front side and place your back leg up on its toe. From here attempt to get a decent turn and feel the quality of impact when the pressure of your weight is close to fully on the frost side.
This will help you compress the ball better and keep your dynamic loft down. Did you know that the average loft on an 8 iron is between 37-39 degrees, however, the average launch angle on tour with an 8 iron is 18.1 degrees. This couldn’t possibly happen with an improper weight shift because the pressure must get forward in order to reduce the loft and compress the ball.
Resource: How to get better at golf without lessons (11 tips)
Solution
Reason #3 – Why Am I Hitting The Golf Ball So High: Angle of Attack
If your angle of attack is too high with the driver or too aggressively down with the irons, you may hit the ball too high.
With the driver, if you tee it high and let it fly, like you hear many people tell you, the end result might be a driver that is hit too high. This is especially true if you have even the slightest casting motion in your release.
Instead, make sure you find a comfortable tee high and keep your angle of attack only several degrees up with the driver. Once you can control your height and you want some extra distance, you can move your tee height up a bit in search for more distance.
Solution
Reason #4 – Why Am I Hitting The Golf Ball So High: Wrong Equipment
If you have the wrong shaft in your driver for your swing speed, not only are you going to lose distance, have trouble with accuracy, but chances are you will hit the ball too high. This is especially true of those that have a shift that has the wrong kick point for your swing. This will result in extra loft being added at impact, resulting in higher shots and a difficult to control driver in the wind.
It is essential to get fitted and ensure you have the right club, especially if you feel that you are hitting the ball too high and can eliminate the above three issues presented as your problem. It may come down to your equipment!
Resource: Should I shorten my driver?
Solution
Reason #5 – Why Am I Hitting The Golf Ball So High: Wrong Golf Ball
Many golfers fail to understand the importance of having the right golf ball for their game. If your swing speed is above 100 miles per hour and you are playing a low compression ball, chances are the golf ball is flying too high and taking away distance from you.
This becomes more true with the irons if you compress the ball with some quality and get the ball to fly high. While this might be great for you on those non windy days, as soon as the wind kicks up, watch out!
Testing out different golf balls either on your portable launch monitor or just hitting shots around the course is important. On a day when you are striking the ball solid and are playing a practice round, pull out different kinds of golf balls and test it out!
Resource: Sudden loss of distance with driver (7 checkpoints)
Solution
One More Solution: Know Your Numbers
In today’s golf world, you will see many golfers with a portable launch monitor. While many can’t afford a Trackman, there are some great options at the amateur level between 500 and 2000 dollars. My first choice is the SkyTrak Launch monitor as I have hit thousands of shots on my golf simulator set up and at the driving range with my portable launch monitor.
The game changing feedback, especially in ball speed and launch angle are priceless and give you the information you need to make adjustments in real time! No more struggling at the range trying to guess what your ball did.
Here are 3 great recommendations:
Here are 5 Trackman Alternatives
Drill To Control Fall Flight
Work on hitting golf balls into the 9 windows. Once you can control low, mid and height, you can add in draw and fades to a more straight shot
This drill can get you to start focusing on a target, which can actually help your ball casting. Once that focus goes to the target, instead of the golf ball, resulting typically get better!
Resource: 9 different golf shots to help your game today!
The 9 Different Types of Golf Shots
High Fade | High Straight | High Draw |
Medium Fade | Medium Straight | Medium Draw |
Low Fade | Low Straight | Low Draw |
Final Thoughts: Why Am I Hitting The Ball So High
Golf is a complicated game. Fortunately, there are some simple solutions to your issues that we try to help out with. If you are struggling with your ball flight, test out the different solutions presented above. Start with numbers 1, 2 and 3 before moving to numbers 4 and 5.
Get your cell phone set up and record your golf swing from both the caddie view and down the line. The caddie view is great to see if you are shifting your weight and keeping your head behind the ball. It also can capture an early cast in your swing, especially in the slow motion feature.
Compare your swings to some pro swings from youtube and see the difference. Not that you can expect their type of lag overnight, but it can provide an idea of what the end goal might be.
