John Madeira has been a Surgite for about six months and he's found that it has really improved his game. The one thing he questions, however, is his ball trajectory--it's a lot higher than when he was a rotational swinger.
"Surge
I've been using your Surge system for about six months and it has improved my overall game significantly. I am hitting the ball better than ever and more consistently with good accuracy. I do find that I am hitting all my shots much higher than I did in the past. I have allowed for it in the distance I get with each club but I wouldn't mind getting a little more distance if I could. Any thoughts on how I can lower my ball trajectory?"
Well, John, let's review the main points you made in your question:
- You are hitting the ball better than ever
- More consistently
- With greater accuracy
- and your shots have a much higher trajectory that you are used to
There's a reason your shots are going higher than they used to fly with your rotational swing--and it's not a bad thing, in my opinion. In a rotational swing, the rapid hip turn in the forward swing results in the player getting ahead of the ball. That's why rotational swingers lag, drag, hold and block their way to and through impact. (It's also why a rotational swing actually begins to decelerate before impact). When this happens, the club is actually de-lofted a bit resulting in a lower trajectory ball flight. In the Peak Performance Golf Swing, we do not cock or hinge our wrists and we swing up through the ball, keeping our head behind the ball until impact. That's why a vertical swing is accelerating at impact and because this swing follows the "On, On, On, Square and Solid" principle, the club does not de-loft at all. Thus, you are getting a higher ball trajectory than you are used to seeing. But is that a bad thing? You've already said you've adjusted for this difference by selecting a different club, which is a smart thing to do. And wouldn't you rather have a higher trajectory when hitting fairway woods and longer irons to the green? Your shots will hold the green better than ones with a lower trajectory.
A solid hit with the club square to the aiming line will hit a higher, straighter shot. The ball literally bores through the air, resisting the effects of wind better and generally lands on-target or just slightly off. In most instances this is what we want to happen, but there are times when hitting a ball lower is the right play. To do that you need to know how to work the ball and that is a skill that anyone can learn with a little practice. Unfortunately, it's something that I can't cover in a 6-7 minute tip. Earlier this year, I released what I consider the definitive instructional video on how to work the ball. In it I teach you how to hit a ball low, medium low, medium high, high and very high depending on what the shot calls for. It's titled Working The Ball, aptly enough, and it is available in Surge's Shop in either digital access or hard copy DVD format.
If your ball trajectory concern is mainly with your driver, and if you think the ball is higher than it should be, you could have your club checked out by a qualified club fitter. He can analyze your vertical swing and tell you if you need a lower lofted driver than you are currently playing. You may also want to look for a ball that has been designed to deliver a lower trajectory flight pattern, though don't go too far in this regard for all the reasons I've cited above.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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