For golf swing, why do they say that you have to "push it down" to get the ball flying up?

Question

How does the physics work? Should I aim to hit the ball under the ground?
I am an inconsitent swinger and usually keep my T's very high for the ball to go up.

Answer 1

I think you mean hit down on the ball, I've never heard the push it down. Pushing down with your right arm is one of the most common errors that cause a lot of bad shots. I have a lot of great links on my blog roll that can help you or you can e-mail me if you have any other questions about it.

Answer 2

Hey Shane how you do-in?
When people say you have to "hit down on the ball"
it just means that with the irons say 3-SW your aim is to strike the ball almost at its very base with a slightly downward path. The downward path becomes steeper as you go down in club length but that is more a factor of the ball being positioned a little bit further towards the middle of your stance as the clubs get shorter.
If you look at a ball lying on the fairway you see that there is little gap between the ground and the upward curve of the ball. PERFECT ball striking with an iron is when the leading edge of the face slots perfectly into that gap with a slightly downward path. The vast majority of shots are variations from perfect. The pros just make that difference as small as they can through good repetitive technique and practise
The physics of why a ball goes up in the air with this slightly descending strike is simple. The ball when it is first hit doesn't immediately go off the club face, it actually compresses while at the same time slightly rolling up the face of the club head. It is this rolling and then springing off that allows the loft of the club to work.

Now just to finish off you dont normally hit your woods with a descending stroke because they are designed to sweep the ball. If you do hit with that type of path the ball will tend to pop up into the air if its on a tee or will go very low and even along the ground.
The only real variation to this is when you use a 4 or 5 wood out of the rough and hit with a slightly downward swing and open face. This shot is used when the rough isnt really long and tight, but trying to hit a long iron isnt feasible.It will give you greater distance because the head of the club goes through the rough better than an iron does.

Answer 3

Hit down on the ball,not straight into the ground but enough for a divot in front of where the ball was sitting after you hit!

Answer 4

the loft of the club is what gets the ball in the air - with your woods and driver, the swing is more of a "sweeping" motion but with most of your irons you are actually hitting the ball with a descending blow - the loft is what gets the ball up - if you notice the pros when they hit a ball they take up a divot - the divot come AFTER they strike the golf ball - if they weren't swinging down, how could they take a divot? they couldn't

Answer 5

hitting down on the ball imparts back spin which is an essential force in getting the ball airborne and creating a stable ball flight