Video Transcript

How You’re Supposed To Hit A Golf Ball (The Greats Felt THIS)

Legendary Golf Swings and the “Hit Through” Concept

“So, I want you to imagine some of your favorite swings of old. Think about that timeless, effortless looking action of say a Sam Snead, a George Knudson, a Gene Littler “the machine”, or many’s favorite, the great Mickey Wright. So, what is it all these great ball strikers had in common to make their swings look so flowing and athletic and yet able to produce such great control over their ball?

Well, I think there was one invisible feel that often goes unnoticed, and it’s something that a couple of the people on this list have mentioned before, and it’s something that’s really helped my swing and my ball striking over the years.

Something I fall back on all the time, and I really think it’s how you’re supposed to hit the golf ball. So, real quick, here it is. I’m going to walk into this shot with the intention that I am not hitting at the golf ball, but rather through the golf ball. It’s going to get in the way of my motion.

Let’s see how it goes. Good intention and move through it. Well, I’ll take that six iron, my favorite club, all day long.”

Eliminating the Hit Impulse for Consistent Ball Striking

“So, hey there, Henry Fall here back in the lab today. And for those of you who’ve been following along, thanks for stopping by. If you are new here, I’d really appreciate it if you hit that subscribe button. It really helps me out and I’ll be sending you some more content soon.

So, the question is, how are you supposed to hit the golf ball? That word hit, I want you to put that aside for a little bit. We’re going to be saying it a lot in this video, but I want you to hear the sharpness of that word hit. Hit, right? So, how do we kind of take that out of the golf swing?

That sort of hit reflex, the hit impulse, whatever you kind of want to call it. So, if you’re struggling with some chunks, some thins, not getting the distance you think you should be getting, there’s a good chance you have some of this in your swing, not quite finding a way to move through that ball.

That’s going to help you move that low point forward, get that divot after the ball, and maximize your speed at the right point. And today, I’m going to be sharing with you a few simple drills and feels to help bring about more powerful and pure strikes. And I really want to key in on the question.

A More Effortless Golf Swing Awaits…

“How do we move through the shot? Sam Snead said it best. Just listen here. And you don’t hit at it, you hit through it. Now, I repeated that several times for a reason cuz I really think I want to drive this point home. And I think it’s really going to help your ball striking. It’s helped me a lot over the years.

It’s something I’ve fallen back on. To really take any added force or effort out of the swing and really just flow through it, move through that shot. Here’s another way I like to say it. I like to collect the golf ball or the golf ball is in the way.

It’s just a point in time in the swing. You want to be swinging this club, swinging it freely, and flowing through the ball. The ball should not be your exclusive target. you got a target out there and we want to connect those points.

So, as you saw in that last six iron I hit, I really focused on getting through that ball and feeling my energy sort of out front and connecting that ball down the target line at the target. And so many great players have talked about this throughout history, not just Sam Snead, but also you can think of like a George Knudson in his book, The Natural Golf Swing.

He really talks about not kind of fixating on at this ball, not not getting ball bound. That little white devil’s just sitting there for you. But we want to learn to collect that ball and move through it and send it out at our target.”

Energy Forward

“That keeps your your body moving, keeps your energy moving and lets you pass through that ball sort of uninhibited. And that’s what I really think helps these great golf swings look so much more natural, free, flowing, smooth when you compare that to most amateur golfers I see on the lesson tee who are really again trying to throw the club, push the club at the ball, and it’s almost like that’s their end point.

Well, my end point’s all the way over here and I’m trying to finish the job. So, as I said, this is something I fall back on regularly to free myself up, move through the shot, and even when I’m practicing, even when I’m just hitting some nice little dinkers, as I call them, I’m just moving through it, collecting the ball, and not really feeling like I’m applying a lot of hit or force.

So, if you’re trying to make a swing change as well, I highly recommend that you keep this philosophy and this sort of invisible feel in the back of your mind.

Cuz as I see it, a lot of the changes that people are trying to make and a lot of issues that come about in golf swings are caused because of this sort of invisible feel. That ball is sitting there stationary on the ground and all you want to do is just hit at it. when the best throughout history learned to move through it and collect it.”

Target Focus and Low Point Control like Jack Nicklaus

“So, there’s perhaps no one better at this than the great Jack Nicklaus being able to connect the dots as he was setting up, seeing his intermediate target, seeing his eventual target and the ball and lining up those points.

He’s making a line right out to where he wants to go. and that gets his focus through the ball, energy through the ball rather than say behind the ball, at the ball, and thus taking him away from being an athlete. So, let’s see if I can connect those points like the great Jack Nicklaus and move through this shot.

All right, pretty good. So, that’s a great sensation feeling to kind of line things up. I even put a little railroad on the ground just to get my focus not only at that ball but through that ball.

And what you’ll see is that with that movement pattern, you’re going to see a reduction in those chunks and thins. You’re going to see less focus on this back side of your circle and more focus on the front side of your circle where it really counts and moving through that ball.”

High Tee Drill to Free Up Swing

“So, one thing I’ve heard that Jack Nicklaus did throughout his career was hit a lot of balls with irons off a tee. Now, I’ve gone a little high here. I’ve gone a little maybe excessive, but we’ve seen drills like this by the likes of, say, Wyndham Clark at this year’s US Open, and it’s just a nice way to take some of that hit out of the ball and be able to just kind of move through it, right?

So now that it’s kind of teed up, I don’t feel this added necessity to drive that club into the ground or drive that club at the ball. I can kind of move through it. Like if I was playing tee-ball as a kid or you think of a baseball hitter, when that pitch is coming, they’re not just going to stop at the ball, right?”

Follow Through the Golf Ball

“They’re moving through that ball so they can send that thing right out of the park. So that’s the beauty of this little exercise is that kind of ties in other sports. When you’re playing tennis, the ball’s coming over the net. You’re delivering that forehand. You’re getting it out towards that target.

You got to figure out how you’re going to move through that ball to create the trajectory and spin you want. Because that ball’s moving, you feel a lot more free and athletic. And I think that’s where golfers get so stuck is because that ball gets on the ground and then they just get this kind of knee-jerk reaction and, you know, that’s no fun.

So, I really like this little tea drill to free yourself up and move through the ball and just hit a few where you just go slow and collect it. It also gives you a great sense of the club face and where the club is in space cuz it’s pretty hard to hit it solid off this tee.

Your club has to be moving really nice and flat through that ball and being able to achieve a a consistent contact is not easy. But for me, I really focus on the movement in my swing so that I don’t get too consumed with the results.

I’m getting more consumed with the movement and be able to take some of the hit out of that ball. So, I feel a little bit more free and relaxed.”

The Sweeper Drill for Smooth Turf Interaction

“Now, another drill we’ve seen done recently by Wyndham Clark is a little what we call kind of the sweeper drill, but I’m sure there’s other names for it. But basically, you can kind of set up, put the club on the ground, maybe start a little bit behind the ball and just feel like you kind of work your way through impact a little bit and then gather that ball and turn through and kind of let it be pushed out towards the target.

Now, if you can get the ball a little bit airborne, that would be great. Let me see if I can improve on that. There we go. So, you see how I kind of it went slightly left up the plane as I was turning out of the way. But that’s a nice feeling to again kind of collect that golf ball, take some of the hit out of it.

And you’ll definitely feel some different things through and past the ball with how your chest is able to unwind, how you are able to let that lead leg kind of lengthen out and and roll a little bit onto that foot and get the club to circle up the plane.

That was a really good one. So, that’s a really nice feeling to move through the shot and take out some of that hit. So, then I could just build on that. I did switch to an eight iron for this exercise, but then I could just build on that and feel that same sensation and then go ahead and just chip some with that same feeling or I can just move on through it.”

Rehearsals for Natural Golf Swing Mechanics

“So, my last little recommendation for this would be to marry this sensation and this feeling into your practice swings. Add it into your rehearsals where even if you’re working on something technical, even if you’re working on something new at setup, maybe a little grip change or or trying to get rid of that push and over the top move.

Whatever it may be, I want you to learn to incorporate this sensation of moving through the ball because I really think it’s going help bring about a more natural and athletic way to your swing changes and your rehearsals and your feels and what you can bring out on the golf course.

Cuz when you’re out on the golf course and you have a lot of mechanics and positions in mind, that can be a little bit trying. That can be difficult. So, even in your practice, like I really like to hit little shots where I might just take some practice swings feeling nice and free and then just let the ball get in the way of that motion and not really care so much where it goes.”

Give Up Control to Gain Control

“Not even care about the contact necessarily. As you can see, I hit like a little pushy cut out there, but it just felt free. It felt natural. And that’s such a nice way to approach the golf swing and ball striking for that matter. George Knudson said it best. You got to give up control to gain control.

Well, I gave up control there. I didn’t care where that ball went. I didn’t care how I hit it, but it felt organic. It felt free. It felt like I was moving more like a natural athlete.

And I just think that’s what you’re seeing from the best players in the world and the greatest swings of all time. They were okay with not hitting a great shot if they were working on something or feeling something. And I just think this is a good overarching sort of invisible feel for your swing where you can learn to move through that ball, collect it just like the great of old.

Sam Snead Said it Best…

Let me hit one more nice six iron here hopefully and really let those words from Sam Snead here marinate for a second. And you don’t hit at it, you hit through. So yes, sir. You don’t hit at the ball, you hit through the ball. Let’s see if I can hit through the ball. collect it and get out of the way. All right, pretty darn solid.

So, let’s take out the word hit from your vocabulary during your next round or your next practice session at the range. Learn to collect, gather, have that golf ball get in the way of your movement and your swing. So, thanks again for watching.

If you are new here, don’t forget to hit that subscribe button. really helps me out. I’d appreciate it. And I’ll have new content coming out here soon. And if you need some more one-on-one personalized coaching, come on over to my website, henryfallgolf.com. We also have golf schools, our online academy with Milo Lines Golf, who I work with. So would love to have you guys over there as well. We’ll see you next time.”

For Personalized Help With Your Game…

I’m Henry Fall, and I’m dedicated to helping golfers of all skill levels through a personalized approach blended with our athletic swing principles. Whether you are a local here in Mesa, Arizona, or a golfer on the other side of the world, I am here (along with our full team at Milo Lines Golf) to provide the roadmap you need to strike the ball with more confidence. You book 1-on-1 golf lessons in person at Dobson Ranch Golf Course and Back Nine Golf in Gilbert, where I offer comprehensive coaching tailored to your unique swing. Or join us for a golf school for an unforgettable experience!

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