6 Ways To Hit The Ball Cleaner.

One of the major things which separate high and low handicap golfers is consistency. Many high handicappers can hit the ball just fine most of the time, but are punished heavily for duffed shots when they didn't strike the ball on the sweet spot of the club.
So this article is just going to give you 6 simple tips on how to hit the ball cleaner and more consistently... in turnhelping improve your scores.

Keep Your Eye On The Ball
I know it's pretty simple but it's still something that a lot of golfers forget. Taking your eyes off the ball will result in you pulling out of the swing too early. One of the major keys to hitting consistently clean golf shots is to focus your eyes solely on the ball throughout the entire swing.

Hit Down On The Ball
Another thing you have probably heard a lot but don't consciously think about. There are exceptions with different shots, but for the majority of strokes you should make the effort to hit down AT the ball, rather than scooping it up. You will find you'll hit the ball a lot cleaner... but also with a lot more power.

Analyze Your Contact
If you are consistently having trouble hitting the ball on the sweetspot of the club, you should look into investing in some sort of impact spray or tape. You simply apply it to your club when you are practicing, and the ball will leave a mark on the club after it is hit: giving you a clear visual indication of where you are contacting the ball... and in turn allowing you to more easily correct your swing.

Get Your Clubs Fitted
Make sure that your clubs are customized for your swing speed. You don't want the shaft to 'kick' too early or too late as this will have a big impact on whether or not the ball is struck on the sweet spot.

Have A Pre-shot Routine
Having a consistent pre-shot routine is one of the best ways to remove doubt and tension from your swing... which is necessary if you want to hit cleaner shots. So pick a routine and use it for every shot (even when you are at the range) and gradually you will find yourself developing a more repeatable swing.

The Bottle Cap Drill
This is a great drill that I swear by. What you do is get an old club and simply use it to hit bottle caps from the cement. Start with small strokes and gradually build up to a full swing. It takes a near perfect swing to consistently hit the bottle caps without smashing the cement... and when you get back out on the course things will seem so much easier.

So now you have some ideas of where to start in improving the consistency of your contact... and hopefully soon you'll be finding the sweet spot more often.