One thing beginners and intermediate players have in common is they struggle to master how to hit a golf ball straight. For this reason, some beginner golfers buy golf balls online that only fly straight when you hit them. These types of golf balls are called illegal golf balls and are okay when you are just starting or playing golf as a recreational sport.

However, if you wish to buy golf balls that are not illegal, like Bridgestone and Titleist golf balls, then you need to learn how to hit the ball straight all the time. This is even more true for you if you wish to be a professional golf player and hope to play golf more than as a recreational sport.

In this article, we will go through a few steps that will help you hit a golf ball straight every time. These steps and techniques will take some time to master, so be sure to be patient with yourself and give yourself a lot of room for errors. Also, lots of practice will drastically improve your game, so ensure you practice a lot.

If you wish to learn to hit golf balls straight every time, here are some steps you should follow:

Step 1: Get into a nice stance

As a novice, the first thing you need to learn is getting a solid stance. If you are an intermediate golf player, then you might want to consider working on your old stance. Check and confirm that your body is properly lined up with your target. Also, look at your divot. Is it pointing directly at your target? If yes, then you are good to go. 

To make it easy, try drawing a straight line between the golf ball and the target you wish to hit. This will help you align your position so that when you hit, you can be sure it is going straight towards the target. To confirm that the ball is going to meet its straight target, try to make your shoulder, as well as other key part of your body parallel with the straight line. 

If you practice and get your stance right, all other thing will become easier.

Step 2: Get Your Grip Right

The first thing you want to do to hit golf balls straight is to get your grip right. Grip your golf club firmly with your lead hand. Your lead hand is the hand close to the target. Get your lead hand’s grip right by keeping your thumb down. This kind of grip is known as the neutral grip.

Also, you wish to place your non-lead hand firmly around the golf club as well. However, remember that your grip should not be too firm on the club, as that can make it difficult to hit the ball straight. Keep your grip a bit firm and a little loose.

Step 3: Align Your Club Properly With the Ball

The next step is to align your golf club with the ball. You want to make sure that your club is perpendicular to the ball and the target up ahead. To align the club properly, you can get another club and use it to trace the ball route to the target. Since it is a straight line, you can lay the club in front of the ball and make sure your own club is perpendicular to the one laying on the floor.

It is important that you select the right kind of golf club for this job. Try to avoid golf clubs that are too long, as they can totally distort your stance and make it impossible to align yourself with the ball. Also, golf clubs that are too short for you will make the process uncomfortable, and reduce your chances of hitting the ball straight.

Step 4: Watch Your Footwork

If you get your body position right, you won’t have a problem aligning your feet. You can decide to take different stances that make it easy for you to hit your target. You can choose the open stance, with your legs wide open or the closed stance which is your legs together with a slight opening.

Step 5: Focus on Your Backswing

A lot of people focus on the downswing and forget about the importance of a good backswing. This is not to say that the downswing is not important, but focusing on the downswing alone will not make you the full rounded golfer you wish to be. To get the perfect backswing, it is important you keep your lead arm straight as you move your arm to the top. A straight lead arm will prevent a premature release on the downswing. As soon as your lead shoulder gets under your chin, end your backswing and begin your release. 

Step 6: Hip Movement

Move your hips towards the target, and your arms will follow. Keep moving it as you execute the downswing, all the way to the impact and the follow through. Your hip movement when releasing can help you prevent early release and discomfort.

Step 7: Impact

At impact, keep moving your hips. Try to keep the club steady and don’t let it rotate. If you do it right, your full body will be facing the target after the hit is complete. Follow through all the way to get maximum impact on your ball.

Conclusion

Before you start researching on which Titleist golf balls you should buy to take your game to the next level, you want to be sure you have learnt the art of hitting the ball straight every time. As mentioned earlier, there are balls that are created for rookies who want the joy of seeing their balls go straight every time, but if you are looking to become a pro, you need to do better. 

Use these steps as a guide to hitting your first ball straight and practice over and over again until you have mastered the techniques listed here. 

June 29, 2021 — Ben Breckenridge