Tom Kite’s Secret Formula: Squash The Ball
Why It Will Help You Hit Shorter Approach Shots, Create More Backspin and Control Trajectory

Every golfer strives for the feeling of solid impact. In fact, experts say the best psychologist is a square clubface at impact. Unfortunately, many amateurs don’t acquire that feeling more than once or twice a round.

Tom Kite once described to me the feeling of “squashing the ball.” I thought it was a great mental picture. Most golfers try to lift the ball into the air by a scooping action. When a player scoops, instead of hammering, he loses distance and accuracy. Squashing the ball negates scooping because it encourages hammering the back of the ball.

More Spin On The Ball/ Control Distance
The ability to spin the ball is a goal of most amateur golfers. It is a sign of skill and control, especially in shots to the green.

There are several components in being able to put enough spin on the ball to make it stop or even spin back. One important component is the construction of the ball. Balls with harder covers will spin less than those with softer covers.

Another spin factor is the lie. If the ball is in the rough, there is almost no way to spin the ball, because the grass is caught between the clubface grooves and the ball. A lie in wet, short grass will reduce spin as well.

Keep in mind that all golf shots have backspin. However, natural backspin is not enough to make the ball stop or spin back. You must add certain skills to the swing. First, you must consider the angle of attack. Have you ever noticed that tour players rarely spin the ball with anything longer than an 8-iron? Since longer clubs produce shallow angles of attack, ball spin is diminished. Therefore, you should attempt to spin the ball with wedges and perhaps a 9-iron.

Good drills to help you learn how to put spin on the ball include making practice swings out of a fairway bunker, swinging over something on the downswing, practicing from perfect lies while making a divot after the ball and practicing with a sand wedge by hitting three-quarter shots at full speed.

Distance control comes from striking the ball the same way every time. If you can consistently squash the ball, you will be able to control the distance of your wedge and iron shots more easily.

There are additional ways to control distance, including club selection and variation of swing speed. You can also vary your swing length to control distance. When you shorten the swing, do not increase the speed, because it is more difficult to make solid contact and you may hit the ball the same distance as the full swing. Try hitting some balls with a three-quarter and half-length swing.

Rolling the forearms is another important aspect to squashing the ball and controlling distance. When the arms roll through impact, the clubface releases and stays square to the path. This motion produces speed and consistency. When the arms are not rolling, there is a decrease in speed. Often, the lack of roll is a result of tension. In any case, squash contact suffers.

To improve your distance control, try to laser five targets in 25-yard increments. For pitching control, lay down towels in 10-yard increments and attempt to land balls on them.

Control Trajectory
Good golf requires matching flight trajectory to purpose. Some shots require a high ball flight. For example, a shot to a flag on the front of the green needs to avoid forward bounce and spin. Other shots demand a lower flight. For instance, a shot from under a tree must avoid leaves and limbs. Whether high or low, the strike must be solid and must squash the ball.

The angle of attack on the ball is one of the most important factors in controlling trajectory. When a steep angle of attack is needed, the handle of the club must be more in front of the clubhead, resulting in less loft at impact. Keep in mind that if the wrists break down at impact, they will nullify the effect of the steep angle of attack.

The speed of the club also plays a role in a shot’s trajectory. A faster moving club will impart more spin on the ball than a slower moving club. The more the ball spins, the higher the golf shot.

The position of the ball at setup is another factor in controlling trajectory. The more forward the ball is positioned, the easier it is to hit a high shot, because the club is leaned less forward at impact, increasing the loft of the club. If the ball is positioned behind the center of the stance, it is easier to hit a lower shot, because the club will be leaned more forward at impact, decreasing the loft of the club.

You must also consider the amount of lag at impact when trying to control your trajectory. The more forward the hands are at impact, the less the amount of loft there will be on the club. This is a difficult way to control trajectory because it requires skill to make a swing change during play.

Hitting under or over an obstacle is a good way to practice controlling your trajectory. You can also visualize swinging up or down a slope. To swing down a slope, your weight is naturally more forward. Therefore, the angle of attack is steeper, and the swing tends to finish lower. The result is a lower ball flight.

To swing up a slope, your weight is concentrated more on the back foot. Therefore, the angle of attack is shallower, and the swing tends to finish higher. The result is a higher ball flight.

Longer Drives/ Shorter Approach Shots
One of the greatest benefits to squashing the ball is increasing distance. Take note that off-center strikes decrease distance by up to 8 percent.

To practice striking the center of the face, use some impact tape on the clubface to mark where the ball strikes the face at impact. When practicing, be sure to place the ball on a tee.

Another way to increase distance is to deloft the clubface at impact. This means the club shaft leans toward the target at impact. It does not mean presetting a closed clubface at address.

To practice delofting the club at impact, make some slow-motion swings, as well as shorter swings, to increase the control of the club.

Finally, to increase distance you need to be able to swing your arms faster and increase club speed.

The feet-together drill is a great drill to increase speed. This drill from Jim McLean and Golf Digest’s Book of Drills isolates the arms by placing the feet very close together. Make your normal backswing with a big shoulder turn and then just swing your arms to the finish. Be sure to allow your body to turn and your weight to finish on the front foot.

Other drills to help you increase speed and distance include swinging faster while maintaining balance, picking up your heels to help generate more speed and swinging light and heavy clubs.