When the irons are flying too high, it becomes imperative to analyze your golf swing as a golfer.
You don’t want to compromise your performance by having an exaggerated downswing or hitting the ball incorrectly. Simple adjustments will help refine your golf swing and make it easier to hit the ball properly.
To do this, you will wonder, why do I hit my irons so high?
The most common reasons for hitting an iron high are improper alignment, bad weight distribution, too much hip movement, and not standing close enough to the ball. This leads to an exaggerated swing that lacks control.
To stop hitting irons high in golf, you will want to stand closer to the ball and focus on keeping your arm tucked during the swing. Otherwise, too much wayward movement occurs making it difficult to hit the ball properly.
Hitting irons too high and short is a common concern in golf. You will want to regulate this type of swing as soon as possible or it will hurt your performance on the golf course.
Here is a look at the reasons for hitting irons high and what to do about it.
Reasons For Hitting Iron So High
1. Improper Alignment
When there is an increased loft to your golf shot, you will want to focus on your alignment before hitting the ball.
What is causing you to hit the iron so high?
The main issue will be your alignment with the ball. It is likely out of order.
For example, you might be standing too far away from the ball causing you to “reach” when striking the ball. It’s important to maintain a good stance and also ensure you are close enough to the ball where you are not closing the face of the golf club upon impact.
When learning how to lower ball flight with irons, you need to concentrate on your impact position as a golfer.
If you don’t do this, the ball is going to keep ballooning when you don’t want it to.
2. Bad Weight Distribution
Ballooning iron shots in golf is a real concern.
It is possible you are dealing with a weight distribution issue.
This means you are now allowing the power to flow through the body during the impact. This happens when you are top-heavy with your shot or moving your lower body too quickly.
This causes you to hit the ball at an odd angle and/or use too much force.
3. Excessive Power
If you are hitting a golf ball too high, it might come down to something as simple as too much power.
A lot of golfers will look at distance and want to get ahead of themselves when it comes to performance.
Yes, it is good to have distance on the ball but it might not always be ideal. You need to control the power in your shots. This is how you are going to become more accurate and see the results you are hoping for.
If not, you are going to keep ballooning your iron shots.
4. Too Much Hip Movement
Hitting a golf ball too high with a driver can sometimes come down to your hip movement.
Are your hips moving side to side during the downswing?
This might be the reason your body is not steady upon impact. This will either cause the golf ball to go too high or you are going to have it veer to the side.
This is when you need to learn how to stop blocking drives in golf.
It is also important to make sure you are locking the hips and keeping them in control during the downswing.
This is how you are going to stop hitting your irons high.
How To Stop Hitting Your Irons So High
1. Keep Your Head Behind The Ball
If you hit the golf balls too high, it’s time to work with your head positioning before anything else.
What does this mean?
If your head is not behind the ball, your body is going to be out of control during the downswing. This means the ball is going to go wherever your swing ends up and that is simply a complete lack of control on your part as a golfer.
So, how do you stop this?
To stop ballooning your iron shots, you will need to focus on keeping the head behind the golf ball.
This is why standing closer to the ball is great as it will make it easier to optimize your head positioning.
2. Stand Closer To The Ball
If you are hitting a ball high on a clubface with irons, it is time to stand closer to the golf ball.
This is going to ensure you don’t close the face of your club upon impact.
When you are reaching during the swing, you are going to make this mistake. Learn to stand close enough where you are going to make an impact with the golf ball at the right time during your downswing.
Otherwise, you will be too far through your swing causing the golf ball to go high into the air.
3. Loosen Your Grip
How is your grip on the golf club?
To stop hitting the golf ball so high, you need to think about how you are holding the golf club too.
Sometimes, a golfer is going to be clutching the golf club tightly. This leads to issues where the golf club is going to become an issue for you.
The best option is to loosen the grip and maintain a fluid downswing.
Test this out with a few practice drills as a golfer and then see what happens. You will notice an immediate change in your golfing accuracy.
4. Maintain A Slight Squat
If you hit your iron shots really high, it’s also important to think about your stance.
Are you too upright?
When a golfer is upright, it is a lot harder to hit the ball in the right spot. Instead, you are going to hit it too high and the ball will go flying where it shouldn’t.
To stop this, you always want to maintain a slight squat.
It does not have to be exaggerated but it should be enough to allow the downswing to be manageable.
5. Use The Right Golf Club
Hitting high on the clubface might not have a lot to do with your downswing.
Instead, you might have an issue with the type of golf club being used on the golf course. You might be using the wrong type of golf club.
It’s important to analyze what is happening.
If you are not using a golf club that is designed for your game, you are going to see issues with how the golf ball moves.
Look into this and take the time to make sure you are using the right golf clubs. This includes running a few golf drills to see what works best.
Fun Drills To Stop Hitting Iron So High
1. Soft & Hard Power Drill
To stop hitting iron so high, you will want to take the time to do this golfing drill.
The soft and hard power drill is a great option.
The purpose here is to vary your power output.
You are going to line up a few golf balls and then swing with different levels of force. Don’t think about the distance when hitting the golf ball.
You simply want to adjust the power in your shot.
Which one feels right?
Once you find the sweet spot, you are now going to use this amount of power for all of your drills. You will begin to adjust to this golf swing speed and it will be easier to time your shots.
2. Bump Drill
If the iron ball flight is too high, you will want to use what is known as a bump drill.
What is the bump drill in golf?
You are going to set up the alignment stick near the hip area. This will allow you to “bump” against the alignment stick while swinging during a drill.
The idea is to make sure you are not making contact with the alignment stick. If you make contact, this means your hips are moving too much.
You will need to tighten your stance.
3. Glove Drill
Some people have flailing arms when they are swinging a golf club. It is important to put a stop to this as soon as you can.
To do this, you are going to run a glove drill.
The idea of a glove drill is to use a lanyard and attach a glove to it. You are going to tuck this glove under your back armpit (i.e. left armpit for a left-handed swing).
Now, you are going to swing while attempting to not let the glove drop.
This ensures your back arm stays tucked in.
Why Do Iron Shots Go Too High?
Iron shots go too high when you are hitting with too much power, there’s excessive hip movement during the downswing, or you are standing too far away from the golf ball upon impact.
It’s recommended to make slight alternations to your stance while keeping the back arm tucked in.
This is how you are going to keep the ball flight low as a golfer. It will take a few drills to ensure you adapt to this change but it will improve your game as time goes on.
How Do I Keep My Golf Shot Low?
To keep your golf shot low, it’s important to stand closer to the ball, reduce your power, and ensure your head stays behind the ball. This will allow the downswing to come in a straight line and the weight distribution will be balanced too.
It’s going to take a bit of time to make these adjustments as a golfer.
To reduce ball flight as a golfer, you will need to go through a few drills such as the ones listed above.
This is how you are going to optimize the results and ensure you are heading down the right path.
Final Thoughts
Why do I hit my irons so high?
Hitting an iron high happens when too much power is being used, the weight distribution is off, the head doesn’t remain behind the ball, and there is too much hip movement during the downswing.
It’s recommended to stand closer to the ball to quicken the impact position.
This will also ensure the ball moves as it needs to in the air.
