What is the cause of double hits?

[Eracer]

Yesterday, I had three penalties for double hits. They happened during very short pitch shots out of thick bermuda greenside rough. This is not the first time that I've had this problem.

Does anyone know why this happens?

[Pa Jayhawk]

Just based on your statement, It would appear that you are not making clean enough contact with the ball on enough of a decending path. I would only guess that you are hitting behind the ball, causing the ball to pop up and the speed of the club is releasing faster than the ball.

Just a guess based on the situation though.

[Eracer]

Just based on your statement, It would appear that you are not making clean enough contact with the ball on enough of a decending path. I would only guess that you are hitting behind the ball, causing the ball to pop up and the speed of the club is releasing faster than the ball.

Just a guess based on the situation though.

One of my playing partners yesterday said that it looks like I try to those short pitches with the same swing I use for my approach shots. Too much backswing and a deceleration at impact. He thought that I was reverting to a swing that I have confidence in, since I do hit my irons pretty well. This fits in with what you are saying Jayhawk.

[Augster]

Really the only way to get a double-hit as you describe is to decelerate at the bottom. The clubhead is PASSING your HANDS.

Preset your hands ahead of the ball with your weight on your left foot. Now swing down and through. No weight shift. MOST IMPORTANTLY is to swing THROUGH.

When you decel, your hands have stopped moving and the clubhead is passing them. This is fine in a lob shot that you are TRYING to do as you are "flicking" the clubhead with ACCELERATION through the ball.

When you aren't trying to do that shot, your hands are slowing down, the clubhead is passing your hands, it hits the ball, and the clubhead continues UPWARD (because your hands are semi-fixed and behind the clubhead) and hits the ball again.

On a normal chip/pitch the clubface should be trying to "SQUISH" the ball into the ground. With your weight on your left side, this will insure you are striking "down and through" as you "squish" it.

The clubhead travels down, the ball goes up. When the clubhead is traveling up and the ball is also going up, the double-hit may occur.

Accelerate down and through your chips/pitches.

[Eracer]

Thanks guys. i've got to find some of the same kind of rough to practice in. On normal or tight lies I'm getting better at the "down and through" motion. The "squishing" as you call it Augster. But when the ball is sitting down in 3 inches of bermuda, it's damn near impossible to even make contact with the ball by keeping the hands ahead and the club delofted. A chipping motion doesn't work. And a lob shot, which I guess is what I was wrongly trying to do, doesn't work either, due to the shallow angle of attack. The grass slows the club down, the ball doesn't have enough momentum, and by trying to follow-through, the clubhead continues on its arc and catches up to the ball. Maybe it would work if I swung harder, thus popping the ball out, but it's awfully hard to take a big swing when you are 5 yards off the putting surface.

What about addressing this shot with a closed stance? Would that naturally steepen the swing and allow the club to have a better chance of contacting the ball first? Take the club up steeply inside and "wrist it" down onto the ball? Maybe that would at least keep the clubhead from traveling on an inside path on the follow-through.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

That's a tough lie!

If the ball is sitting up enough, then the cut lob can be played, and it's much like a bunker shot. Open up the face on the wedge, take a 1/2 to 3/4 swing back, and make a swing cutting underneath the ball. The dangers are getting too far underneath or the dreaded skull. It needs practice.

The other shot which I've been getting to work with some success also requires practice because it's got its own difficulties. But it's good when the ball has nestled all the way down, and there's no way of playing a cut lob. I close up my stance, put the ball towards the toe of my back foot so as to encourage me to take a steep angle of attack, club goes back about halfway, then, now comes the tricky part:

You go down hard at the back of the ball, but you also need the thought that you're going to stop that club almost immediately after impact.

It's not an easy shot to control, and it also needs practice. But with enough practice you can get good at popping the ball out and putting it on the putting surface.

In lots of ways the big thing is practicing this kind of shot, so when you have it, you feel confident you can hit it. You've really got to be confident that you can hit it.

[Pa Jayhawk]

One other thought that may be worth considering when practicing this is to make sure you are not strangling the club. The few times I have noticed where I have double hit a ball, and when I am chipping very poorly is when I am gripping harder than need be. I just thought it may be worth thinking about, as you mention it is very heavy rough. One would have a tendancy to grip tighter to make sure the face does not close or open through impact. I know if I grip tighter I tend to loose the ability to easily follow through on chips and pitches.

I can't help but think a good drill to consider in maybe checking for correct form is one I saw Pelz mention in his Bible, and one John Daly always pushes every time I see him on TV. That being practicing with only your lead arm, and put your back hand in your pocket. Warm up every session using this drill. It is really hard to do if you are strangling the club, not following through properly, or using any kind of bad technique.

[Augster]

Eracer,

For the lie you are describing, the Little Pro Eddie Merrins talks about that and it's basically what RBB said.

Eddie says to take a BIG swing, but do it incredibly slowly. Swinging in a swimming pool is how he has you envision the shot.

Like RBB said, it's tough to do without any practice. It's pretty easy once you practice it a few times. You need to still accelerate the clubface, only you are doing it very SLOWLY. Swimming pool. The ball comes out very lightly, and high, and with no spin whatsoever. Hits with a thud and stops.

Try this a few times next time you practice.

[Eracer]

Thanks for the good advice, guys. I will work on it.