In the golf swing, the low point is the bottom of the arc of your swing. For a stock, consistent swing from the turf, we want the low point to occur after the ball (forward of the ball) to ensure crisp, compressed contact.
When training this, a fundamental rule is to keep your stock ball position consistent relative to your body center. As your clubs lengthen and your stance widens, the ball will appear further forward in your stance, but its spatial relationship to your core remains steady. To hit the ball then the turf every time, you must learn to shift the bottom of your arc forward.
Below is the definitive training guide—from short game to the full swing—designed to build a heightened, professional awareness of your low point.
1. Shorter Shots: The “Tee Ground” Awareness Drill
Before attempting full-speed swings, you must master the bottom of your arc with short, controlled chip and pitch shots.
- The Setup: Push a wooden tee completely into the ground so that the head of the tee sits flush with the top of the grass blades. Place your golf ball directly on top of, or a fraction of an inch behind, that tee.
- The Execution: Take a short, abbreviated swing. Your explicit goal is to clip the ball cleanly and clip or break the tee out of the ground after impact.
- The Awareness: If you hit the ground behind the ball, you will miss the tee entirely (a fat shot). If you lift up, you will blade the ball and leave the tee untouched. This builds an immediate, visual feedback loop for where your club is bottoming out.
2. Mid-Range Shots: The “Line in the Sand” or Towel Drill
As you transition to mid-range wedge shots and half-irons, momentum increases, making body control even more vital.
- The Setup: On a practice range (or in a bunker without a ball), draw a straight line in the turf/sand perpendicular to your target line. Alternatively, lay a flat tracking towel down 2 inches behind your ball.
- The Execution: Practice hitting shots where your club head completely avoids the towel or strikes the ground exclusively on the target side of the drawn line.
- The Awareness: This trains your lead side to act as the true pivot point. For elite ball striking, the divot should always start where the ball was resting and extend 3 to 5 inches forward toward the target.
3. Full Swing Length Shots: The “Lead-Leg Pivot” Progression
In a full swing, amateur golfers often suffer from a faulty pivot, leaving their weight on the trail side and causing the low point to drop behind the ball. To fix this at full speed:
- The Setup: Take your standard stock setup. Narrow your stance slightly to feel your center.
- The Execution: As you complete your backswing and transition into the downswing, actively drive your pressure into your lead heel and straighten your lead leg.
- The Awareness: This dynamic weight shift moves the entire “hula hoop” arc of your swing forward. By executing this movement, you ensure that the club face exposes its middle to the ball before the bottom of the club interacts with the grass, generating pure tour-level compression.
Low Point Visual Assessment Guide
| Result | Low Point Location | Swing Fault |
|---|---|---|
| Fat / Chunked Shot | Behind the ball | Weight hanging back, early release of the hands. |
| Thin / Bladed Shot | Behind the ball (ascending club) | “Scooping” or pulling up through impact. |
| Compressed / Pure Shot | 3–5 inches ahead of the ball | Proper forward weight shift and shaft lean. |
To tailor this low point progression specifically to your game, let me know:
- What is your most common miss right now (is it fat, thin, or a mix of both)?
- What specific club do you struggle with the most when trying to control your contact?
Ask me in our champions collective members forum, or our next lesson. I can then give you a hyper-targeted fix based on your tendencies. Let’s get it!
~ James Jordan
James Jordan (Coach)
Golf Digest 2020-2026
Best Instructors CA, 🏆
📍15186 Tierra Rejada Rd, Moorpark, California 93021
📞 818-437-3989
📧 jfjpga@gmail.com
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James Jordan Golf
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