As those with a professional golf career will tell you, one of the biggest problems that newbies to the game of the golf have to correct is scooping the ball. It is an easy but game-killing mistake that many people make, so if you are just getting started playing golf in college or just enjoy playing golf recreationally, it’s important not to get discouraged when you hit the ball thin or fat and not how you intended to. Just take a few steps to ensure you stop scooping the ball and watch your game improve.

Start With the Basics – Correct Golf Grip

First of all, as with anything, you have to start by looking at the very basics. Is your grip correct and firm, or has it slackened a little and is that affecting your swing and causing the scooping? If your grip is in order, then is it a matter of your posture? Are you keeping all the fundamentals in your mind as you go to hit the ball, or are you forgetting how important good golf posture is? People who are scooping the ball tend to put their weight on their back foot and keep their front shoulder low. Pay attention to your posture and try again, and see if that fixes the problem. Be sure your weight is distributed evenly and focus on having a smooth transition between top of the backswing to the forward swing, with a clean finish.

Align Your Wrists

Lastly, if both your grip and posture are ok, then what you are probably neglecting is alignment. If your wrist is not properly aligned, then it will result in a scooped ball. What you want to do to correct this is to bow your forward wrist in when you make impact with the ball. Perhaps counter-intuitively, to avoid scooping the ball you want to hit the ball with a downward strike, not an upwards one, in order to get it up in the air and give it some spin.

In addition to changing or tweaking what they are doing physically – pay attention to the grip, assume the correct posture, keep proper alignment, etc. – what helps many newbies to correct their scoop is to also change how they are thinking of it mentally. Many new golf players think they have to help the ball get in the air with a little extra sweep and so they tend to envision a “U” shape in their mind and swing accordingly. In fact, in order to avoid scooping the ball what you should keep in mind as you swing is that you want to make it a “V” form, not a “U”. Make that simple change in your mind and that should help quite a lot.

Also keep in mind that you always want to hit the ball while the club head is traveling in a downward motion, not going back up. Remember what your golf club’s loft is for, and make sure you are taking advantage of it, not trying to do all the work yourself.

Diane Ferraro is an experienced golfer and golf blogger. She also is a freelance writer for a pro golf school in Florida. When she is not on the course or writing, she loves to travel with her family.

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