How to Hit a Straight Golf Shot, Even If You’re a Beginner

“If it goes straight, it’s a miracle.”
That’s what someone once said about hitting a golf ball straight.

Well, it’s true that hitting a golf ball straight is quite challenging, but the good news is it’s not impossible. However, there are a few techniques that you need to follow to learn such golf shots.

So if you are looking for a guideline that will result in more straight golf shots, this article is what you need.

Common Mistakes to Avoid to Hit a Golf Ball Straight

Before we jump into the tricks and techniques of hitting a golf ball straight, let us draw your attention to the mistakes you were possibly making till now.

Wrong grip:

Too tight or too weak grips can cause you not to be able to hit a golf ball straight. When your grip is stiff, it displaces the clubface, causing a wrong shot. Similarly, a weak grip can dismiss the chances of straight balls and cause unwanted slices instead.

Incorrect posture:

If the posture is incorrect, you cannot hit the minimum, let alone a straight ball in golf. Bending the knees too much, moving too left or right from the target line, leaning towards the floor, or not maintaining the hand postures are common mistakes people make while trying to hit a straight shot.

Improper alignment:

Inappropriate alignment is another common mistake many golfers make. For example, if you don’t parallel your foot line to the target line, your shoulder isn’t aligned at the address. That causes a curve shot instead of a straight one.

Another cause is not aligning the clubface with the target line. Closed or open clubface can make you create hooks or slides.

Faulty swing:

A good swing can increase the chances of the golf ball going straighter. But when you hit the golf ball too late on the swing arch, it’s likely to slice and not go straight. Hitting the ball too early also is a mistake, as it creates a hook.

Apart from those, air flow, air resistance, and gravity act as obstacles while hitting a golf ball straight. However, these are not man-made issues or mistakes. But checking the weather updates before taking out your golf kit is always better.

How to Hit a Golf Ball Straight

To hit a golf ball straight, you must adjust your grip by neutralizing it, fix your address, go for the proper alignment, and get in the correct posture.

Here is a complete guide you can follow, so you will not miss hitting the ball straight next time!

Neutralize your grip

Your grip lets you control the club and hit the desired shot. Golfers opt for three types of golf grips that are strong, neutral, and weak.

All these three grips are good in their own way and can influence your club face position also how you hit the ball.

To hit the ball straight, you will need both hands’ cooperation. So consider using a neutral grip. It’s not like a solid or weak grip will not lead to straight shots, but those need other adjustments and more practice.

So, here’s how you can have a neutral grip:

• Grip with your lead hand.
• Create a V shape with your thumb and pointer finger. The V will align with the non-lead shoulder.
• Check if your club face position and lead forearm match the angle and position of your wrist while on the top of the swing. If yes, you are on the right track.

Set up your address, alignment, and posture:

Your setup has a huge impact on your game. It can make or ruin the game. And when you are planning for a straight shot, your setup needs to be perfect so you don’t blame the golf course or the equipment.

Let’s look at what you must fix to have the proper setup.
Address:

You should set the club face first before fixing anything else. It’s called address in golf.
Setting the clubface automatically creates a target line and lets you set the body easily. Hitting a ball straight requires the clubface to square to the target.

Here’s how to set up the club face square to the target.

• Get a clear view of the target by looking down the fairway.
• Imagine a straight line in the ground running from the ball to the target.
• Ensure the club face points down to the target line.
• Finally, check whether the leading edge creates a 90-degree angle with the target line. If yes, you’re all set here.

Alignment:

Alignment in golf means your standing position according to the ball. It includes your foot position and on which side you are lining up. The primary alignment rule is to align the clubface, ball, and target to hit a ball straight.

Here is how you can align perfectly:

• Place your feet parallel to your target line. You can use an imaginary line or alignment stick.
• Align your feet and club face parallel.
• Aim your body around about 5 degrees left of the target.

Posture:

When you swing, your spine acts as the central point of the body. But if your posture isn’t correct, you may miss-hit a lot and lose balance. So proper golf posture is a must, even for a straight shot.

The correct posture before a straight shot is when the club face is aligned with the target. Here’s how you can get the correct posture:

• First, make a forward tilt of your spine, which should come from the hip.
• The forward-tilted spine will be 30 degrees at most. You’ll notice your arms naturally hang down the shoulders as you get in this pose.

Swing it right

It will help if you have control over your swing to hit the ball in a straight line. Not all types of swing work for a straighter shot,

So what you can do is:

• Avoid outside-in swing, keeping the club head inside of the ball.
• Slow down your backswing. A slow backswing helps to have control over it.
• The golf club needs to swing directly toward your target, and the club face also should point toward the target.
• Lastly, hit the ball with natural force ensuring the club face contacts the ball squarely.

How to Tee Off With a Driver Straight

How you tee off with a driver can greatly influence your game. So learning how to execute a tee-off is as important as the other golf fundamentals.

Here is a short guide that can help you to tee off with a driver:

• Make sure the golf ball is teed up in between the tee markers.
• Take position slightly behind the tee markers.
• Tee up the ball at a height so half of the golf is above the club head.1.5 inches is a good height, according to professionals.
• You should position the ball in the left half of your stance
• Ensure you do the stance, aim, address, and posture correction.
• Draw the club away, and you’ve done it!

How to Hit a Golf Ball Straight With an Iron

If you are wondering whether it’s possible to hit straight shots with an iron, don’t worry. It’s very much possible. But to do that, you must be careful about solid contact, swing path, and control over the club face.

Here’s how to hit a golf ball straight with an iron:

• Get a decent grip.
• Parallel the golf club to the target line
• Keep your club face vertical. Good if it’s slightly turned in.
• Control the club by twisting it with your hands instead of moving the club itself.
• Match the club face with the alignment stick and hit the ball.

How to Hit a Golf Ball Straight With Fairway Woods & Hybrid

• If you are trying to achieve some straight shots in golf by playing with the woods/hybrid, we can provide you with a simple guide to follow.
• .
• Get a good posture by bending down from the hips. Ensure your chest is over the toes and your arms are hung straight.
• Place the ball in a forward-centered position at the address. Keeping it inside your left heel makes it more accessible.
• Ensure half of the club head is too inside the left heel.
• Go for a smooth swing that’s not too fast.
• Then hit the ball without touching the tee.

Tips to Hit the Golf Ball Straight

Hitting a ball straight is a skill that’s non-negotiable in golf. You must know this to enjoy the game correctly and rank yourself up.

However, this can be pretty tough and challenging, even for pro golfers. But, if you play according to the steps mentioned above, chances are you won’t miss a straight shot.

To increase the chances of your golf ball going straight, we’d like to share five tips here:

1. Keep the ball position neutral.
2. Stay aligned toward your target.
3. Avoid lifting the ball.
4. Trace your swing to skip loops.
5. Hit through the ball.

Bonus Tips: Enjoy the game while practicing straight shots!

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Hitting a golf ball straight is a struggle for many golfers. This isn’t something that happens every day. But with the proper techniques and much practice, you would take straight shots more often. So don’t lose hope if you’re on your fifteenth try at hitting a golf ball straight. Instead, follow our complete guide to master this skill.