You may have heard the term “Low Point” before, in regards to the golf swing. Low point is a vital element to control, and this article explores exactly what it is.
However, before we explore this concept, if you’d like a copy of my Ebook “Golf Hacks”, with lots of tips to quickly improve strike quality, club path, direction, strategy and more, enter your email below.
Swings and Circles
If you were to trace the trajectory of the clubhead throughout the swing, you would see it is quite circular/elliptical.
The lowest point of this swing circle is defined as the low point.
The white part of the swing circle is the low point.
Changes in Low Point
The low point in a golf swing can change in many ways. It can;
- move up and down (depth change)
- move towards/away from the target
- move in/out (towards/away from your feet)
Up/down
All else being equal, a low point position that is deeper will tend to make a deeper divot, contact the ground farther back, and produce strikes that are higher on the face.
A low point that is higher/less-deep will tend to make a shallower divot (or none at all), will move ground contact forwards (until there is no longer any ground contact), and make strikes which are lower on the clubface.
Shallower (semi-transparent) and deeper (opaque)
Towards/Away
The low point of the swing can shift towards or away from the target too.
low point (black line) can shift towards (green) or away from (yellow) the target
All else being equal, a low point that is farther forwards will contact the ground farther forwards. It will also produce a club path that is more in-to-out. Having the low point farther forwards also increases the steepness of your attack angle.
A low point that that is farther back (all else being equal) will contact the ground farther back, produce a shallower angle of attack, and will tend to shift the path of the club more out-to-in.
In/Out (Towards/Away From Golfer)
The low point can also shift towards or away from a golfer’s feet. This is a rarely talked about element, but relates to face strike issues (heel/toe) and even depth control issues.
From a golfer’s perspective, looking down at the ball on the ground. The low point of the swing can shift farther from (yellow) or closer to (red) their feet. Notice how the ball is struck on the part of the arc before the low point is reached.
When the low point shifts farther from the golfer, they will strike more towards the heel of the club, and in most cases will also see a lower strike on the face.
A low point that shifts closer to the golfer will see more of a toe-biased strike pattern, and have a tendency to see a higher strike on the face (and maybe more fat shots along with it).
Improve Your low Point Control
If you want to learn more about what controls low point, as well as drills to identify and change your patterns, click on The Strike Plan below to learn about my amazing strike-improvement program.
I even have a drill (3D aim spot) that helps control the up/down/in/out/towards/away element with one single thought.
Also, check out the amazing training aid, The Divot Board. It’s the best way I’ve seen to both monitor and improve your strike location. Click the image link below to learn more
Jim
Confused! I swing too much in to out and hit a lot of shanks. I tend to take shallow divots or none at all. I tend to hit fats, thins, and hooks and tops with fairway woods when I miss. I have trouble getting ball first contact. I have a lot of trouble rotating through the ball. My swing is anything but out to in!
Jim
admin
Hi Jim, – if you made your low point more forwards by shifting laterally, you would help solve the strike issues, but it would make the path more in to out.
Mark van Haagen
Hello Adam,
as usual I enjoyed your blog. Thank you! I am just struggling with the “low point further forward, swing path more in-out” and “low point further back, swing path more out-in”?? I would have thought, it would be the other way round?? But maybe it was only a mistake?!
Thanks again, keep up the good work!
Kind regards,
Mark
Greg
Same here. For me more lateral movement towards the target always seems to pull swing direction more out to in. Confused.
admin
If you’re seeing a more left path with more lateral motion, you’re adding something else (beyond the lateral motion) in that makes the path go left.
Patrick
Hi Adam
I’m confused about the low point in front of the ball. What part of the clubface hits the ball in that case? Also, if I am practicing on a driving range with short artificial grass, how can I practice hitting the ground in front of the ball? Don’t I need to make a divot?
Thanks
Patrick
admin
If the low point and arc depth are in the right combination, you will strike on the face of the iron around about the 3/4th groove up. the ball will then fly away and the club will enter the turf, making a divot. To improve your ability to do this, check out The Strike Plan (click here).
To your second question, the divot board is not only the best training aid I use and recommend, but it’s perfect for that exact purpose. It shows you where your divot starts and where the low point of your swing is, even while practicing indoors without a ball (if needed). Learn more about the divot board by clicking here
Al
Got your recent email regarding low-point, which showed an image of a used Tiger Woods iron. The wear pattern on TW’s clubface was quite low, around the 2nd groove. That struck me odd. The sweet spot on my game-improvement irons (from a leading manufacturer in the golf industry) is much higher, at grooves 4 and 5. Are my own clubs working against me by reinforcing a fat strike swing pattern? Is this a dirty little secret about golf equipment that ought to be exposed?
Greg
I’m also surprised by this. I have been suffering with shanks and hitting too far behind the ball (not laying the sod over it but enough to lose some distance). I addressed the shank – seeming successfully – by Adam’s idea of focusing on hitting a spot just inside the ball – which is closer not farther away – yet it seemed improve low point in addition to face strike. This post suggests that change should result in low point getting worse. Hmmm
admin
It depends how your body self-organized during that change. If your hands got farther from the ball at impact (I’d say around 20% of people self organize this pattern), then you will create the toe AND higher swing arc combination that fixes both the fat and heel pattern.
Stephen T Emery
Thanks, Adam, for the clear information about low point. I understand it clearly, now I just need to improve my skill regarding low point control. Cheers!!