Earlier this year, I spent a week working inside the ropes at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am alongside my friend, and fellow GOLF Top 100 Teacher, Mike Dickson, giving corporate hospitality lessons to tournament guests. Over four days, we delivered hundreds of mini-lessons (quick 10- to 25-minute sessions) to players of all skill levels. Most were mid-handicappers, a few were low single digits and a couple could really play. But regardless of ability, the same issue kept showing up.
It wasn’t a bad grip or poor alignment, but rather a misunderstanding of something much simpler: where the swing bottoms out.
What every golfer gets wrong
At the start of almost every lesson, I asked a simple question: “Where do you think the low point of your swing is?” Every single player gave the same answer: “at the golf ball.” It’s a logical response, but it’s also the root of the problem.
The golf swing is circular in nature, and every circle has a lowest point, which is the very bottom of the arc. That low point isn’t at the ball; it’s slightly in front of it, roughly under the lead armpit. Understanding that detail changes everything. If the ball isn’t at the low point, it means the club must strike the ball before reaching the bottom of the arc.
When golfers try to force the ball to be the low point, their motion compensates in ways that create inconsistency. The club bottoms out too early, the hands stop leading, the lead wrist breaks down and the clubhead flips past the body. That’s when you see the common misses and unreliable contact.
What good players do instead
Better players don’t try to “help” the ball into the air or meet it at the bottom of the swing. They do the opposite. They keep their hands ahead of the clubhead, maintain structure in the lead wrist and allow the club to continue traveling downward through impact. The result is ball-first contact, a downward strike and a divot that begins in front of the ball. That’s compression, and it comes from controlling the low point rather than manipulating the clubhead.
If you’re unsure where your low point is, the ground provides immediate feedback. A divot that starts behind the ball means the low point is too far back, while a divot that begins in front of the ball indicates it’s in the correct position. It’s a simple, reliable diagnostic.
If you want to work on your low point, try this the next time you’re on the range. Take a 7-iron and choke down so the grip runs slightly up your lead forearm, letting it rest there as you make small, controlled swings. Focus on keeping the lead wrist flat, maintaining the connection between your arm and the shaft and feeling the club bottom out in front of the ball. It’s a straightforward way to train proper alignments and get instant feedback.
Most golfers don’t have a swing problem, they have a problem understanding this concept. Once you understand that the ball is not the low point and begin organizing your swing around where the bottom of the arc actually occurs, you’ll strike the ball more solidly, more consistently, and with more power.
