You will find a dramatic decrease in your scores if you are able to consistently do one thing better on the golf course: get as much lift as you can on your golf shot.
So, while that is important, let's first address two topics; why will this decrease my scores and what caused the ball to get its loft? First, many times you will hear people who hit the ball low off the tee, "well, at least it went straight".
What they are not considering, and you should, is the drag effect the ground will have on the distance of your shot.
If you skip the ball across the ground, each time the ball hits the grass, dirt or anything else along the ground, the speed of your shot will dramatically decrease which will cause the distance you get on your shot to also be dramatically less.
While 20 or 30 yards here or there may not seem like a big deal, if you do this at each hole, by the time you finish your round of 18, you will have essentially played one more additional hole which adds a lot of un-necessary strokes to your score.
By getting the ball into the air more consistently, you will avoid these extra stokes at each hole.
Now, what causes the ball to get its loft off your club is another thing you need to understand to correctly take advantage of this phenomenon.
A golf ball gets its loft directly from being hit by the club itself.
Each club has a different angle from any other club in your bag.
A three-iron has a lot duller of an angle than does a sand wedge.
What this means is you will see a greater degree of loft and less distance in your wedges and higher (6, 7, 8, 9) irons than you will in your lower (3, 4, 5) irons.
While you may hear some golfers try and tell you that the golfer themselves can affect the loft of each shot for the most part, this is a myth.
What you should rely on is understanding the angle of each club and the amount of loft and distance you can expect each time you hit that specific club.
What you will find is if you try and manipulate your shot and artificially create loft where it's not normal or expected, is the topping of the ball will become a bigger problem for you.
As you try and artificially create loft you will try and raise your body up too quickly before you have completely exited the hitting zone.
By not hitting the right club for the specific situation you can actually hurt your game more than any "short cut" you think you are getting out of trying to create artificial loft.
There are some drills you can do to help you remember how to correctly hit the ball and get the correct lift and distance each time you step up and address the ball.
Try and remember to "sweep the grass" each time you address the ball.
Before you hit the ball, take a few practice swings and listen for the grass sweeping sound from your club head.
If you don't hear this sound, try and modify your stance and posture until you get a more consistent sweeping sound from your swing.
So, while that is important, let's first address two topics; why will this decrease my scores and what caused the ball to get its loft? First, many times you will hear people who hit the ball low off the tee, "well, at least it went straight".
What they are not considering, and you should, is the drag effect the ground will have on the distance of your shot.
If you skip the ball across the ground, each time the ball hits the grass, dirt or anything else along the ground, the speed of your shot will dramatically decrease which will cause the distance you get on your shot to also be dramatically less.
While 20 or 30 yards here or there may not seem like a big deal, if you do this at each hole, by the time you finish your round of 18, you will have essentially played one more additional hole which adds a lot of un-necessary strokes to your score.
By getting the ball into the air more consistently, you will avoid these extra stokes at each hole.
Now, what causes the ball to get its loft off your club is another thing you need to understand to correctly take advantage of this phenomenon.
A golf ball gets its loft directly from being hit by the club itself.
Each club has a different angle from any other club in your bag.
A three-iron has a lot duller of an angle than does a sand wedge.
What this means is you will see a greater degree of loft and less distance in your wedges and higher (6, 7, 8, 9) irons than you will in your lower (3, 4, 5) irons.
While you may hear some golfers try and tell you that the golfer themselves can affect the loft of each shot for the most part, this is a myth.
What you should rely on is understanding the angle of each club and the amount of loft and distance you can expect each time you hit that specific club.
What you will find is if you try and manipulate your shot and artificially create loft where it's not normal or expected, is the topping of the ball will become a bigger problem for you.
As you try and artificially create loft you will try and raise your body up too quickly before you have completely exited the hitting zone.
By not hitting the right club for the specific situation you can actually hurt your game more than any "short cut" you think you are getting out of trying to create artificial loft.
There are some drills you can do to help you remember how to correctly hit the ball and get the correct lift and distance each time you step up and address the ball.
Try and remember to "sweep the grass" each time you address the ball.
Before you hit the ball, take a few practice swings and listen for the grass sweeping sound from your club head.
If you don't hear this sound, try and modify your stance and posture until you get a more consistent sweeping sound from your swing.