3 Expert Tips To Improve Your Ball Flight
Improve your ball flight and find your target more consistently, with three top tips from Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Steve Robinson...


Controlling your ball flight is crucial for any amateur golfer looking to lower their handicap, and with the right golf tips it's not that hard to achieve. Whether you change something in your swing and set-up, or you opt for alternate gear, perfecting this crucial aspect of your on-course performance will help you to shoot lower scores.
With that in mind, we asked Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Steve Robinson to share three expert tips to improve your ball flight...
1. Ball Position
Common causes of too low a flight would be ball position, as the ball too far back or hands too far forward will de-loft the club. An average handicap golfer might hit down by three or four degrees with an iron, so the low point will be four to five inches after the ball.
To hit it higher, shallow out your angle of attack by having the ball further up in your stance, stay behind it at impact, and swing through to a high finish, rather than curtailing the follow-through.
2. Attack Angle
Placing a tee four inches target-side of your ball is a good way to learn how to hit the ball higher. Typically with an iron, you should find you hit both ball and then tee as your arc bottoms out after the ball with a descending blow.
To hit it higher, you must reduce your angle of attack so you hit the ball but miss the tee. Putting the ball a little further forward in your stance will encourage the shallower angle of attack needed.
3. Opt For A Hybrid
Rather than tweaking set-up or technique, many golfers will find the best change they can make to help them flight it better is to put their long-irons away and get a hybrid.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
The hybrid’s clubhead is specifically designed to make it easier to hit better-flighted shots from long range, and a simple club swap alone will give many players a lot more elevation, especially if they don’t generate a lot of clubhead speed.
How Do You Hit A Golf Ball Consistently Straight?
To hit the golf ball consistently straight, start by checking you are adopting the perfect golf grip. A great visual checkpoint is the 'v' shape that you should create between your thumb and forefinger on your right hand, as this should point towards your right shoulder.
A push shot is often caused by that 'v' pointing towards your chin, leaving the clubface open at impact. Conversely, if the 'v' is pointing at past your right shoulder, this will likely result in a pull shot.
The Golf Monthly archive is a gold mine of brilliant reads, documenting a journey through the history of golf dating back to our first issue in 1911. Take advantage of over 100 years of invaluable tips from the best tour professionals and coaches in world golf, by subscribing to the online Golf Monthly Archive.

Barry joined Golf Monthly in January 2024, and now leads the instruction section across all platforms including print and digital. Working closely with Golf Monthly's Top 50 Coaches, he aims to curate and share useful tips on every aspect of the game - helping amateurs of all abilities to play better golf. A member at Sand Moor Golf Club in Leeds, he looks forward to getting out on the course at least once a week in the pursuit of a respectable handicap.
Barry is currently playing:
Driver: Benross Delta XT Driver
Hybrid: TaylorMade Stealth 4 Hybrid
Irons: Benross Delta XT 5-PW
Wedges: TaylorMade RAC 60, Callaway Jaws MD5 54
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
-
Garmin Approach S44 Golf Watch Review
How does the latest installment in Garmin's golf smartwatch range perform both on and off the golf course?
By Conor Keenan
-
LIV Golf Korea 2025 Picks, Odds And Predictions
As the LIV Golf League arrives in Korea for the first time, check out the odds for the leading players and our picks to win this week
By Jonny Leighfield
-
How Many Of These Boxes Do You Tick Before Hitting The Golf Ball? (Any Less Than 4 Could Be Costly)
If these four crucial steps aren't a consistent part of your pre-shot routine, you will be costing yourself shots and valuable progress towards a lower handicap
By Barry Plummer
-
Thomas Bjorn Shares An Invaluable Scoring Tip He Learned From Tiger Woods
Thomas Bjorn shares a superb tee to green masterclass, including some invaluable scoring advice from Tiger Woods, in a bid to help you improve on the course
By Barry Plummer
-
I Had No Idea It Was This Easy To Hit Draws And Fades... You Have To Try This Foolproof Formula Now
When Top 50 Coach Alex Elliott shared this simple formula with me, I could not believe how easy it was to draw and fade the golf ball... you have to try it!
By Barry Plummer
-
Sandy Lyle Shared 3 Top Tips With Us Prior To Winning The Masters in 1988... And They Could Still Save You Shots 37 Years Later
The 1988 Masters Champion shared his expert tips in the January 1988 issue of Golf Monthly, but they are still absolute gems for amateur golfers to this day...
By Barry Plummer
-
Are You More Accurate Than The Average Amateur Golfer? Peter Finch Can Help You Hit More Fairways In 2025
There is no better feeling than striping one down the middle of the fairway, but many amateurs struggle with accuracy. Peter Finch has four pro tips to help...
By Barry Plummer
-
Are You A Victim Of This Destructive Golf Swing Fault? Let Me Help You Fix It Before You Tee It Up This Weekend
An overswing in golf is a destructive habit which can cost us precious shots on the golf course, but PGA Pro John Jacobs has a quick fix to get us game ready...
By Barry Plummer
-
Do You Struggle With Distance Off The Tee? Try This Quick Fix To Make 2025 Your Biggest Golf Season Yet
Struggling with distance off the tee could be a major reason why your handicap isn't coming down or your scores aren't improving, but our quick fix can help...
By Barry Plummer
-
Seve's 'Lost' Bunker Lesson: Master Slopes And Transform Your Short Game Today
Seve's forgotten bunker lesson, from Golf Monthly's August 1983 issue, could hold the secret to better bunker play and supercharging your short game this season
By Barry Plummer