"So, this Ask Mike comes to us from Tim Masek. He’s asking about how, when he hits his wedges, he tends to hit down on them, which causes him to hit them fat. We’re all talking about, you know, feeling like you're swinging level rather than 'hitting down.' First of all, I don’t know about you guys, but I hate the concept of 'hitting down.'

I mean, unless something happens where you take a club, hold it, and let it go, gravity is naturally going to take it down. If gravity didn’t work that way, then, yeah, you’d have to help it go down. But since gravity does its job, the club is already going down—you just have to aim it. So, it’s really more about feeling level than feeling like you’re hitting down.

It’s about feeling more level and letting the weight of the club work for you. Okay, Bill, why don’t you take us through what you would do to help Tim avoid hitting the ball fat?"

Billy Fitzgerlad responds:

"Sure, Tim. What I would say is this: Once I swing the club back and through, the weight of the club is going to naturally bottom out on its own. Now, if you’re hitting it fat, there are a couple of things to consider. Either you’re helping the club down—which forces your shoulder down—and suddenly your low point is below the golf ball. That creates a lot of extra force into the ground instead of the ball.

So, here’s what I’d suggest: line your shoulder up with the ball, and just allow the weight of the club to go down into the ball without forcing your shoulder downward. All you’re doing is letting the club’s weight drop naturally so that your bottom-out point is consistent.

To summarize, Tim: Feel the weight of the golf club. Even if you need to waggle it a little to get the feel, make sure you’re aware of its weight. Keep some softness in your arms. When you swing, let the weight of the club drop on its own—don’t force it down. As you swing back, let the club’s weight naturally go down and do the work for you.

Here’s another thing: A lot of players try to 'get under' the ball by tilting their shoulders too much at setup. What Billy mentioned earlier is key—you want to ensure your shoulders are level, not tilted. Your right arm, if you let it swing freely, will naturally guide the club down to brush the ground.

What I find interesting is this: When I watch players set up correctly and take a swing, their club will brush the ground naturally in the right spot. A good player will notice immediately if their club isn’t hitting the ground correctly—they won’t step up to the ball until they fix that. I do the same thing with chipping and pitching. I set up, make a practice swing, and observe where the club brushes the ground. If it’s in the wrong spot—say, behind the ball—I won’t address the ball until I’ve adjusted.

Once you get the feel for where the club naturally bottoms out, you can set up, swing, and let the club drop on its natural arc. Like we said earlier, you don’t have to help the club go down—it’s going down on its own. The key is to trust the weight of the club and let it do the work for you."