A double cross is a golf shot every golfer does not like to happen to them. A double cross is simply a shot opposite the stroke you aim for.
It frequently happens, especially to beginners and high-handicap golfers.
This article will tell everything about what is a double cross in golf you never know exists.
What Is A Double-Cross In Golf?
In golf, you strike the golf ball aiming at a particular target. But if your shot goes the opposite way, it means a double cross. Double cross, like the slice, is a fault shot that needs corrections. But when does a double cross happens in golf? A double-cross happens when the ball flies in the opposite trajectory you are aiming.
One of the best examples of a double cross is when a tree blocks your sight to the fairway. Your intention might be doing a draw to avoid the tree, that is, to curve the ball to your left if you are right-handed. When you hit the ball, it curves right and misses your target.
Causes Of A Double Cross
Here are some crystal clear reasons your shot might turn into a double cross.
1. Rotation
Early wrist rotation may lead to a double cross-shot. Many golfers are conditioning their minds on what direction their balls may travel during a shot. But honestly, they sometimes overreact and let go of their hands earlier than they should.
The result, more often than not, contradicts their initial perception. Letting go of your wrists ahead of time might cause the closing of the club face. The ball could hook to the left of the pin, way too far from what you aim for: To avoid this scenario, you can move the ball further from your stance. It will help you square the club’s face.
2. Unbalanced Weight Distribution
Unbalanced weight distribution on your body is one of the culprits you might have a double cross-shot. You can observe that if your feet do not have the proper weight distribution, it affects your shot. The club face may open, causing a hook shot once you move your weight prematurely during a downswing.
At this instance, your body and club face both closes, triggering a hook. To avoid a double cross-shot, ensure that your body weight is distributed equally on both feet. An unbalanced weight between your feet will cause uncontrollable swing, leading to an off-center hit.
3. Golf Ball Position
Maybe you did not know this fact in golf until now?
The spot where you place your ball from where you stand has something to do with the outcome of your shot. For example, if you want a draw: you better place the ball slightly back of your stance.
The ball position is crucial in every shot you make and what you intend to do. If you have the proper stance, club length, and posture but with poor ball striking: the appropriate golf ball position is essential to a good shot.
4. Swing Path
The track of your swing also affects the outcome of your shot, not just by ball position and stance. The golf club path influences the curve of your strike.
Out-to-in shot causes the club face to slash through the ball on impact. The path could bring about left-to-right ball rotation resulting in a fade. On the contrary, doing an in-to-out club path may cause the ball to draw. It only shows that your club path should depend on what type of shot you want to make.
5. Clubface upon Impact
The club’s face at impact will finally determine the outcome of the shot. Hitting the ball with a close club face enhances sidespin from right to left, generating a hook or a draw. On the contrary, an open clubface upon contact triggers a left-to-right spin heading towards a fade or a slice.
6. Swing Easy
Do not be intimidated by jokes or rushing your buddies may throw on you when it is your time to swing. I have been advising this to my golf amigos, especially the average players. I encouraged them to be calmer and more relaxed when doing the shot.
Golfers should not do each shot like being chased by a wild beast. Also, do not force anything by trying to hit the golf club harder.
Top 5 Tips For Fixing A Double-Cross
Below are five tips for eliminating a double cross shot most of the time.
1. Proper Rotation on Impact
Talk about rotation when avoiding double cross shots means starting with your hips. Prevent swiveling your hips when doing a stroke. Instead, keep them fixed and without movement.
Once you rotate your hips before impact, it will steer your hands (and wrists) ahead of the club head: This action closes the club’s face, resulting in a hook. The reverse will happen when you stall your rotation. It will result in a fade shot.
You can practice body and wrist rotations and improve them like a pro. Watch this video and learn more about proper rotation:
2. Correcting Weight Position before Impact
If you think you need a fade on your shot at hand, the proper weight location helps a lot. You can induce a fade-on address by putting your weight on the back foot. Before you strike, lift your front foot slightly, enabling your body weight to concentrate on your rear leg. In this manner, you will keep an open body upon impact resulting in a fade.
When you are looking for a draw shot: you can do the reverse. Before hitting the ball, lift your rear foot to transfer the weight position on your front leg. This posture entails a draw. Make these drills a part of your practice routine to improve muscle memory and prevents double cross.
3. Correcting the Swing Path
Fixing your club path helps you attain the direction you want the ball to go. It is also more likely that failing to attain the needed angle of the club face will result in a double cross-shot.
Correcting your swing path to a respective type of shot; like a slice or a fade, requires you to an open club face at impact. On the contrary, if you want a draw, it is more recommendable to swing your club in and out to close the club face on impact.
4. Correct Club Position of Clubface upon Impact
When hitting the ball, the club face angle tells where your ball will go. Keep practicing our tips above: you may improve your swing and posture during shots. Once you know proper ball hitting and stance, you will determine the correct clubface position on impact.
Aiming for a shot and getting it right might be hard for starters. But with proper time and drills, you will avoid double-cross shots and make your swing more consistent. One of the tools you can utilize in monitoring your clubface points on impact is a golf simulator.
5. Improve invariable swing path and club face correlation
Your club path and club face work together, aside from your skill, to give you the shot you desire. Once you control the club face at impact, your swing might be consistent enough. So, you better practice a consistent swing path every time you play.
You might have the best swing, but if you cannot make the club face square at impact: a challenging round is ahead of you. Ensure you have a consistent relationship between your club path and club face.
FAQ’s
In real life, a double cross means a betrayal of someone’s trust with which one is supposedly cooperating. It is quite the same in golf. A golfer expecting a shot (like a fade or a draw) ends up having the opposite. It is like being double-crossed by a friend.
One of the reasons you may double-cross when teeing off is your body slows down at impact. It may cause the arms to overcome and the clubface to close.
In golf, a blocked shot happens when the ball starts right off the expected target (for right-handed) and stays put. Unlike other faulty shots, a blocked shot does not curve either right or left. It stays on a straight track on the right.
You may have a blocked shot because of too much sideway slide on your hips on the downswing. It may also be your lower body moving faster than your upper body.
A double cross in golf is the opposite of the shot you intend to do. There is nothing significant in a double cross shot: unless it gives you the advantage when your first perception of the shot is a mistake.
Conclusion
Are you still wondering what a double cross in golf is? Our tips and recommended fixes above will keep your score lower than expected.
All you have to do is keep on practicing and train your muscle memory to remember these tips. A double cross is an awful failure shot, but you can always find ways to avoid it.
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Matt Stevens is the founder of Golfrough.com. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf since he was four years old. Having experienced every high and low golf has to offer, his writing helps the average golfer avoid the mistakes he has made in 28-years on the course.