GOLF LESSONS

CLUBFACE GOLF: Importance of Impact Position

Impact is the moment of truth in any golf swing. It is the most critical segment of any golfer's swing. Once you learn to put your golf club on the ball correctly you will discover the true spirit of golf and your love of the game can really begin.

So exactly what distinguishes great strikers of the golf ball from the rest of the pack in terms of impact? Do they set up their golf shots differently? Do they have a unique backswing? Does the plane of their golf swing really have anything to do with it? After decades of studying the golf swing, Dave Wesley, co-founder of ClubFace Golf, concluded that it isn't any of these aspects. The one similarity that all great golfers have is that they all get into a great impact position. In simpler terms, they all know how to put their club on the golf ball. Among the great golfers, there is a certain feel and common sound of a golf ball that is struck well. To achieve this, golfers have to learn and practice the proper impact position.

New golfers and professionals alike can feel the difference between a bad shot and a correctly executed golf swing. There is a feeling of fulfillment and self-satisfaction. The number one golf lesson ClubFace Golf tries to teach is to help golf students learn how to put the club solidly on the golf ball. In other words, teaching great impact position is a priority at ClubFace Golf. One of the most essential ways we do this is to teach the student how to feel the compression of the golf ball.

Too often, golfers focus solely on perfect form, and forget about properly striking the golf ball. Though good form is crucial to improving your golf game, once you learn how to strike the golf ball correctly, there are many other ways to create more power and consistency in your golf swing. But, there is no point to working on those golf techniques if you can't make solid contact with the golf ball. Proper impact position and solid contact with the golf ball is what allows great golfers to control the distance, trajectory and eventually the shape of each one of their golf shots.

Understanding the importance of impact position in one thing, learning how to accomplish it is another. One way to start the learning process is by recognizing poor impact position. Discussed below are three incorrect impact positions most golfers have experienced at one time or another. They all have one thing in common: they produce poorly struck shots.

The Scoop Impact Position

The scoop impact is perhaps the most common poor impact position in the game of golf. The result of the scoop is usually fat or thin shots, especially when the golf ball is on the ground. When a golfer is in this position at impact, hitting the ball with the center of the clubface is next to impossible. Your golf shot will lack power, compression and the correct trajectory.

Some characteristics of the scoop impact position are:

1. The handle of the golf club is behind the golf ball
2. The golfer's weight is on their back foot
3. The golfer's left wrist is broken down (cupped)
4. The golfer's hips and shoulders are looking at the ball
5. The arc of the golf club is bottoming out resulting in fat or thin shots
6. The entire center of the clubface is not on the golf ball

The Chicken Wing Impact Position

Another commonly seen poor golf impact position is the chicken wing. This is where a golfer's left arm folds in such a way that the left elbow is pointing towards the sky at and after impact. This impact position is caused by stopping the body's rotation while continuing the movement of the hands and arms past impact. This position also makes it very difficult to put the club on the ball with any power or consistency. Some characteristics of the chicken wing golf impact position are:

1. The golfer's left elbow is bent and folding towards the sky
2. The golfer's left wrist is collapsed (cupped)
3. The golfer's body rotation has stopped
4. There is too much weight on the golfer's back foot
5. The arc of the golf club is bottoming out resulting in fat or thin shots
6. The entire center of the clubface is not on the ball

Swinging "Over-the-Top" Impact Position

Another poor golf impact position that is commonly seen is the result of an "over-the-top" move in a golfer’s swing. This usually results in pulled and sliced golf shots that lack directional control as well as power. Some characteristics of the over-the-top impact position are:

1. The golfer's hips, arms and shoulders are too open at impact as a result of incorrect sequencing early in the downswing
2. The path of the golf club is traveling on a line that is excessively out-to-in
3. There is too much weight still on the golfer's back foot
4. The golf club is traveling on an angle of attack that is too steep While there are many more faulty impact positions, the three just described are the most commonly witnessed. You will never see a really fine ball striker resemble anything close to these impact positions. From these impact positions it is impossible to put the entire center of the clubface onto the golf ball with proper speed, acceleration, compression and control.

If some of these impact positions resemble your own, be patient and practice. Recognizing your flaws is the first step to becoming a better golfer and improving your golf game.

Look for other articles on our website that discuss swinging with a square clubface and other keys to achieving great impact.