Most golfers are aware that they miss the center of the face on most driver swings, but what they don’t know is that all mishits are not equal.
To see where you can squeeze out the most margin for error, we analyzed the driver data from the robot portion of the 2022 ClubTest, particularly how different impact points across the face (high toe, low heel, etc.) affect ballflight. The data revealed that the “best” mishits occur on the upper third of the clubface; even high toe and heel hits lose only one to four yards compared to centered strikes.
The second-best miss areas are at ¾ inch toward the heel or toe on the face’s horizontal centerline. These averaged about a five-yard loss in distance.
The worst mishits? Here’s a tip: Avoid contact on the lower third of the clubface. Here you can lose up to 15 yards. If you don’t have access to a launch monitor, place masking tape on your driver’s face — it’ll show you where you’re contacting the ball when you practice.
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