Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.
Every player seeks the ideal impact position with every swing: clubface grounded and aimed at the target.
Since your impact position determines where the ball ultimately ends up, it’s critical to understand what your position looks like.
4 golf swing basics every player needs to remember
Are you opening up the clubface, or shutting it? Are you hitting the ball off the heel? Are you topping it? These are all common issues that many amateurs experience as they swing.
So in today’s Play Smart, let’s get down to basics.
In the video below, the good folks over at Golf Distillery teach a simple drill that can help improve your impact position. By using this drill on the range and before your next round, you’ll get a better feel for the swing, leaving you with much improved shots. Take a look below to see how it works.
Impact Bag® by Dr. Gary Wiren
This drill will help you identify the ideal golf impact position
Finding your impact position can be tricky. That’s because the swing happens so quickly that, even when using a super slo-mo swing camera, it’s tough to identify everything that occurs at impact.
The instructor in the video has a simple solution: Use a club to get the feel for your impact position.
For this drill, all you need are two clubs: one to swing with, and another to lay on the ground.
The 3 biggest differences between pro and amateur golfers at impact
Position the club on the ground toward your target, treating the top handle as if it were your ball. Next, push against the club, driving it straight down toward the intended target line.
To do this correctly, you must distribute your body weight forward, rotating your hips to keep the clubface square.
“As I drive [the club] forward, I quite naturally get into a really good impact position,” the instructor says. “I turn my hips to generate a little bit of force; I don’t just push it with my wrists.
“I keep my lead arm nice and straight. I even help out a little bit by my trail leg pushing as I try and drive forward.”
This drill will help you eliminate the inconsistencies many amateurs experience — like collapsing the wrists or leaning back as they swing. You’ll also begin to develop and strengthen your back, hips and core, allowing you to hit the ball straighter and longer. So give it a go!
