Hitting straighter, longer shots is easy – you just need to keep your clubface square at impact!
Of course, understanding the swing fundamentals and techniques to do that is easier said than done.
Like most amateurs, I have a tendency to slice the ball with both my driver and irons. So at a recent lesson, my teacher actually applauded any hook I hit, saying it’s showing improvement from where I’ve been for far too long — which is a player who can’t help but keep the clubface open.
Part of the reason my face was open was because of the disorganization of my entire swing.
From setup to backswing to follow through, my hands were in the wrong position, which led to the clubface getting out of position way too early. This forced me to try and overcompensate in my downswing.
Sure, sometimes I was able to correct the issue. But far too frequently, I was unable to do so, which led to poor contact and lost distance.
Since this is a problem lots of amateurs have, GOLF Teacher to Watch TJ Yeaton shares an easy swing drill to help square your clubface all the way through your swing.
In the video above, Yeaton says he sees amateur golfers “twist the face very early in the backswing, and will then have to make a lot of adjustments in the downswing to try and account for that.”
As I mentioned earlier, when your mechanics aren’t strong enough to correct the issue with each swing, inconsistent results follow.
Yeaton offers up the following advice.
“What we’re going to learn today is how to square the face up a little bit sooner, by twisting the club in a more downward direction,” he says.
“We’re going to go hip high and feel like we twist the face down towards the ground, go up to the top — where we’ll continue to feel like we’re twisting the face more down to the ground. Then come on down and learn how to hit it straight from there.”
As someone who’s currently learning this himself, I admit that it’s quite the adjustment — not just physically, but mentally as well.
But as you practice the drill a few different times, you’ll get the feel for where your hands should be, where the clubface should be in both the backswing and downswing, and, slowly, your swing will produce better results.
So the next time you’re at the driving range, pay close attention to where your clubface is pointed at during different checkpoints in your swing. Then hold yourself accountable to keep it square in order to hit more flush shots.
