Why is it that golf can be so addicting? Answers can vary to that question, but a phrase that is often repeated in our academy goes something like this:
“That shot felt great! That’s why I keep playing!”
99.9% of the time a phrase like that is spoken, the player is simply referring to how great it felt that the ball hit the center of the club face. Hopefully you’ve experienced this at least a few times as a golfer, but hitting the center of the club makes so many other worries sometimes melt away.
I’ve even seen players hit it right in the screws (aka the center of the clubface) and the ball travel wildly off line and still feel overwhelmingly positive about the shot. So how can we increase the number of times the ball hits the center of the club? Try some of the tips I’ve picked up over the years the next time you go out for a practice session:
Know where the ball is hitting the face.
Having quality feedback is necessary for any form of practice to be effective. Therefore, having the feedback of knowing where the ball hit the club face is very important. The most obvious, and the form of feedback most players rely on, is feel/sound. This can be a misleading form of feedback since many clubs on the market today are designed to increase forgiveness (meaning you can miss the “sweet spot” and it still sounds and feels good). Since we can’t smell or taste center contact, that only leaves visual feedback. Here are some ways to make sure you can visually see your contact:
Dr. Scholl’s foot spray/power (most recommended and pictured above)
Impact tape/stickers
Simply keep your club clean and you can usually see where contact was made after each shot.
What is your impact pattern?
This is a question that any good instructor is going to ask or will be trying to find out very early in a lesson. Typically, impact patterns fall into the following categories:
Heal, toe, or center contact
Low, middle, or high contact (high contact usually limited to drivers)
Roaming contact (a.k.a. no obvious pattern)
How do you change your impact pattern?
If you’re reading this, you probably don’t need me to tell you that if your pattern is center contact, there’s no need for change. Otherwise, what are some things you can do to improve your impact pattern?
Check your pre-swing fundamentals
Anyone that has come to see me for a full swing lesson will tell you that I will not let you get away with a poor grip or setup. Especially if you have a roaming impact pattern, there may be an issue with how you are gripping the club, and/or positioning your body (alignment and posture)
Focus on your finish
One of the first things we teach beginner golfers, whether they are juniors or adults, is how to swing through to a balanced finish. There is a really good reason why every good player you see has a similar looking end to their swing. The major key elements to a good finish would be to make sure your entire body is facing the target, weight is 99.9% on your left foot (RH golfer), and your club is behind your head. These are very basic suggestions, so feel free to pick your favorite professional golfer and copy their finish!
Drills
Use the following links to see some drills I’ve recorded in the past that address improving your contact:
Impact Drill #1 (This is very old lol!)
Impact Drill #2 (Maybe even older!)
P.S.
This isn’t just about full swing! Controlling where the golf ball is hitting the club face is just as important in chipping, pitching, and putting.
