August 8th, 2009 | 
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Golf Impact Errors
The Moment of Truth
Impact is the most important part of the golf swing! The ball spends an average of 1/2000 of second on the face of the club, yet it is during this time that it receives it’s all-important travel itinerary. How high; how far; what curvature or spin rate; and ultimately what destination is all determined in that fraction of a second!
The above picture is an ideal impact position.
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The weight is comforably on the front foot
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The handle is leading the clubhead into the ball and thus the clubhead is travelling down for a ball-first, divot-second hit
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The head is over the ball with the weight in front of the ball leading to body curve
There are only three errors a golfer can make at impact and here they are:
Head and Weight Back
In this example the head has worked back behind the ball too much and the weight remains on the back foot. This golfer scoops the ball off the turf and tends to hit weak, high fades and slices with the occasional pulled shot. Should a divot occur it is most often before the ball is impacted. This is a typical “weekend warrior” swing!
Head and Weight Forward
In this example the golfer has found a way to compress the ball and actually strike it well, however, due to the upper body being positioned in front of the ball, direction is a major challenge. This golfers’ tendencies will be to hit pull draws with the occasional push or flare. There is not enough body curve in this mid-level impact position.
Head Too Far Back with Weight Forward
This impact position is invariably the demise of the better golfer. Here the golfer has found a way to attack the ball from the inside while still delivering a downward blow to the ball, yet there is too much of a good thing! The head hangs back while the hips drive to the target, dropping the clubhead too far to the inside and encouraging the hands to have to flip through impact. This golfer will tend to play well with good timing, but should things get ‘nervy’ they will hit blocks and quick, sweeping hooks.
Analyze your shot pattern on the golf course and start to get an idea as to which of the above categories you fall into. Get in front of a mirror and work towards improving or tempering certain elements of your impact position. As you do this remember feel is very seldom real when it comes to golf. Create the correct look in the mirror and then absorb what that ‘look’ feels like and take that out to your next practice session.
Things to Ponder:
- After two rounds of play in the WGC Bridgestone event all of the major winners of 2009; Cabrera, Cink and Glover all sit at two under par.
- If you watched last weeks final round at the Buick you might have caught this little cheese from the final fairway. Rumor has it that David Feherty is to blame, but Tiger and Valvoline Williams sure did get a kick out of it.
- In the book “Bobby Locke on Golf”, Bobby Locke selects the top player of his era with each club. From the driver to the putter, even including the 2 wood and 1 iron! The most interesting selection I thought was that he selected Ben Hogan as the best PUTTER!
Andrew,
I’m currently a zero handicap and can get the ball around the course in somewhere around par or a couple over. My issue is that my swing is not anywhere near as consistent as I would like it to be. A lot of times I have a tendency to get my head and weight forward (second example) and other times to correct this I start getting my head too far back with my weight forward (third example). I can’t find a happy median between the two so that I can get more consistent. My worst misses are usually a flare to the right or a pull draw. When I hit it good but still miss it’s usually a fairly straight ball with a slight fade (I hit this shot a lot). When my time and everything are good, my best shots are little push draws (this is my preferred shot shape. I would like to hit draws on every shot if possible and never fade again). Are there any drills that I can work on to ensure I’m getting in a better impact position? I’m really tired of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde stuff that my swing goes through each year. Having to consonantly rely on my short game to save pars is getting old.
Hi Deron,
Thanks for your question. By the sound of things it seems as if your upper body tends to get too far in front of the ball (second example). If you had your head too far back you’d be able to hit push draws/hooks quite easily. The important thing for you is to get your weight forward while keeping the head over or behind the ball. The hips should drive/slide in the downswing while the upper body stays back – that leads to body curve. Take a look at my youtube channel (andrewricegolf) and watch the vid on hip slide. Hit lots of balls (irons) off a low tee and try to get the ball to launch right and turn back to the target. If that doesn’t help feel free to email me your swing via http://www.v1golfacademy.com and I’ll be happy to take a look.
Cheers,
Andrew
I suspect you’re right, Andrew. I definitely hit more fades than draws and when I do draw it, it’s typically a pull draw. Granted, I’m not talking about a 40 yard pull draw, but it’s definitely a little left of my target.
I’ll take a look at your YouTube channel. I actually subscribed to it the other day.
I just purchased a Zi8 camera that shoots in 60fps, so I’m hoping to record my swing here soon. I would love for you to take a peek. I’ll hopefully contact you soon.
Thanks, Andrew.