Hands Forward at Impact
March 22nd, 2011 | 
Author: 
Hands forward at Impact
One of the most important parts of a great impact is getting the hands in front of the clubhead or ball. This position encourages a delofted clubface and increased ball compression. Additionally, I have found that the hands appear to line up up with the lead thigh at impact for the vast majority of the top players in the game. There are a few factors that play a big role in your ability to get the hands forward at impact and compress the golf ball.
Too many golfers are here...
If you are tired of scooping at impact or a weak inconsistent strike then read on….. The primary factor is the quality of your grip. The weaker the grip the further back the hands tend to start at address and the further back they are required to be at impact. I don’t ever recall seeing a golfer with a weak grip (other than Ben Hogan) getting the hands far enough in front of the ball at impact. Think about it: if the grip is weak and the more forward the hands are, then the more open the face will be at impact. Take a look how many Tour golfers have grips that appear to be stronger vs. weaker and they all have forward shaft lean at impact. Essentially a weak grip necessitates that the hands be further back than they should at impact (they must be back in order to square the clubface), and the more back the hands are, the poorer the strike and the weaker the trajectory will tend to be.
A Strong Grip
If you are currently the owner of a weak, or even neutral, grip try this:
- As you prepare to take your grip, rotate the face 20-30 degrees closed
- Now take your regular grip
- At address make sure the face is square (this will rotate your hands and arms into a stronger position)
For some reason this method of strengthening your grip does not seem to be as uncomfortable as merely just rotating your hands on the club. Move the club instead. Give it a try.
A proper strong grip will enable you to lead the clubhead with the handle while maintaining a square clubface at impact and compress the ball – isn’t that what we’re after?
Here is a gallery containing almost 30 PGA Tour golfers from past and present. Take a look at where their hands are at impact:
Posted in Long Game, Practice, Swing Philosophy | 
Tags: baddeley at impact, ball compression, better ball flight, compressing a golf ball, control trajectory, downward strike, forward shaft lean, hand position at impact, hands ahead, hands at impact, howell at impact, immelman at impact, impact drill, impact position, johnson at impact, love at impact, penetrating ball flight, pga golfers at impact, PGA Tour golfers, stop scooping, stricker at impact, stronger grip, tour pros at impact, weak trajectroy, westwood at impact
Very insightful – thank you for the research that you do. Certainly makes my job a lot easier with such distinct visuals. Of course this is something that we have been concentrating on here, but the position very much happening as a result of the lower half initiating the downswing and the left side clearing somewhat by the time we get to impact. We use video and still pictures on this subject to illustrate to students what should happen if they do it properly. They know what they’re aiming for…..
Sounds good Gav – thanks for reading mate!
The Holy Grail of great ball striking…. Get the shaft leaning forward at impact, Hit the small ball before the big ball (Earth), and don’t worry too much about the rest!!! Enough said!
Thanks Brian – very true laddie!
Hogan had a famously weak grip. Tiger was really weak as well (it’s changed slightly, recently). They certainly had the shafts leaning forward.
Every player that’s ever made it to the tour had the shaft leaning forward Erik, however, the vast majority of top tier golfers employ a grip that is toward the strong side of neutral. I know that you and I (and almost every other golfer on the planet) would have a difficult time getting the shaft to lean forward enough with a weak grip. Sorry if I failed to point out these two examples that went against the norm – amazing how you pick these little things up…!
This drill teaches players to pull the handle and drag the heel of the club at the ball. Not a good thing, the hands ahead is a result of the forces in the swing and going to the target.
And what might you propose Steve? Seeing as though, according to your vast knowledge base, this drill is no good at all.
This one tip has resulted in my gaining 20 yards with my 7-iron, now carry 150 yards, rather than 130! I have battled a hook my entire life, and had evolved to a very weak grip to compensate. Now I am making solid contact, compressing the ball, and hitting the proper distance.
Wow! Great to hear Robert. I’m pleased this has been helpful to your game.
Im going to try this tonight, i have been battling shanks, thin weak slices and all because i appear to have my shaft straight up and down at address, i am playing off 3 and don’t quite know how i got there, wish me luck
Very helpful!! I have a weak grip and have noticed that I missed many of my shots to the right last week. However yesterday I tweaked the grip a little stronger and noticed crisper and straighter shots. 3 over par my lowest 9 hole score ever! Started playing the begining of last summer. Also, for whatever reason I tend to weaken my grip from close 30 to 60 yard shots and get under the ball and I couldnt figure out why! Im assuming it was the club face opening at impact! Thank you!
Hi Michael,
That’s great playing for somebody so new to the game. Keep it up!
Sincerely,
Andrew
Tried this last night. Set up with hands forward and tried to keep them there at impact. Had much trouble doing it unless I had more of a weight shift forward. Voila!
Let the player swing righthanded for the comments and questions below. Can we assume the following absolutes? 1. The butt end of the club must lead prior to squaring the clubface. In order to hit straight or with a slight draw the club must come from the inside. Impact will last for a fraction of a second. Question 1 Are there any pictures on the compression of the golf ball during a golf swing? Question 2 What is the position of the left hand and right hand immediately before, at, and after impact?
Thank you for your help in advance.
Andrew,
I have found that with an inside out path of about six degrees with the driver I can only get the clubface 1 degree open or even square to shut with a strong grip…this led to a lot of starting straight or pull hooks…a weaker grip has helped me hit a better push draw…
I guess my point is…If you’re trying to square or close the face then a strong grip is better…but if you’re actually trying to keep the face slightly open then a weak grip may suit you. Shouldn’t your desired ball flight shape decide what grip you should use?