Two Non-Negotiable Elements to Great Ball-Striking

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Almost every golf school I teach, kicks off with a discussion about these two, all important elements: forward shaft lean and a downward attack angle. For all shots played off the ground, that would be chips, pitches, iron shots, hybrids and fairway woods, these two elements are integral to your ball-striking success. They literally make striking the ball well, easier! Watch this…

As you can now see if you’re not leaning the shaft it isn’t possible to hit the ball out the center of the face. Leaning the shaft and delivering the clubhead in a slightly descending fashion gives us the best opportunity to compress the ball and deliver maximum energy transfer.

Key #1

Forward shaft lean at impact gives us:

  • a delofted club face, thus improving ball speed and distance.

  • a sweet spot that can now collide with the golf ball.

  • increased ability to hit down on the ball, thus improving strike quality.

  • an energetic and penetrating ball flight that sizzles off the clubface

I’m sure you’re wondering what you can do to start leaning the shaft more effectively for shots played off the ground. Keep in mind that an open face on the way down will corrupt any ability a player might have of leaning the shaft effectively. Try these ideas:

  • at address, feel that your hands are slightly ahead of the ball and that your weight gently favors the front foot.

  • make sure your club face is in a neutral to strong position on the way down and into impact. Tip it down!

  • practice hitting low, knockdown style shots on a regular basis. Punch the ball.

Key #2

Hitting down on the ball enables:

  • cleaner contact without the ground getting in the way.

  • improved face to ball interaction, leading to increased friction and higher spin.

  • upgraded confidence due to the higher frequency of quality strikes

What can you practice to start doing a better job with a descending attack angle for shots played off the ground? Keep in mind that much like I pointed out above, an open face is going to compromise your ability to both lean the shaft and hit down, so make sure that face is in place on the way down. Try this one:

  • fold up a towel and lay it on the ground one grip length behind the ball. This exercise will ensure that you can only access the ball with a slightly downward attack.

  • this drill also serves as a feedback tool in case you were wondering if you were hitting down or not.

Give these ideas a try to improve the quality of strike, ball flight, distance, feel and outcome of your shots off the ground. I sincerely hope it helps!

Hands Forward at Impact

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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.

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.

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:

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Impact Drill: How to Stop Scooping

The Impact "Drag" Drill

An Athletic Impact Drill

Drive the Hips into Impact

Impact Drill: How to Stop Scooping

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This is a version of a drill that I have presented many times, but each time I use it, it impresses upon me the importance of a proper strike on the golf ball. In using Trackman I have come to learn that the correct attack angle (an upward or downward hit) with an iron should be anywhere between 2 and 5 degrees down. If you have ever topped shots or alternated between thin and heavy strikes, you are more than likely getting scoopy through impact and this drill is right up your alley.

This drill will get you to do the following through impact:

  • Get the weight shifted onto the front foot
  • Lead the hands ahead of the clubhead
  • Hit down on the ball
  • Take divots in the right place - after the ball!

All you need is a small piece of one of those swim noodles that all the kids like to use in the pool. Secure the strip of noodle into the ground by pressing tees through the center as illustrated. It may take a little experimenting, but eventually you'll find the appropriate distance to line the balls up from the noodle. Before long you should start to see a consistent line of divots occurring on the target side of the golf ball - a positive sign! If you find yourself hitting a few of the dreaded "hosel rockets" your grip is too weak; Essentially you now need to scoop the face in order to square the clubface through impact. Get it stronger!

Some additional drills to help with impact: