Making better contact, as I often point out in my golf lessons, isn’t a matter of swinging the club harder or faster, but of developing a balanced, free-flowing swing that produces tremendous clubhead speed through impact. Making contact often pays off in the form of lower scores.
One key to better contact is swinging through the ball, not to the ball, which even tour players sometimes forget to do. Below are 4 additional keys to improving your ball-striking capability:
Making better impact starts at address. Adopting a stance with good body angles at address—flexed knees, comfortably bent spine, and loose hanging arms— promotes a good shape to your golf swing, while hovering your clubhead above the ground encourages a smooth one-piece takeaway.
Lifting your head off your chest at address enables you to rotate your right shoulder under your chin through impact while extending your arms fully. Having a straight left arm at impact re-establishes the radius of your swing, enabling the clubhead to be returned to the ball squarely, with power, and at the right angle of attack.
One other thing that will help in making better contact is a proper weight shift. Take a loot at this drill to work on it:
Address the ball normally but choke down on the club. Take the club back with a good turn, making an effort to transfer your weight to the right side. Then shift the weight to the left side as you swing through impact. Make sure you keep your head behind the ball, which enhances your sense of being “over the ball” at impact. Continue forward and walk through the shot.
These keys will help you improve your ball-striking capability. Do so and you’ll soon cut that golf handicap down to size.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book How To Break 80…And Shoot Like The Pros!. He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that was able to figure out the secrets of shooting in the 70’s on a consistent basis without quitting your day job. Jack has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately.