Impact is everything in golf – it’s the moment of truth.
So what is it, really? Impact position is the result of your backswing and downswing, and how the ball reacts off the face. Sometimes it’s great, other times it’s okay (aka “a good miss”) and sometimes…there’s room for improvement on the swing.
In essence, it’s the only thing that matters in the golf swing. When most golfers say they want to hit the ball better, what they really should say is they want to get the club in a better impact position.
3 Proven Golf Swing Tips for Solid Impact Position
Part of improving your golf swing is taking some tips from the pros.
When it comes to improving your golf swing, success always leaves clues behind. Jack Nicklaus, one of the best ball strikers ever, left us plenty of clues in his swing to learn from.
He was one of the first golfers to hit the ball long while playing a fade (most players at the time hit a draw for more distance). Jack has said one of his favorite swing thoughts was to keep his back to the target as long as possible. This helped him get the arms to lower, create lag, and get into a powerful impact position.
Everything you do from setup to backswing, to transition and downswing, all leads to one momentous moment. Even the smallest mistakes can lead to huge issues as the club makes contact with the golf ball.
If the face is open, it’ll lead to a fade or slice. If the face is closed, it’ll lead to a draw or hook. Or, if you’re able to square it perfectly, hit what Tiger Woods said is the hardest shot in golf – a straight shot.
Impact position will show if you hit the ball on the toe, sweet spot, or heel.
Try These Impact Position Tips Today
Aside from a square face, what does a good impact position look like? What should you strive towards in your golf swing?
Tip #1: Lean the shaft forward at impact
Shaft lean isn’t achieved by intentionally pushing the hands and arms forward during impact; rather, it naturally occurs by slightly leaning your body forward facing at impact, compared to your address position
This is one of the biggest differences between pros and amateurs – and why the pros hit so much longer. They’re great at compressing the golf ball by getting their hands ahead of it at impact while reducing loft.
Tip #2: Correct your shoulder and hip placement
The pros get the lead shoulder and hip above the trail shoulder and hip. This helps keep the arms connected and avoid a chicken wing position at impact. More on this easy-to-miss arm placement later.
Tip #3: Keep your arm tucked
Great players keep the trail arm tucked below the lead arm. This helps create that forward shaft lean from tip #1 and get your body working through the shot.
Common Impact Position Mistakes
Now that you know what to do at ball impact, let’s get into some of the most common issues holding you back.
First is having your weight too far on your back foot. When this happens, you’re much more likely to hit behind the golf ball and/or up on it, instead of compressing it for a pure strike.
Don’t forget, the best golfers in the world carry the majority of their weight on their lead foot at impact.
The second issue most golfers make is known as the chicken wing, mentioned above. This occurs when your arms are separated from each other and stick out too much, causing inconsistent ball impact. If you hit a lot of shots off the toe or heel, this might be the cause.
Imagine squeezing a small ball between your arms throughout the entire swing. You want to be able to keep the ball between them from backswing to impact by keeping your arms connected.
Finally, the last common mistake is getting the upper body ahead of the ball at impact. This usually happens from trying to swing too hard and unwinding with the upper body instead of the lower body. It’s a common cause of slices, as the face is left wide open at impact.
Improve Your Golf Swing with Online Instruction
If you want to improve upon these tips, and really get to the nitty gritty of improving your golf swing, be sure to check out our large library of training videos from expert golfers and coaches.
For mastering the proper impact position and better ball striking, check out the Simple Strike Sequence from Martin Chuck or the Power Plane Masterclass from Sir Nick Faldo.
