A very common position at impact for most beginner and intermediate players is the hands 'flipping' at impact. This is simply when the clubhead wins the race to the ball over the hands. This usually results in 'thin' shots and 'fat' shots. The reason why this position is quite common is that instinctively we can feel that we need to lift the ball up instead of hitting down. This 'flipping' action though can be eliminated by focusing on the correct drill for your swing.
One of the biggest areas to attend to first is the set-up. You want to make sure that your weight is not predominately on the back foot and your left shoulder is not too far back from your left hip. The correct set-up has your weight 50/50 on both feet with the irons and 60/40 back foot to front foot for your driver. You also want to line up your left shoulder with your left hip. The last area of the set-up you want to get right is having your hands a little forward of the clubface. Having your hands a little forward will encourage them to return back their at impact.
The next step to improve impact is ensuring you stay more on top of the ball. As mentioned earlier someone who 'flips' their hands through impact tends to stay too far back with their weight at impact. The best way to stay more on top of the ball is by having your feet closer together and hinging your wrists earlier on the backswing. By doing these two actions along with turning your body, you will feel the centre of your body stay on top of the ball. From here you will find it easier to control the movement of the downswing.
The last step is that you want to feel as though your body is moving onto the front foot while turning and keeping the hands in front of the clubface. A great tip to feel this motion is holding an alignment stick while gripping the club. The alignment stick should rest on your left side. The goal then is to swing through the shot while having the alignment stick not contact your body at impact. If you do this, you can guarantee that the hands are staying in front. This is a challenging drill but once you get used to it, you will feel the only way for the alignment stick to not contact your body is for the body to stay on top of the ball and for the lower half to lead the way on the downswing. You will know you are getting it right once you can feel the ball come off the clubface stronger.
If you'd like any further help in improving your impact and eliminating the 'flip' just contact myself at David Waters Golf located at Emerald Lakes Golf Coaching Centre.
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