Consider this, during a four and a half hour round of golf the clubface is only in contact with the golf ball for about 4 seconds… That gives you four hours twenty nine minutes and fifty-six seconds left-over just to chase the ball around the course! It’s funny,  but these four seconds are totally responsible for where the ball goes. The top shots, out-of-bounds hooks, slices into the trees, are all a result of this single moment at contact. This ‘moment of truth’ in the golf swing is also referred as impact. Really nothing else matters in a golf swing except impact. Impact is the way the clubface contacts the ball which ultimately determines the whereabouts of the shot.

The PGA of America defined what a golf does in flight by establishing ‘the ball flight laws’ in the 1980’s publication on golf instruction called, ‘The PGA Golf Instruction Manual’.  The ball-flight laws are irrefutable laws governing how a golf ball flies depending on how it is impacted with a golf club. There are nine possible ball-flights according to the PGA and these are universally accepted today in golf instruction.

I am not going to cover all of the ball-flight laws here, but I want to focus on one – the straight shot.  Then I will explain how you can improve your impact with some simple drills. Two elemental things must happen at impact to hit the ball straight (illustration right):

a. the club must be swinging towards the target.
b. the clubface must be aiming at the target.

Let’s address getting the club to swing straight first.

Board Drill

One of the easiest ways to get the club swinging straight is to set-up two-by-four board along the target-line just outside the ball. To be exact, the board should be about an inch away from touching the toe of the club head. (photo left). Next begin hitting shots off of a tee near the board. The objective is to not hit the board. This simple practice method will perfect your swing direction in a short time. Note: if you start hitting shots on the toe of the club, place a head cover inside the heel of the club to prevent the club from pulling in.
Now let’s get the clubface square at impact. This will require a little more time to develop. I am giving you two drills here as it is the harder of the two to master.

Impact Preset Drill

Make a swing but balk just before hitting the ball. Freeze the body and look for the six elements listed above. Next, keep the body in this position and swing the club back and through with just the arms and hands. Hit some shots with this drill. You should start to feel some better compression into the shot.  Also, a lower and more penetration ball-flight will result.

Look for these six points at impact:

1.    80  to 90 % of the weight is on the left foot.
2.    The hips are turned approximately 45 degrees.
3.    The head is behind the ball.
4.    The shoulders are turned left about 25 degrees.
5.    The hands are slightly ahead of the ball.
6.    The right heel is slightly off the ground.

Impact Bag Drill

You can buy an impact bag for golf that costs around 29.00.  Make sure you place the bag forward in your stance. Swing into the bag and hold the impact for 5-10 seconds. Look for the six points mentioned in the Preset Drill. By holding the impact,  you will be working on the correct golf muscles and ingraining a new feel. You can sense the clubface is square and aiming at the target during the hold. Soon the feeling will become a habit and will be easier to produce in your normal swing.

All swing changes require practice and patience. There is no short cuts to building a solid repeating swing. Practice these drills regularly and in about a month you will see some significant difference in you ball striking.

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