Impact
By Rick Flagler
PGA Director of Instruction
Bala Golf Club
In this tip I want to focus on impact. Obviously, there are many important things that can be focused on during the golf swing. Grip, stance, posture, swing plane, shoulder plane, body rotation and the list goes on. With my students I like to focus on proper ball/turf contact and the position the body and hands should be in to achieve solid impact.
To achieve solid impact you have to have what I refer to as Positive Shaft Lean. PSL can really only be achieved by allowing the hands to lead the club head into the golf ball. This allows you to have the proper ball turf contact or “trappin
g of the ball” that we all strive for. Most problems usually surface when people don’t allow their hands to lead long enough in the swing before they strike the ball. In essence they release the club too soon and they achieve Negative Shaft Lean. NSL is where the club head has been allowed to pass or flip past the hands before impact and this leads to poor and inconsistent ball striking.
A great training aid to use to get the proper feed back you are looking for is an impact bag. The impact bag has been around for a long time and there is a reason for it. They are simple and effective which is a nice combination. To get started, use a six or a seven iron and place the back of the bag in the middle of your stance. Make some smooth swings, about half speed, and take note of where the club head is in relation to your hands at impact. If you do it properly you should have Positive Shaft Lean which means your hands will be slightly ahead of the club head at impact.
We can focus on the proper position of the body at another time.
If you have questions on this or anything else, please let me know. Play well,
Rick Flagler
PGA Director of Instruction Bala Golf Club
267-664-3789