Everybody's swing is different. Even on the PGA Tour there are no two swings alike. You could line up hundreds of golfers of varying skill levels that are similar in size and build and you would still not see two swings that are exactly the same.
But what you would see is how different the better golfers come into the impact zone than the less experienced/skilled golfer and strike the golf ball.
I see so many golfers that are new to the sport or have been playing for years but fail to improve and break 100 or lower their scores or hit the ball better because they don't understand the most critical part of the golf swing. They don't understand proper impact.
These frustrated golfers' most common mistake is that they add loft to the club. If at the moment of impact a snapshot was taken they would see their body behind the ball with most of their weight on their back foot, the shaft of the golf club would resemble a similar position as it did at address and their wrists will have 'broken' down as they have 'flicked' at the golf ball. They 'scoop' and try to help the golf ball into the air and think that golf is so difficult because the golf club has such a small margin of error as they try to slide it under the golf ball's equator but not take too much turf. For this reason many of these golfers prefer to hit range balls off the artificial turf matts that allow the golf club to bounce, not dig in and thus slide under the golf ball. The artificial turf does nothing to help teach them to hit a golf ball properly under real 'on course' conditions.
The proper way to strike a golf ball is the same for chipping as it is with the full swing. The hands need to be ahead of the ball at impact in order for the club to strike the ball crisply. The easiest way to get the feeling of your hands ahead of the ball is to at address with your hands on the club, 'press' your hands forward toward the target and angle the shaft of the golf club. If you took most irons and let them rest on a hard surface you will notice that when the sole of the club is resting on the ground the shaft naturally angles towards the target and your left side. (This angle is most evident in the short irons and gradually lessens as you get into the long irons and woods.) The left side is also where you need most of your weight to be as you impact the golf ball. The exact opposite of what many beginner and less skilled golfers do!
Think of the golf swing as the same motion we use to throw a ball or a frisbee, or most things for that matter. There is a transfer of energy, a shift of our weight forward to help 'sling', propel the object forward or towards the intended target. Another way to think about it is if you were holding a rope attached to something heavy and you were pulling from your side. To get the heavy object moving towards you and in the desired direction you would lean away from it and would feel in your left side (your lat muscles) tension as your torso twists and your arms are pulled straight from the heavy object. We wouldn't pull something heavy or be in a tug of war standing completely upright with our arms bent. We would lose that tug of war every time! A good way to see and feel the motion with a golf club is to grip a club and stand as you would when addressing a golf ball, with the golf club head resting at the edge of a heavy mat. Now without swinging, try to move that heavy mat towards your target and you should see and feel what I am referring to as proper impact position.
So by having the hands ahead of the ball at impact and our weight shifting forward, with forward shaft lean on the golf club we can descend slightly down onto the ball and strike it crisply. Those divots you see flying through the air when the pros on TV hit an iron shot actually occur after the ball has hit the clubface. The club is merely still descending down into the ground before following through.
Come on out and visit me at Olympic View Golf Club and I would be more than happy to help you achieve solid impact and improve all other aspects of your golf game. Our beautiful grass practise facility and short game areas will allow you to learn real golf under real conditions and you will start to see real improvement in your game.
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