How To Get The Perfect Impact Position

The only thing that matters is impact. Bar none! If you don't come into impact in a certain position, you will not hit the ball solid, nor very straight. I want to talk about several key points to learn how to achieve the perfect golf impact position.

Forward Shaft Lean

This is the biggest illusion in the golf swing. Many, if not most amateur golfers do not have the right position of the clubshaft at impact. We instinctively get the hands and club back to where we had them at address, and this is considered a weak, flipping of wrists impact position.

The correct position for impact is your hands ahead of the ball, with forward shaft lean. This promotes a downward (compression) blow on the ball, taking ball first, then turf. Unfortunately, most golfers have not ever felt the correct impact position.

Here's what to do. Get in your address position. Now rotate your hips left, push your hands forward and freeze right there! Now take a look down at where you are at. This is the perfect impact position in golf. When you look down, does it not blow you away at how far to the left your hands are? 

So just imagine you have to get all the way to the position from the top of your backswing. The ONLY way you can achieve this position is retaining your wrist angle (cock) all the way down and through impact. The minute your release this angle (and most amateur golfers do), you will be flipping at impact, and that will not compress the golf ball.

Flat Left Wrist

At address there is a slight cup in your left wrist. The weaker the grip, the smaller the angle in the left wrist. When your wrist is in a strong grip position, when you look down, you'll see this angle in the back of your left wrist if you're a right handed golfer. 

When you're at impact having your hands ahead of the ball, with the forward shaft lean, that slight cup will be gone, and in it's place is a very flat left wrist. This is a good indicator you have struck the ball with an impact position that compresses the ball first, then as mentioned earlier, turf after the strike.

Right Wrist In Golf

In my opinion, the most imporant point, and the key issue a golfer should pay attention to, to achieve the perfect impact position is the right wrist in golf. It should be BENT at impact. The most common look for most golfers, is a bent right wrist, which is called "flipping at impact", which is a weak way to hit a golf ball.

In your downswing, you should focus on retaining the angle in your right wrist for as long as you can possibly do it. You will be shocked at how long you need to consciously hold it. We all have that "hit" instinct, and that causes the right wrist to release prematurely.

Use A Swing Aid To Achieve Perfect Impact

One of the fastest ways to ingrain your muscle memory to hit solid shots is the use of an golf impact training club. This is a club that forces you to hit the ball with the aforementioned forward shaft lean, and hands ahead of the ball. If you don't, a training aid like this will not even get the ball airborn.