Letting clubhead pass the ball at impact

Question
Eddie,  

I currently used to be a scratch golfer and now cannot break 80.  My problem, which has lead me to almost quit playing is a tendency to let the clubhead pass the ball at impact causing a severe left to left shot, which I have hit as much as 50 yards offline.  I do, on occasion, allow my right elbow to flair if I take the club back too far, which is also causing an over the top approach.  In the course of 18 holes I may play 5-10 holes under par, but the others well over par due to hitting the ball so far off line.  This is constantly in my head, which also causes me to hit a push slice when fighting the pull hook.  I am hoping that you have some type of answer, as I have had many people look at my swing and cannot see the flaw that is causing my problem.  I would really like to start playing again, but the frustration of knowing what I used to do to what I am doing now is embarrassing.  Thanks

Answer
Hi Robert:

I assume you mean letting the clubhead pass your hands down through impact. In any event, I can picture what you are saying.  As the clubhead passes the handle (hands), it is closing, striking the outside part of the ball with a closed face.  This would send the ball straight left and then depending on how much the face is closing AT impact, the ball might then also hook, creating the ever dreaded pull hook.  So what I would see on video, would be just before impact, your hands would stop moving forward (about your right thigh), your hands would then try to flip the clubhead at the ball, so the clubhead would fly past your hands closing around the outside of the ball producing the pull or pull hook.  Can you picture that?

So, what do you do to correct it?  Do the opposite.  Hit some shots with a 6 or 7 iron to start with.  All I would have you think about is making sure the handle of your club reached the left thigh before the clubhead struck the ball.  Now just picture that Robert.  As you swing the club forward into the hitting area, you must keep the handle moving past the ball so that the handle reaches your left thigh BEFORE the clubhead strikes the ball.  This is your new picture.  Put the ball on a tee when you do this drill for a while.  You need to develop the correct habit of siwnging the entire club to the finish, not just trying to hit the ball with the clubhead.  Practice this Robert, because if you do it correctly, the handle would move past the ball first, the face would be much squarer to the ball at impact, so there would be less spin on the ball which results in a straighter shot.  This will be done with every club in the bag, including your driver.  

Good luck, get to work, it's not as hard as it may seem.  Just amounts to you getting out on the range and hitting balls to "feel" the difference.  Let me know how you are doing and if you have questions, ask.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member