Blog Post
Impact, the moment of truth
- By Bob Peterson
- •
- 01 May, 2017
- •
There have been thousands of golf swings analyzed on television, online and in magazine articles. While tempo and length of backswings vary, all great players get the clubface square at impact. In the beginning of Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons (a book you must have) there is an iconic illustration by Anthony Ravielli that seared the proper impact position into my consciousness.
The impact position is the moment of truth. Video assisted lessons, which I highly recommend, provide invaluable visual feedback. There are many other factors, of course, but I don’t want to overload the circuits here. Of all of the swing thoughts my teachers have encouraged me to employ, when I focus on the impact position and through the ball to a balanced finish, my results are usually consistent and often remarkable.
Bobby Hinds introduced me to the impact bag. This is a great training aid to facilitate a tactile experience, essential for mind-body integration, of the proper impact position. You can achieve similar feedback in a doorway. Assume the address position with you buttocks against the doorframe. Place the leading edge of an iron against the opposite doorframe. Turn your body and press the clubface against the woodwork. Your left hip (right hip if you are left handed) should maintain contact with the doorframe behind you. Hold the impact position for a few seconds and repeat. Take this experience to the range and watch what happens.
The impact position is the moment of truth. Video assisted lessons, which I highly recommend, provide invaluable visual feedback. There are many other factors, of course, but I don’t want to overload the circuits here. Of all of the swing thoughts my teachers have encouraged me to employ, when I focus on the impact position and through the ball to a balanced finish, my results are usually consistent and often remarkable.
Bobby Hinds introduced me to the impact bag. This is a great training aid to facilitate a tactile experience, essential for mind-body integration, of the proper impact position. You can achieve similar feedback in a doorway. Assume the address position with you buttocks against the doorframe. Place the leading edge of an iron against the opposite doorframe. Turn your body and press the clubface against the woodwork. Your left hip (right hip if you are left handed) should maintain contact with the doorframe behind you. Hold the impact position for a few seconds and repeat. Take this experience to the range and watch what happens.