8 Most Common Consistency Killers in Golf and How to Fix Them
Do you ever have those days on the course where everything feels like it went your way? All of a sudden it seems like golf is easy, and your swing just clicks and does what you expect it to do.
We are all lucky enough to have this happen from time to time.
However, the problem is that to be a really great player, you need to make this happen consistently.
For most golfers, some glaring mistakes keep them from being consistent.
We will show you what those mistakes are and exactly how to fix them so you can lower your scores today.
Consistency Killers in Golf (Key Takeaways)
If you don’t have time to read about all of these consistency killers and how to fix them, here are a few of the most important concepts to take with you.
- Your timing – the timing of the release, the weight transfer, etc.- makes a big difference in the accuracy and consistency of your shots.
- The lower body has to be active in the swing if you plan on repeating a move consistently.
- The lead wrist position is what controls the clubface throughout the swing; when you get the lead wrist in the correct spot, you’ll hit more consistent shots.
- A proper pre-shot routine, setup, alignment, and even visualization will lead to you striking the ball with a square clubface.
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
8 Golf Consistency Killers and How to Overcome Them
Failure to Release at The Right Time
Releasing the club is essentially squaring the clubface. If you do it too late, you hit the ball with an open clubface, and it heads to the right of your target. If you do it too early, you’ll hit the ball to the left of your target.
The key is to time the release properly so you can hit your golf ball straight.
For most golfers, the problem is a lack of awareness of where the club is and what it is doing.
One way to gain some awareness of your golf club position throughout the swing is to try Rob Cheney’s hit hard then stop drill. The idea here is to take a swing and stop the club just after impact.
To do this, you need control.
You’ll find that the first few times you try, the club will go well past impact, and you’ll feel as though you don’t have control. Keep practicing until you can stop the club on demand. You’ll gain speed and some power, as it’s hard to do.
Most importantly, you’ll know where the clubhead is and be able to recognize issues when you start playing inconsistent golf.
Leaving Weight Back On the Trail Leg
Weight transfers throughout the golf swing. For a standard 7 iron full swing shot your weight will start mostly balanced between the legs and then it will transfer to the trail leg and then back to the lead leg.
Leaving weight back on the trail leg is a common cause of inconsistency for amateur players.
You can work on a drill, as seen in the video from Rob Cheney above, where you lean forward on the lead leg and preset the weight transfer. This will teach you to be more consistent and to strike the ball cleaner.
If you find yourself finishing your swing on the back leg, it could be a poor weight transfer causing your inconsistency issues.
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
Too Much Extension in the Lead Wrist at The Top of the Swing
After studying more than 1,000,000 golf swings and paying close attention to the lead wrist position, we found the number one cause of inconsistency to be too much extension in the lead wrist at the top of the backswing.
This lead wrist extension leads to trouble on the downswing.
You must square the clubface or turn that extension into flexion on the downswing.
Use the HackMotion to measure your exact wrist position and then compare that to the wrist position of a professional.
Golfers who have a flat lead wrist or even one that is slightly flexed can accelerate through impact without fear of leaving the clubface open.
A great drill to practice this is the motorcycle drill. It will teach you to get your clubface square at the top; from here, a consistent impact is not hard to find.
Keep the Arms Working Together
The golf swing has a lot of moving parts, and they all have to work together to shoot low scores and take a repeatable golf swing. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure the arms do not separate throughout the swing.
Take a slow-motion swing and look at the position of your elbows as you swing back and forth. Are they moving further apart or getting closer together?
It’s best to keep them the same distance apart throughout the swing. One way to do that is to put a ball in between the arms as you swing.
Rob Cheney demonstrates this drill and he’ll show you how it can help with everything from long game to short game to improve inconsistency.
Improper Setup and Alignment
Setup and alignment are kind of the boring part of golf. You can work on these areas of the game for hours on end and still feel like you aren’t getting anywhere.
The key is to use alignment sticks when you are practicing on the range. You have to start to create some visual aids for yourself that you can carry to the course.
If your clubface is aimed to the right of the target and your body is aimed to the left, you’ll hit a poor shot.
Make sure everything is aiming at the correct spot, trust your aim and your setup, and then make your swing.
Even a perfect golf swing won’t work if your setup and alignment are incorrect.
Not Creating Space with the Lower Body
The larger the muscle is, the easier it is to move consistently.
This is why so many professionals talk about taking the hands and arms out of the swing. They want you to focus on the lower body.
With a proper turn and rotation of the lower body, you can keep your club on the right plane, create space for attacking the ball from the inside, and hit high lofted and solid golf shots.
Start your swing with enough space between your club and your legs. As you swing back make sure the lower body is turning, as you swing through, let the lower body lead the way. This leaves space for the club.
Many players refer to this position as dropping the club into the slot. They feel it fall into place and find that from here, they can make the same swing every time.
Improper Shaft Lean at Impact
When you impact the club head, you should not lead the way. The club head will follow behind the hands.
This forward shaft lean at impact creates a consistent downward strike. You’ll see better spin rates, higher shots, more distance, and increased consistency in your golf game.
If you increase the forward shaft and lean too much, you will drop the club, which will make it hard for you to get the ball in the air.
Take a look at this drill, which gives you some ways to work on getting that shaft to lean forward just the right amount.
No Pre Shot Routine
Last but not least is the lack of a pre-shot routine.
The pre-shot routine goes beyond just a rehearsal of the movement in your golf game. It’s also about the mental aspects of what you are trying to do. You’ll visualize exactly what type of shot you want to hit and then go through the exact steps each time.
These steps help ensure a consistent tempo and a golf swing you can repeat.
Any great player will tell you that they don’t even mind if they fade or draw the ball each time they hit, as long as they do it EACH time.
The more you can make a repeatable swing in golf, the easier it is to start making pars consistently.
Final Thoughts
Each of these 8 most common inconsistency killers could be what is holding you back from breaking 90 or breaking 80. You may be unable to adopt them all into your game simultaneously.
However, work your way down the list and see which is causing you the most trouble in your golf game.
You may be surprised to see how much lack of wrist control is causing this inconsistency. Use HackMotion to get your hands and wrists in the right spot and become a more consistent golfer.
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