Is Your Golf Impact Position Good? 4 Critical Elements to Check

Impact position in golf is the most important part of the game. If the impact is correct, you’ll hit the shot you want to hit.

However, most amateur golfers aren’t sure exactly what a good impact position looks like.

We will give you four things to check, a few drills to work on, and a better overall understanding of whether your impact position is correct.

Perfect Your Golf Impact Position (Key Takeaways)

If you don’t have to work through the drills we offer, or you want to head to the range and work on this another time, here are a few things you can take away with you right now.

• The four positions to check at impact include the clubface angle, wrist angle, body rotation and shaft lean.
• Your wrist angle directly impacts the clubface angle so by working on the wrist angle with the HackMotion you’ll also get your clubface to the right position.
• Proper impact position in golf increases the chance of hitting a straight shot with the proper ball flight and launch to achieve maximum results.
• One of the best drills to help improve your impact position is the Hit Hard Then Stop Drill, as shown by Rob Cheney.

4 Checkpoints for a Solid Impact Position in Golf

Checkpoint 1: Clubface Angle

Your clubface angle at impact should be square.

Some players play great golf with a slightly closed clubface that promotes a draw.

However, it becomes difficult to hit straight and powerful shots if you consistently deliver an open clubface at impact.

To check your clubface position at impact, you can use a launch monitor and collect some data. You may also use impact tape on the club to see where on the clubface you are hitting it and if that is related to the angle of the face itself.

As far as improving clubface angle at impact, you’ll need to ensure two things.

1. Make sure your clubface at setup is square; don’t manipulate the club closed or open in your hands; set it down square to the target line (watch the video below).
2. Your lead wrist angle has to be flat to slightly flexed to compress the ball, square the clubface, and hit a great shot – see checkpoint 2.

Checkpoint 2: Wrist Angle

The best way to ensure your wrist is in the proper position at impact is to measure the angle of your lead wrist at impact using the HackMotion.

The goal is to have less extension in the lead wrist than you did when you set up to hit your shot.

The more extended your lead wrist is at impact, the more open the clubface gets. The flatter it is, the more square the clubface gets.

After analyzing more than 1,000,000 golf swings, we know that the best players in the world have a slight flexion in their lead wrist when they make an impact with the ball.

To get your wrist angle correct at impact there are a few different drills that you can use. One of our favorite is the motorcycle drill, it helps you feel the proper wrist position right from the top of the swing, so that by the time the club reaches impact you are already square.

Squaring the clubface at impact consistently requires the proper wrist position throughout the entire swing.

Checkpoint 3: Body Rotation

Once you have your wrist angles correct and your clubface square, you can start gaining some additional power and consistency.

This is done through the proper motions of the body.

Proper body rotation ensures that you won’t flip your wrists and that you are maximizing speed and distance. One area where amateur golfers struggle is having an open clubface, causing them to deliberately slow the club down through impact in an attempt to square it.

This is a waste of your strength and speed.

Get the clubface squared first. Once it is squared, you can fire your hips through the golf ball without having to worry about the clubface angle.

One of our favorite drills for proper body rotation in the golf swing uses an alignment stick that you tuck into your belt. When you swing with this alignment stick, you’ll have a much clearer understanding of how the body is supposed to rotate through the golf ball.

Checkpoint 4: Shaft Lean

Finally, you must also ensure you have forward shaft lean to get a descending blow and solid contact. Take a few slow motion swings and see if your golf shaft is ahead of your clubhead or if you have the opposite occurring in your swing.

One of the best ways to work on the concept of forward shaft lean is to hit some shorter chips and pitches and try to keep the hands ahead of the ball when you get to impact.

This miniature motion is the same that you will try to achieve when you start taking full golf swings.

The interesting thing about shaft lean is that many golfers overdo this position. They set their hands way ahead of the ball at the address and try to maintain it throughout the swing.

This is not correct.

Instead, you’ll want to use the club’s weight and a loose feeling in the wrist to get the grip end of the club so that it arrives at the ball before the clubhead.

Take a look at this video, where you can find drills for adding just the right amount of shaft lean to your downswing without overcomplicating and delofting the club.

Drills to Improve Impact Position in Golf

You’ve heard of impact bags and as great as they are for improving your impact position, they are not your only option.

If you want to improve impact, here are four additional drills to consider, try them all and see which gives you the feel you need.

Hit Hard Stop Quick Impact Drill

Some golfers feel like they have no control over the clubface at impact. To fix this, try the hit hard stop quick drill.

With this drill, you’ll take a full swing with something like a 7 or 8 iron and then stop the club just after impact. It’s not easy to do!

However, in order to stop the club you’ll have to have that forward shaft lean and flat lead wrist.

Practicing this a few times before taking a full swing will give you more awareness of your impact position.

Drag the Alignment Stick

This simple drill will have you drag an alignment stick along the ground through the impact position. The drill shows you exactly how the weight should be shifting, but even more importantly, you’ll get a very good idea of arm and hand position and how that should look.

You’ll just need an alignment stick to work on this drill.

Shaft Lean Drill

If you are struggling with flipping the club through impact, this shaft lean drill could be a good solution. Forward shaft lean creates that descending blow we need to hit great iron shots.

For this drill you’ll set up with weight on the lead foot, and focus on an abbreviated finish with the hands leading through impact.

Hands to the Pocket Drill

When your arms and hands are not in the right position just before impact, it becomes difficult to get that clean strike you need.

Here is a great drill that will help you feel that transition from the backswing to the downswing without it being so abrupt.

You’ll learn the way the arms fall down, and the hands feel as though they drop into the pocket of your lead leg.

FAQs

Where should the chest point at impact?

At impact, keep your chest pointing slightly ahead of the ball toward the target. If your chest is in this position, your body and weight are transferring as they should be.

How to get into a proper impact position?

To get into a proper impact position, your lead wrist should be flat or slightly flexed, your hips should be open to the target, and your weight should be shifted to the lead foot. Try a preset drill where you set this position and then try to reach it again during your full swing.

How do you control the clubface at impact?

To consistently control the golf clubface at impact, you need a flat lead wrist. The amount of extension/flexion in the lead wrist manipulates the angle of the clubface, causing the ball to go straight to the left or right of the target.

What do the hands do at impact in golf?

In golf, the hands should be ahead of the ball when it comes to impact. This position will help improve the compression and control of the golf ball. Keep in mind that this position is important even with the driver; the hands should not be behind the clubhead.

How to be more open at impact?

To be more open at impact, make sure your hips and shoulders rotate through the swing. Proper hip turn during the downswing helps you align your body correctly at impact and hit straighter shots.

How to hit the center of the clubface every time?

Hitting the center of the clubface every time takes practice, but you will also need a steady head position, proper path and tempo, and a flat lead wrist. Using impact tape to monitor and make changes is a good way to improve this position.

Final Thoughts

This simple and quick checklist of the proper impact position can really change your entire game. Wear your HackMotion while you practice, and ensure that you maintain that flexed lead wrist position at impact.

Finding the right impact positions for your hands and wrists will put you in control of your ball flight.