Forward Shaft Lean at Impact

Forward shaft lean (at impact, the shaft is leaning with the grip end of the club closer to the target than the head of the club) is an absolutely mandatory ingredient for making solid contact. This is a must if you hope to compress the ball (squeeze it between the clubface and the ground) and make your divot after the ball, not before. This is the true secret to both power and control and the element you absolutely must have if you want to hit Tour player golf shots. Here is a drill that might help you to achieve this great position at impact. By placing a head cover behind the ball about a foot and slightly inside the target line, you can learn to strike the ball with a proper descending blow and achieve forward shaft lean. Start with practice swings without the ball, each time concentrating on hitting the turf on the target side of the head cover without making contact with the actual head cover. Once you feel comfortable with this move, place a ball in front of the head cover and try to hit some shots. You should quickly get the proper feel of a descending blow. If you swing with a scooping motion (hitting the ground before you make contact with the ball), you won’t be able to hit the ball without first hitting the head cover. Ultimately at impact with our irons we want our hands under our left shoulder. In this position your hands are ahead the club head, the shaft is leaning forward and you’re hitting shots like Rory! For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403.

Ball Flight Laws

Learning cause and effect, in other words, understanding why your golf ball is doing what it’s doing, is a big step in becoming a better player. Here are some definitions that will help you with this: Clubface Angle -The clubface angle at impact primarily (85%) determines the shot's initial starting direction. This is a direct result as the golf ball will generally leave at a right angle to the club face angle at impact. In addition, the relationship between the club face angle and the club head path will also influence the shots curvature. Club head Path -The club head path at impact primarily determines the shots curvature. This is a direct result of the relationship between the club face angle and the club head path at Impact. In addition, the club head path at impact has some (15%) influence to the initial starting direction. Angle of Attack -The dynamic loft of the club face at impact primarily determines the shots initial launch angle. The angle of attack of the club head will determine the amount of spin and overall trajectory. Club head Speed - The club head's speed through impact is a key determinant to how far the ball will travel. The ability to generate more club head speed will result into more power. Point of Contact -The exact point at which the clubface contacts the ball determines how much of the club head's speed is transferred to the ball. This point of contact on the club face can also have an effect on the amount of spin and spin axis of the golf ball. Now What Does This Mean? Basically, the initial direction of the golf ball is influenced by the clubface and NOT the club path! For years we have all been told the exact opposite but with all of the technology available today it's easily been redefined, proven, and helps us understand ball flight. Let's take another example: Is it possible to hit a draw with an open face? Yes! The "open face" is relative to the target line and NOT the club path. So...the clubface is slightly closed to the path but open to the target line. Let's say you swing in to out at a 10 degree path angle. If the clubface is closed to 5 degrees to the path then the golf ball will start to the right but draw back to the target.

How Do Hips Affect Swing Plane?

How do your shoulders affect your swing plane? The answer is A Lot! Having had several students recently at Steel Canyon Golf Club who were struggling with getting under the swing plane on the down swing made me wonder. I wondered how often golfers think about what it is that is actually causing their club to get off plane. Like anything in golf, there are many factors that can affect any number of things in your swing. If I told you that your grip or ball position affects your swing plane would you believe me? Well they do, as well as alignment, weight distribution, weight shift and hoards of other factors. But for players who really struggle with getting to shallow (coming too much from the inside and hitting block pushes and/or flip hooks, I think more thought needs to go into what path their hips are moving on during the down swing. Think of yourself as a baseball hitter in the right hand batter’s box (reverse for left-handers). During the downswing if the left hip moves toward first base, the hands and the club will get stuck behind you and the club head path will be too much from in to out. To correct this, feel as through the hip is moving more towards the shortstop which will cause you to open up more and get the club head working more down the target line. From here, is the club face is pointed at the target long and straight will be the result. For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403.

Anyone interested in adding a quick $10,000 to the bank account? It could very well happen on Sunday, March 30th on the 14th hole at Steel Canyon Golf Club in Atlanta. Take a lesson from Steel Canyon and Golf Channel Swing Fix instructor John Marshall between now and March 29th and you’ll be eligible to take one swing for 10 big ones. If one person sinks the shot, they win. If everyone sinks the shot, everyone wins $10,000. After a lesson you’ll be longer and more accurate than ever so your chances of sinking the shot will increase dramatically. To book a session and to earn your opportunity for riches, shoot me an email at john@jmlongdrive.com.