Setup and Impact

Thu Feb 28, 2013 by Dave Phillips

I have asked many amateur golfers what is the difference between their setup position and their impact position.  They attempt to show me but it is often quite obvious that they don’t really know.  This is not any fault of their own, it is kind of tough to see yourself at impact.  However it does bring up the point of the difference between feel and reel in the golf swing. 

 

 

This picture of Adam Scott illustrates the point that there is a big difference between setup and impact.  Most great ball strikers have a forward leaning shaft at impact a straight lead arm and a slight bow to the lead wrist. 

 

This helps them to hit more down on the ball and creates more force through impact.  It also delofts the club through impact making it stronger which in turn creates less spin and a more penetrating ball flight, which creates more power.   You will also notice Adams hips and torso are considerably more open at impact than they were at address.  This is another trait that we see with great ball strikers, the more your lean the shaft forward the more you need to get your trunk and hips open to keep the ball on line. 

 

If you are suffering from weak shots and don’t hit your irons or woods as far as you should.  View the impact fix drill that is attached to this article and give it a try next time you get to the range.

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