Is it your hand position, the fact that you slide your hips, or do you think you picked your head up?

Chances are, that’s not what happened. Golfers have plenty of reasons or excuses that they believe cause their golf shots to do what they do.

However, one thing determines your golf ball’s flight. That one thing is the clubface angle at impact.

Understanding the golf ball flight laws will allow you to hit straighter, more consistent golf shots.

What are Golf Ball Flight Laws?

The golf ball flight laws are a list of directions and angles at which the golf ball travels based on what happens at impact.

The old golf ball flight laws were largely based on the club’s path; the new ones are more about the clubface angle at impact.

Without golf ball flight laws, we would not understand the difference between a fade and a draw and why one golf shot can go straight and the next can hook.

What is the Importance of Ball Flight Laws?

Many amateur players believe that the golf ball flight laws are for professionals.

In reality, golf ball flight laws are for all players. They help solve problems with the golf swing. If you are tired of hitting a slice or a hook while out on the course, these laws could change your game and your approach.

Thanks to modern golf technology and things like TrackMan, Foresight, and HackMotion, we have learned much about what happens at impact and how players can benefit from this data to improve.

The most significant of these findings is this:

• The clubface at impact determines the direction of the ball.
• Swing path, in relation to the clubface, determines the curvature of the ball.

With the golf ball flight laws, we can get much more information from launch monitors and similar technology that gives actional tips for improving your game.

Notice with the new golf ball flight laws; we look at the face’s direction to the target and the relationship of the face to the path.

The important takeaway is that the face (both in relation to the target and the path) will decide where the ball will go. The path plays into curvature a bit, but again, the clubface angle is key.

What are the Different Types of Ball Flight?

Different types of ball flight take into account the way the ball leaves the clubface and then the way the ball curves.

For instance, you can hit a shot that starts left of your target and stays left, or you can hit a shot that starts left and then turns left.

Here is the ball flight terminology you should know, as well as what to expect if you hit any of these shots.

If you think a slice or a hook are the only ball flight options, think again. The ball can start in three ways, a push, a pull, or a straight shot:

• Push: the ball goes right of the target from the time it comes off the clubface.
• Pull: the ball goes left of the target line immediately after impact.
• Straight: the ideal initial ball flight, right down the center of the fairway.

Once you have those initial flights, you have to also consider curvature:

• Fade: a golf ball that curves slightly right of the target fall to the right.
• Slice: a golf ball that takes a significant turn to the right.
• Hook: a golf ball that turns hard left.
• Draw: a golf ball that turns slightly left falls to the left side.
• Straight: a golf ball with no curve.

Finally, we combine the initial shot direction with curvature, and then we can talk about your true ball flight and what you are experiencing out on the course.

We often discuss these combinations using the terminology slice and hook. However, you can easily substitute in a fade or a draw (just expect a little less curvature).

• Push: the ball goes to the right of the target with no additional curvature.
• Push Slice: the ball goes to the right of the target and then continues to turn further right.
• Push Hook: the ball goes to the right of the target and then turns back to the left with a larger curve.
• Straight: a straight shot comes off the face square and never turns.
• Straight Slice: the ball goes straight when it starts and takes a significant turn to the right.
• Straight Hook: ball comes off the clubface straight and then hooks to the left.
• Pull: starts left of the target and never curves.
• Pull Hook: starts left of the target and then continues to turn further left.
• Pull Slice: shot starts left of the target and then slices back to the right.

What Factors Have an Impact on Ball Flight?

The new golf ball flight laws show the importance of the clubface at impact, but other factors also impact ball flight.

These include speed, launch angle, spin, and direction.

Ball Speed

The more ball speed we can generate, the easier it is to get distance. Distance gets us closer to the hole and makes approach shots considerably easier.

Ball speed is the initial speed at which the ball is hit. It’s often confused with clubhead speed, but ball speed is different from clubhead speed.

The ball speed will determine how far a golf ball will travel through the air. The more ball speed you have, the further the ball should travel.

Launch Angle

Depending on your angle of attack, the golf ball will launch at a specific angle. The launch angle impacts trajectory.

Years ago, we thought a lower trajectory would lead to a longer total distance, but we have since found that a high trajectory keeps the ball up in the air and travels considerably further.

The launch angle with shorter irons and wedges should be higher than it is with the longer irons and fairway woods.

Spin

Spin, especially side spin imparted on a ball, will impact the ball’s flight. Where most golfers see the way spin impacts their shots is after the ball lands. When the ball lands and stops, it has a lot of backspin.

If it has a lot of forward spin when it lands it will roll forward. Forward spin is great on a drive but not great with a wedge shot. Overall, spin rates also impact the trajectory and direction of your golf shots.

Spin rates are a major factor to look at and consider when deciding on which club to purchase.

Clubface Direction

The direction of the clubface at impact will determine the ball’s initial direction.

In addition, the direction of this clubface in relation to the swing path will determine the way the ball curves.

Wrist Angles and Clubface Direction

A golfers’ control of their clubface has quite a bit to do with the angle of their wrists.

If you are unaware of how golfers control their wrist angle in their swing, check out our complete guide on wrist action in the golf swing.

Factors That Influence the Golf Ball After Impact

Once the golf ball leaves the clubface, several factors affect its flight. These include the ball’s weight, drag, and lift.

Weight

Under USGA regulations, a golf ball:

• Must not exceed 1.620 ounces in weight.
• Must have a diameter of at least 1.680 inches.

Any weight variation in a golf ball can significantly influence its flight characteristics.

Drag

The dimple pattern on a golf ball varies by manufacturer and affects drag, which is the force that resists the ball’s motion through the air.

A more efficient dimple design reduces drag and helps the ball maintain speed, ultimately increasing distance.

Lift

Lift is the upward force on the ball, dictating how high it travels. The launch angle primarily determines lift, but compression can also play a role.

Weight, drag, and lift govern the ball’s overall flight and distance.

How to Use Ball Flight Laws to Improve Your Game?

Now that you understand more about the golf ball flight laws let’s take a more detailed look at how you can use this information to help your game.

As always, it’s great to be an expert in golf, but we need to use this info to shoot lower scores.

Example 1: Correcting a Pull

When we look at our new ball flight laws, we know that a pull is a shot that starts left of the target and then stays left of the target.

We know that a pull happens because a golf ball is struck with a clubface that is closed to the target line. This means the clubface is pointed to the left of the target at impact.

With this issue, there is likely a problem on the downswing that causes the clubface to come over the top on the outside in path.

In addition, your wrist angle and position at the top of the backswing cause the clubface to be a bit shut. Working on both of these things should fix the pull shot.

To Fix the Pull:

Try the Inside Out Gate Drill to fix your pull. Wearing the HackMotion to gather feedback and data while you complete this drill will make it more effective.

Example 2: The Dreaded Slice

The slice is the most common miss in golf. In our chart with the new golf ball flight laws, we call this the straight slice.

Although those two words don’t seem to fit in the same sentence, when you hit a slice, the ball does travel straight, to begin with.

The straight part of the ball flight doesn’t last for long as the slice spin takes over and starts turning the shot to the right.

With a slice, the swing path is more closed than the clubface. Again, we see how important learning to square the clubface is.

To Fix the Slice:

To fix a slice, the clubface needs to be square at impact and square to the swing path. One of the best ways to fix a slice is to use a drill called the Motorcycle drill.

The Motorcycle Drill helps to ensure your clubface is squaring up as you move towards impact.

Example 3: A Straight Shot

There is always so much talk about how the golf ball turns and how it comes off the clubface, and sometimes, we don’t focus enough on what it takes to hit a ball straight.

Anytime you did not hit a golf ball straight, you had an issue with the clubface at impact. The quicker you can figure out the issue and then make adjustments to square the face, the easier it is to hit a straight shot.

Straight shots have a clubface that is square to the target; they have a straight path and a face that is square to that path.

Seems simple, right?

The release drill is a great practice drill for golfers who struggle with their impact position and trying to hit a straight shot. With this drill, you train your release on a short swing before adding more power and length to the golf swing.

Example 4: Straight Hook

A hook is another common shot that many golfers hit. Many say the hook is caused by tempo or coming from the inside.

What we know about a hook is that your face will be square to the target, and the path of the club is inside to out.

This is why when you hit a hook, you feel like you are swinging out to the right of the target, but the ball goes left. The clubface is closed to that path. The more closed it is, the more the ball hooks.

Analyzing Your Own Ball Flight

Let’s ensure you know how to analyze your ball flight and correctly use the golf ball flight laws. For starts, ensure you understand that these ball flights work for left- and right-handed players.

However, a slice for a right-handed player goes straight and then turns to the right; for a left-handed player, the ball goes straight and then turns to the left.

Divot Checking

You will watch your ball flight and learn from where it goes. However, you can also look at your divot pattern and see what you can learn about that.

Most divot patterns will give you an example of your club’s path; it’s a little harder to determine the clubface angle from the divot.

Alignment Sticks

It’s important to have alignment sticks set up when practicing your putting. The alignment sticks will give you an indication of what you are aiming at.

Sometimes, golfers think they pulled a shot, but they aim too far to the left of their target.

Launch Monitor

Launch monitors like Trackman can give you real-time data on the angle of your clubface and its position in relation to the path.

This advanced launch monitor data with path information is usually only offered on higher-end launch monitors. Cheaper portable launch monitors are used more for ball data.

HackMotion

The HackMotion wrist sensor can determine the exact wrist angles you need to square the clubface at impact.

HackMotion helps you measure and analyze a part of your swing that you may not have been able to understand otherwise.

One of the key pieces of data that HackMotion has given us is that professional golfers do a very good job of squaring their clubface to the path long before they get to impact.

You may be able to learn from HackMotion that your clubface is squaring up too late.

The best part?

HackMotion eliminates the guesswork, allowing you to refine your swing with real-time feedback and guided drills.

---

Level 1

Release drill Train your release before working on other aspects of your swing

Level 2

Dynamic transition drill Train your sequencing and pivot, as well as punch shots or your wedge game

Level 3

Impact full swing challenge Train your maximum power swing

Explore HackMotion Today

FAQs

Here are a few things to know about the golf ball flight laws, common misconceptions, some things you should know, and final thoughts regarding how these laws impact your game.

How do you read a golf ball flight?

When reading a golf ball flight, ensure that you have a proper idea of what straight is. Many golfers are not lining up their golf shots, and what they think is straight is actually left or right. Use alignment sticks, pick a target, and then use this diagram to read your ball flight.

What is the ideal ball flight?

Golfers who can hit a straight shot will find an advantage on the golf course. However, if you can eventually learn to control ball flight and hit a fade or a draw when necessary, it’s a tremendous benefit to scoring.

How do you hit different ball flights?

The angle of the clubface mostly determines the ball flight of your golf shots at impact. In addition to the angle, you may also see an impact due to the club path.

As shown here, you must change the clubface angle at impact if you want to hit different ball flights.

What makes a golf ball fly straight?

A golf ball hit with a square clubface on a straight path will fly straight. When the clubface angle changes, you can hit a shot that goes straight left or straight right, but it won’t be straight in relation to the target line.

What controls the direction of your golf ball flight?

The wrist angles in your golf swing control the flight of the golf ball. The angles at setup, backswing, and downswing as they transition into the golf ball all impact the ball’s flight and direction.

Final Thoughts

Golf ball flight laws are nothing that you need to harp over or think about when you are on the golf course.

In addition, this change from old ball flight to new ball flight laws further proves that golfers should focus on the clubface angle at the ball.

Practice controlling your clubface using the HackMotion wrist sensor to see tremendous improvement in your game.

The post Golf Ball Flight Laws (What You Need To Know & Common Misconceptions) appeared first on HackMotion.

The release is an area of the game where amateur golfers struggle. Once you get the feeling and the concept of the release down, it’s much easier to repeat it.

Amateur golfers can learn to release the club consistently to gain additional yardage and more consistent performance.

We will show you how to release the golf club correctly and how you can learn to refine your wrist movements to ensure consistency.

Releasing the Golf Club (Key Takeaways)

If you don’t have time to read our entire guide on releasing the golf club, here are the most important takeaways:

• Releasing the golf club is not rolling the hands over; it is maintaining proper wrist angle through impact and then allowing your body to rotate.
• The timing of the release in golf is considered paramount, but with proper wrist angles from the top of the backswing to impact, the timing of the release will not be an issue.
• Proper release of the golf club will encourage a square face at impact, more penetrating ball flight, and increased distance.
• Drills for practicing the release should be mostly centered around feel to understand and narrow down the concept.

What is Releasing the Golf Club?

As you swing a golf club back, the clubface opens; when you swing through impact, the clubface squares up, and as you move past the ball, the clubface closes. This is the club’s release; it’s the opening and closing of the clubface at the proper time to hit a straight golf shot.

The release is a difficult concept to think about consciously; it has to be more of a feeling to master it.

HackMotion provides real-time data on your wrist movements to bridge the gap between feel and understanding.

How to Release the Golf Club Correctly

To release the golf club correctly, it makes sense to break the swing down into sections, including setup, top of the backswing, impact, and post-impact.

Follow these steps to release the golf club correctly.

Setup

Ensure that your setup includes a neutral grip, a stable base of support, and weight evenly distributed among your feet.

Although there is no perfect grip position for a proper release, a weak or strong grip makes the process harder.

While setting up to hit, ensure your grip pressure is not overly tight. A tighter grip can restrict some natural wrist movement needed to release the club properly.

Top of the Backswing

The position at the top of your backswing will affect how much work you must do to release the golf club at impact.

When at the top of your backswing, you want to ensure your lead wrist is not overly extended.

Work on getting to a flatter lead wrist position, which will help result in a club that is on plane and considerably easier to release.

Use the HackMotion static top drill to dial in the wrist position at the top of the backswing.

Approaching the Golf Ball

Now that your club is in the correct position at the top of the swing, we have to look at what happens when you approach the ball.

To release the club properly, you must still have the left wrist flexed or flat through impact. Without this wrist position, the angle of attack is incorrect, and the clubface angle is also usually open.

As your hands move into the golf ball, you should decrease extension and flatten the lead wrist.

Impact

At impact, the lead wrist is flat or slightly flexed. We like to think of impact as the midpoint in the release motion.

After you have made contact with the golf ball, the lead wrist starts to move from the point of flexion to extension. This happens as the trail arm passes over the lead arm.

The key piece of advice to walk away from here is that the lead wrist stays flexed through impact and then moves to extension after impact.

The best way to practice your release at impact is the HackMotion Release drill.

After Impact

After impact, your lead wrist continues to move to the point of extension, and the trail wrist moves into flexion. This continues all the way through until the club stops moving and you are fully facing your target.

While wearing your HackMotion, take some swings where you go from halfway back to halfway through.

After contact with the ball, you should notice your wrist going from a slightly extended or flexed position to flexed and then extended again.

Actionable Tips for a Better Release

Here are a few of the most important tips you can use to quickly improve your release position and consistency:

• Golfers with better extension and rotation through impact tend to have more success with the release.
• A downward strike is key to a better release; if you are leaving weight back and trying to flip under the ball, you will not release the club correctly.
• At the point of contact, the lead wrist and the lead arm will feel as though they are straightened.
• Don’t let the golf club get ahead of the lead arm until after impact.
• Practice the release at a slower speed before you start to use it for the full swing; the feel takes a bit of time to get down when you are moving the club at a faster speed.
• Keep grip pressure to a minimum to avoid restricting your wrists.

Common Wrist Release Mistakes and How to Fix

If you are struggling to release your wrists, here are some of the issues that could be causing the issue.

Final Thoughts

At this point, you can see why wrist action in the golf swing is so important to create the proper release.

Learning to release the golf club correctly starts with understanding what the release is and the sequence of events in your swing.

Practicing the feel of the release is much easier to do when you have real-time data and feedback from HackMotion. Use tools and drills to improve your release, and watch your consistency and performance improve.

The post How to Release the Golf Club Correctly: Practical Guide with Actionable Drills appeared first on HackMotion.

Things like posture, wrist extension, grip pressure and incorrect shaft flex could be the root problem of your driver issues.

Some golfers are so worried about the driver they keep it in their bag. Don’t do this as it ends up costing you distance and strokes.

After reading our best tips for how to hit a driver consistently for more fairways in regulation, you’ll have all the information you need to start playing each round of golf from the center of the fairway. Most importantly, you’ll have confidence in your driver.

Ways to Hit a Driver Consistently (Key Takeaways)

If you need to bookmark this post and read it the next time you are on the driving range, here are a few key pieces of information to take with you right now. To hit a driver consistently:

• Turn your feet outwards a little to increase backswing rotation.
• The hands can’t get behind the clubhead, forward shaft lean exists in the driver swing too.
• Reduce grip pressure for better wrist action and clubface control.
• Keep the ball lined up with your front heel at setup.
• Adjust the tee height to match your attack angle.
• Keep your lead wrist flat at the top of the swing to help shallow the shaft.
• Rotate your hips as the first move down from the top of the backswing.
• Get a good shoulder turn right from the start and keep it going through impact.

Prefer watching to reading? Check out this video recap on how to consistently hit your driver and improve your distance.

10 Actionable Tips to Hit a Driver Consistently

There are numerous reasons why you may not hit a driver consistently. These include everything from poor posture, limited hip turn, and lack of rotation in the shoulders.

However, what’s more important than these causes – are the solutions.

Here are 10 tips to hit a driver consistently that will benefit any golfer.

1. Adjust Your Tee Height

The first step to hitting your driver consistently is to tee your ball up to the ideal height for your angle of attack.

You must strike the ball slightly above the center of the clubface to generate a high launch angle and low spin rate. Most amateurs are afraid to tee it too high, and they think that this lower ball flight and launch give them more distance.

This isn’t true. Learn to get the ball up a little higher and you’ll hit it closer to the center of the clubface at impact.

When you tee the ball a little higher, you almost have to shallow your angle of attack, allowing you to catch the sweet spot and improve distance and control.

2. Don’t Let the Clubhead Get In Front of the Hands

If you are a good ball striker with your irons and wedges, you have your hands ahead of the ball with some forward shaft lean at impact.

The driver tends to confuse golfers because they feel like this forward shaft lean is a negative in the driver swing.

As you’ll see in this video from Rob Cheney below, the hands still need to be in line with the ball to get the correct impact position.

You’ll be catching the golf ball as part of your upswing, but if the clubhead moves ahead of the hands, you increase the extension of your lead wrist and cause inconsistency in the shots.

Work on keeping your head behind the ball and ensuring your lead wrist stays straight in line with the clubhead, not behind it.

3. Stand a Little Taller

Next you will want to make sure your spine and knee flex is correct. The mistake we see many golfers get into is too much spine tilt forward.

The driver is longer and standing a bit more upright can help you get longer and straighter shots.

From the upright position, bend your spine slightly forward and flex your knees until you feel comfortable and balanced. The weight should center itself at this point. Next, approach the ball and attempt to replicate this position.

The driver posture is a little different than the iron posture, and you have to be able to make this adjustment.

4. Turn Your Feet Out (Trail Foot to Optimize Rotation on the Backswing)

If you have limited movement in your lower body, turn both feet out just a quarter turn. You can get a little better rotation without feeling restricted at the top of the swing.

Generating maximum energy of your backswing is vital to accelerate clubhead speed and power into impact.

If you lose power before you reach the top of your backswing, you have nothing to unload on the way down, resulting in a slower swing speed and a loss of distance.

Leading European PGA instructor Rob Cheney highlights how to turn your feet outwards if you require a visual demonstration.

5. Reduce Grip Pressure

It’s almost natural to grip the club tight and try to rip it.

The problem is, it doesn’t work. Tight grip pressure restricts your control because it tenses your shoulders and arms and minimizes your ability to guide the club on plane.

The lack of shoulder turn on the backswing hampers your ability to get your hands and club head to the desired position at the top.

Find your optimal grip pressure. It doesn’t need to be loose; it just needs to ensure the club can rotate properly through impact. Try a few swings with what feels like excessively light grip pressure, and then switch it to excessively tight and find that middle ground.

6. Ball Aligned with Front Heel

Once your fundamentals check out, address the ball and set up for your shot.

Align the ball with the inside of your front heel to account for the added length of your driver shaft.

In addition, the forward ball position encourages you to strike the golf ball on the upswing, sweeping it into the air.

If the ball is too far back in the stance, you will hit down on the golf ball, which will result in yardage loss and sometimes even a slice. If the golf ball is teed up past your front foot, you’ll have to reach for it and risk topping it.

7. Shorten Your Backswing

Shortening your backswing can help you get your driver on a better plane and path. However, a shortened backswing does not mean a reduced shoulder or hip turn.

You still need the body to do its job; just don’t let the arms, hands, and wrists take the club further back than it should be going.

Wrist extension and open clubface typically ensue when a golf club swings too far back. From this position at the top, you’ll be playing catch up to get the clubface square.

I feel like I take my clubhead ¾ of the way back and delay taking it inside.

This enhances my control of the clubface and helps me get it as far from the impact zone as possible.

Once my clubhead reaches the 3 ? 4 mark, I initiate my downswing and let the club fall into place as I shallow it, leading into impact.

8. Move Wrist Towards Flexion at the Top

Added extension at the top of the backswing can cause the driver clubface to end up open at impact. The result is a slice or fade that won’t end up near the target.

If wrist movement is your problem, the HackMotion wrist sensor is the solution.

The HackMotion will train your wrist position to be more flat at the top of the backswing. From this flat or slightly flexed position, the only move into the ball is one of pure speed.

If you need a simple drill to help you gain more flexion in your backswing with the driver, try this.

• Hold your hand out in front of you with your palm facing the ground.
• Push your fingers down towards the earth to flex your wrists.
• Then, turn your hand clockwise until your palm faces the intended target ahead of you.

Notice how your palm is closed to the target, which is the optimal position you want leading into impact.

Conversely, when you hold your hand out in front of you and raise your fingers to the sky, you’ve created a wrist extension. If you leave your wrists extended into impact, you’ll keep the clubface open and possibly slice your golf ball.

9. Shift Hips to Initiate Downswing

Many golfers are curious about how to start their downswing to get consistent drives.

When you reach the top of your backswing, you should feel more weight on your trail side, which is where you store your energy to unleash on the downswing.

From the top of the swing, you need to start shifting your weight towards the front leg. This creates forward momentum that in turn, causes your shoulders to rotate.

The result is maximized power, lag, and control of the clubface.

Instead of initiating the transition with the hips, many players rely heavily on their arms and shoulders to get the club down to the golf ball. When your swing is all about the arms, you lose power.

10. Rotate Your Shoulders Through Impact

Finally, rotating your shoulders through contact is vital for your clubhead speed, power, and accuracy off the tee.

Ultimately, you will make cleaner contact with the ball and increase yardage by ensuring your shoulders keep turning. If you stop at the ball or forget to turn the shoulders to begin with, expect a loss of swing speed, power, and control of the clubface.

The next time you take a driver practice swing, pay attention to where your shoulders are at impact. If you find them open to the target, increase your turn rate to square them up at contact.

At the end of your swing, make sure you have fully rotated your shoulders so you are facing the target.

Common Causes of Hitting a Driver Inconsistently

There are a number of common causes for golfers to deliver inconsistent driver swings. Go through this checklist and see if any of them stand out and could be the cause of your inconsistency on the course.

• Incorrect Equipment: a driver loft that is too strong or a shaft that is too stiff.
• Bad posture: standing too upright or having the upper back hunched will force the club from swinging on the proper plane.
• Lack of Rotation: if you aren’t turning back with your body and arms, you won’t have nearly enough power or stability to hit consistent drives.
• Extension of the Lead Wrist in the Backswing: too much extension in the lead wrist, as opposed to a flat or flexed position, will cause erratic drives, especially slices.
• Relying Too Heavily on the Arms: the arms and wrists can help generate power but they can’t be the sole source of power in the swing.
• Not Enough Width in the Swing: the driver is long, keep the backswing wide so you can maximize power and torque, no need for a wrist hinge during the takeaway.

Summary

A driver is the longest and largest golf club in our bag. Despite its added surface area, it’s challenging to control.

Adjusting your tee height, standing moderately upright, and promoting maximum rotation is a perfect starting point for learning how to hit a driver more consistently.

In addition, remember to keep your ball aligned with the inside of your front heel and minimize wrist extension towards the top.

Optimizing your wrist angles using the HackMotion swing analyzer will help you control the clubface to generate superior accuracy and consistent distance off the tee box.

The post How to Hit a Driver Consistently for More Fairways in Regulation appeared first on HackMotion.

Here’s your fair warning: no single tip will make you a great golfer. However, one bad tip can make you a terrible golfer.

Here are 17 of the best golf swing tips to help you get better this season. These tips can be applied to any handicap player, from scratch to beginner.

Improve Your Golf Swing (Key Takeaways)

Don’t have time to read all 17 golf swing tips in great detail? Here are a few of the most important things to remember:

• Improving your golf swing is greatly impacted by your hands and wrists; make sure you understand the correct positions and angles.
• Good golf swing tips don’t always come from your friends or playing partners; be smart about what you listen to and who is saying it.
• Incorporating technology and instant feedback into your golf practice routine can help take your game to the next level.
• Golfers who want to improve their swing must be intentional about their movements and understand the proper positions in a golf swing.
• Great players consider all aspects of the game, from alignment to equipment and everything in between.

17 Golf Swing Tips You Can’t Afford to Miss

Pay Attention to Wrist Movement and Angles in the Golf Swing

The role of the wrists in the golf swing is often misunderstood by amateur golfers. Your wrist angles control the clubface.

One of the best ways to get wrist movement worked out is to work with HackMotion.

HackMotion is a sensor worn on the wrist that analyzes your angle at setup and then how that angle changes throughout the swing. It’s like having your coach on your wrist.

As you wear the HackMotion sensor, you will get real-time feedback on what needs to be improved regarding wrist movement and the flexed position you need to have at impact.

It’s All in the Hands

If you are on the driving range this weekend, ask a few golfers about their least favorite area of the game to practice.

The answer is almost always the grip.

The golf grip is just a boring thing to practice. Whether you are new or have been around a while, it’s not nearly as exciting as trying a new takeaway or transition that is bound to lead to better ball flight and distance.

Here’s the crazy thing. The grip can be the ONLY thing you need to work on. Yes, that’s right, for some golfers, a poor grip causes all the other issues in their game.

To work on the consistency of your golf grip, use the HackMotion. HackMotion measures wrist angles at setup so you can compare how you are setting your hands on the club from one swing to the next.

Also, keep in mind that although a neutral grip is recommended both a strong and weak grip can work.

Clubface Angle is What Causes the Problems

If you hit a slice, your golf club face was open at impact.

Of course, you will need to do a bit more work to figure out what causes this clubface angle, but understanding that the clubface is in charge is a key factor.

See if you can move through a few swings in slow motion to see why the clubface angle is incorrect at impact; sometimes, you can feel it almost instantly.

For many golfers, stance and setup-related issues make the clubface incorrect at impact.

Left-Hand Needs to Be in Charge

For a right-handed player, the left-hand needs to be the one in charge.

Some handsy golfers get their right hand involved in some shots, but it’s very hard to stay consistent throughout your entire round.

Take some practice swings where just the left hand is on the club. Then put the right hand on and see the difference in the feel. Let the right hand be on for the ride. The lead hand and wrist controls the clubface angle.

Learn to Compress the Ball

Want to get the ball up a little higher in the air? Want to gain a few extra yards of distance?

You must hit and compress the ball.

So many amateur golfers try to pick the ball clean right from the top of the turf. Although the golf superintendents will probably love you for this, you are doing yourself a disservice.

To get great distance and trajectory with the iron shots, you need to hit down and through the ball, taking a divot just after impact.

Overall, compressing the golf ball is the easiest to learn when chipping.

Take a narrow stance, choke down on the club a bit, and then lean a little on your left side before you take the club back. When you strike the golf ball, you will want to ensure you still have some weight leaning on that left side and are ready to strike the ball cleanly.

Take what you learn in chipping to the full swing and you’ll be able to compress your iron shots as well.

Play with Different Stance Positions

The correct position of your stance will vary depending on the club you choose.

You have to feel comfortable standing over the golf ball. Take a session at the range to experiment with golf stance positions.

You will need an alignment stick or two; if you have a launch monitor, it certainly can’t hurt to use it.

The key is to set up a stance you believe is correct. Start with feet shoulder-width apart, weight balanced, feet square, and clubface square.

Hit some shots from this position and see what the results are like. Once you have a baseline, start playing around with different positions. Only change one thing at a time.

There is More than One Correct Swing

If you take a lesson from a golf professional who tells you there is only one correct way to swing a golf club, you may want to find a new professional.

There are lots of ways to swing a golf club and still be a great player.

Even professional golfers have swing flaws and issues because they all have unique motions in their swing.

We can all agree that certain features of impact must remain the same, but there are many ways to get there.

Don’t Take it Easy

Amateur golfers often think they need to swing slower and take it easy. Don’t do this.

In fact, one of the things that I have seen to be most detrimental to golfers is when they stop accelerating through the golf ball.

You can swing within your means, practice good tempo, and not be falling over at impact. In addition, you may want to take the club back slower. These are important things to consider.

However, if you try to slow the club down as you move through the impact position, you will more than likely hit behind the ball or even hit a shot to the right.

Golf is a sport, and athletes go after the golf ball to try and get distance and accuracy. You should be doing this as well.

Learn to improve your balance and to have a better tempo in your golf swing, but never stop going after the ball.

In Difficult Conditions, Listen to Your Brain, Not Your Ego

Golf course conditions can get difficult.

Maybe your course has experienced heavy rain and is incredibly slow and wet. Maybe it’s the windy season where you are, and it’s two or three-club wind each time you step over a golf ball.

The key is to make the game easier on yourself when the course conditions become difficult.

Let’s take, for instance, a day when it is incredibly windy.

You normally hit 9 iron 120 yards, and you just hit a shot that only went 100. This is good information to have. The next time you have a 120-yard shot, chances are you will need your 7 iron.

Make this adjustment for the day, don’t worry about your total distances and averages; make the game easier on yourself and accept these quick adjustments. The golf course is different every single day and you should play it that way.

Never Swing Unless You Have a Specific Target

How often have you stood over a golf ball and just tried to hit it straight?

Hitting it straight is a good goal, but ultimately, without a target, you may never hit it straight. All golf shots need a specific target.

The “green” or the “fairway” is not specific enough. It leaves too much room for error, making it hard for you to pull off the shot.

Try to narrow your target down to a specific spot or a line that you can go after.

Don’t just aim for the center of the fairway with no specific target in mind. When approaching the green, the same thing can be said. I pick a spot on the green, not just the flag, where I want to hit my shot. Right before I take the shot, I look at the target again and make sure I’m dialed into this specific spot.

Learn more about shot dispersion in golf here.

Establish a Repeatable Routine (Time it!)

You probably already know that a pre-shot routine in golf is incredibly important. However, there is another important feature of a golf routine that people often forget; the timing of it.

Let’s say your routine is to stand behind the ball, look down the fairway, take one practice swing, and then come around the side and hit the ball.

For some golfers, this routine may take 15 seconds, and for others, it could take 30. The key is to establish a pace for your routine and then keep that pace from one round to the next.

Think about it when compared to other sports.

For instance, running. If you are a runner who can run 9-minute miles, if you suddenly switch to an 8-minute pace, it will probably throw off your stride and make you feel much less efficient at first.

The same can be said for golf. Use the timer on your phone to just get a general idea as to what feels comfortable for you, and then use it for every shot. (Even when you practice!)

Movement is Not Always a Good Thing

There is a lot of movement in the golf swing.

Some twisting, some turning, some shifting but for some golfers, movement can be a negative.

Many players incorporate too much movement into their swing.

One of my favorite golf swing tips is to look at your swing and work on making it more efficient.

• Are there movements you don’t need?
• Does the club go past parallel at the top? Does it get you any extra speed?
• How about your footwork and your weight transfer?
• What if you stayed more stable?
• Would you be more powerful?

Take some videos of your swing and compare them to those of a professional. Look at the swings frame by frame and pay close attention to things like head and hip movement.

HackMotion can give you an idea as to how to move your hands and wrists throughout the swing to ensure you are not becoming inefficient with those movements.

The Ground is Your Friend

The ground is your friend in the golf swing.

Ground forces allow you to gain torque and power by utilizing the ground.

The legs and feet will help transmit the power you get from leveraging the ground into the body and arms to hit the ball further. The golfers that can get the most power are those that keep their weight centered in their feet.

The hips and body can coil while you are pushing down and through the ground with your impressive use of the ground.

Also, take a look at how you are utilizing the ground at impact; if your weight is on your toes or heels, it will be reflected in the divot pattern and the strike of your golf shot. I have found that golfers who work on improving the way they use the ground are much more consistent in the shots they hit on the golf course. Yes, your legs are powerful, but they generate their power by using the ground below them.

Master Alignment

If you are hitting shots that are not going straight, the first thing you should check is your alignment.

To master alignment, always practice with an alignment stick down. You can use it as a guide.

Our eyes can play tricks on us when it comes to alignment. With so many variables in the game of golf, learn to eliminate alignment as a variable and setup to the target.

Manage Your Emotions

As a golfer, you must manage your emotions even when you hit the best shot of your life. Have you ever heard stories about amateur golfers who made a hole in one and then had an 8 on the next hole.

This is a classic example of not being able to manage emotions.

When a birdie comes in, that’s great. When a bogey comes in, you move on and look for the next birdie. Golfers with poor emotional regulation have turned what should be a 1 over par hole into a 3-over par hole rather quickly.

The Left Arm Dilemma

One of the most commonly shared advice tips from one amateur golfer to another is to keep the left arm straight.

It’s so important to have that left arm straight at impact and even at times during the backswing, but there are parts in the rest of the swing that having a left arm (too) straight will cause issues.

Golfers who are thinking of their left arm straight when they stand over the golf ball are going to be more likely to lift the club with their hands and not incorporate the lower body.

You can use the left-arm straight concept when you play golf, but make sure you know when and how it will impact ball flight.

We see many golfers’ swings with too much extension at the top simply because they are focused on keeping that left arm dead straight on the entire backswing.

Equipment Matters (It Doesn’t Need to Be New)

The equipment you use will impact your golf swing. You don’t necessarily need new equipment, but you do need equipment that fits your golf game.

Going for a custom golf club fitting will help you determine which equipment fits your game. Sometimes as simple as a lie, angle adjustments can help you get a better setup and more consistency at impact.

FAQ

Here are a few common questions about the best golf swing tips.

What are 3 tips to improve your golf swing?

To improve your golf swing, create a repeatable pre-shot routine, develop a takeaway incorporating both the upper and lower body, and learn what the proper wrist position looks like at impact.

What is the best way to correct a golf swing?

The best way to correct a golf swing is to combine practice and technology. Technology like HackMotion can pinpoint issues, and then you put the time in to make sure they get corrected.

How can I truly improve my golf?

To improve golf, you will need to study and invest time. Golfers who can improve and self-correct their golf swings know what they are looking for. You must also use technology to check in on your progress and ensure you are succeeding in your improvement plan.

How many years does it take to get good at golf?

Golfers take about 3 to 5 years to feel like they are at a point where they are comfortable with the sport and playing well. For some golfers, this can happen in a year; for others, it takes a lifetime. There is a certain amount of natural ability factored in here, along with time and dedication.

How can I improve my golf swing for beginners?

Beginners should study the golf game and continue practicing and working on their game. The more you can repeat the same motion, the easier it is to get better. Beginners struggle because they have too much inconsistency in their game.

Final Thoughts

You should now feel that you have a few things you can work on in your golf swing.

The most important part of implementing any of these swing tips is to start putting in the time.

With tools like HackMotion and a bit of time at the range, your golf swing can improve faster than you likely ever imagined.

The post 17 Proven Golf Swing Tips to Actually Get Better at Golf appeared first on HackMotion.

Shaft lean at impact is what allows you to keep the clubface square through impact for the longest period of time. If you had the option for a longer square clubface, wouldn’t it make it easier to hit straight shots? Absolutely.

The problem is that most amateurs try to achieve more shaft lean at impact the wrong way.

After analyzing more than 1,000,000 golf swings using the HackMotion device, we’ve learned exactly how to position the shaft at impact and how much forward shaft lean you should have.

Shaft Lean at Impact – Key Takeaways

• Shaft lean at impact is necessary to compress the ball, maximize distance, and achieve optimal ball flight.
• A slight shaft lean at setup will help you return to this position at impact.
• The amount of flexion or bowing in your lead wrist at impact directly affects the amount of shaft lean.
• The lead wrist is more flexed at impact than at address, meaning the club handle will be a bit higher and the lead wrist more bowed than at address.
• Proper swing sequence and timing are essential to maintain shaft lean at impact.
• Practicing with the HackMotion device and swinging in slow motion is like having a golf coach with you, ensuring you achieve the correct shaft lean.

If you prefer to learn via video, take a look at the mistakes and fixes, Rob Cheney talks about in this video about shaft lean at impact.

Most Common Mistakes in Creating Shaft Lean at Impact

Most amateur golfers understand that the shaft being forward at address is important.

All it takes is one or two small chips around the green to realize that this is really the only position for the golf club at impact that makes sense.

However, many mistakes still happen when players try to create shafts lean at impact.

Too Much Shaft Lean at Address

A little bit of shaft lean at address is great. However, if you add too much shaft lean, you will put yourself in a position you can’t recover from.

Place the hands slightly in front of the golf ball. Check your address position continually by using the HackMotion device.

HackMotion records wrist data at address, and you can use this to see if you are creating a consistent address position.

Hinging Too Quickly in the Backswing

One of the best golf swing tips is to let your hinge in your wrists hinge naturally. Instead, focus on the right arm’s position and the right wrist staying bent.

You will get to a much better place at the top of the backswing if you focus on that as opposed to a hinge as your first movement away from the ball.

Too Much Extension at the Top of the Backswing

At the top of the backswing, many amateur players have added too much extension in their wrists.

From this position, it’s hard to square the clubface, and shaft lean is probably not going to happen.

Look at players like Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, and Dustin Johnson to see how they have more flexion than extension at the top of their backswing.

Although we all don’t have the same wrist flexibility or grip position that they do, getting your position at the top to have less extension is the goal.

Improper Wrist Action Throughout the Swing

Wrist action, in general, is often overlooked by amateur golfers as it can be a little difficult to understand at first.

When using HackMotion, you can quickly learn the proper patterns that all great players are using and apply them to your swing.

There is no perfect wrist angle or wrist position in golf. The shape of your hands, wrists, arms, body, and individual playing styles comes into play here.

However, learning proper wrist action and then developing it with HackMotion training will absolutely lead to more shaft lean at impact.

How to Create More Shaft Lean at Impact

If you are a golfer who struggles with getting enough shaft lean you’ll need to learn some adjustments that help you get your consistency back.

Here is how to create more shaft lean at impact.

Step 1: Recognize the Difference Between Horizontal and Vertical Motions

First, you should be able to recognize horizontal and vertical motions.

Wrist hinging and bending are not the same thing. There is a clear difference between the motion wrist hinging and bending created.

• Wrist hinge (adding radial deviation) moves the shaft vertically.
• Bending the wrists back and forth (extension/flexion) moves the shaft horizontally.

The bending of the wrists is the key motion you should be optimizing for when working on creating shaft lean at impact. With this bending (extension/flexion) of the wrists, you can control the clubface; the wrist hinge does not provide this same amount of control.

If you are looking for additional explanation on how wrist motion affects the golf swing, read about the role of wrist angles here.

Step 2: Know What Proper Shaft Lean Looks Like

The shaft should be pushed forward slightly at address and again at impact, but the motion is not exaggerated. In fact, when the shaft lean is exaggerated, it can cause issues with ball flight and direction.

At impact, the hands are pushed just forward enough that they are in line with your lead leg. Setup to hit a shot and then rotate forward to the position you will be at impact. You should notice that your left wrist didn’t hinge at all; in fact, all it did was bow a little more, decreasing even more of the extension.

This is why flexion and extension of the wrists should be your primary concern in your golf game.

Step 3: Understanding the Wrist Hinge

As you swing a golf club back, at some point your wrists will hinge. This motion helps to give some of the vertical plane that we need in the swing. Hinging can also be a source of power if done correctly.

However, you should not focus on the hinge to create shaft lean. Instead, you need a repeatable pattern for flexion and extension.

The lead wrist should lose a certain amount of extension during the swing. Whether the lead wrist should be completely flat at impact depends on your grip strength (stronger grips have more lead wrist extension throughout the swing).

Based on HackMotion data and insights from the world’s leading golf coaches and top players, we have been able to identify that pros do 2 things to control the clubface:

• Maintain stable extension from address to top.
• Consistently decrease wrist extension before reaching impact.

Step 4: The Role of the Body

At HackMotion, we deal a lot with the wrists and how they control the clubface. However, the legs and lower body rotation play a huge part in all of this.

If you can get your wrist extension so it remains stable from the address position to the top of your swing and then decrease on its way down to impact, you will be able to use your body to fire through impact.

For golfers who forget to incorporate the lower body, the core, and the hips, the consistency and the power just won’t be there.

The body plays a huge role in everything you do in golf. Start your golf swing with some lower body rotation, and you will find it easier to get the club to a position where you have more shaft lean at impact.

Drills to Get the Perfect Amount of Shaft Lean

There are a variety of drills and training aids out there in order to get more shaft lean at impact.

One of the most famous options is an impact bag. With the impact bag, you get resistance at impact, which helps you see where your wrists should be.

We like to take a bit more of a technology-based approach to this and use the HackMotion feedback to perfect the amount of shaft lean at impact.

HackMotion Training

Step 1: Determine the Baseline

Start by hitting 10 to 15 shots with a club like a 7 iron while wearing your HackMotion device. As you practice, the data will record.

Step 2: Compare Your Numbers

There are two things to look for:

• How much extension did you add in your lead wrist from the setup position to the top of the backswing?
• How much less extended are you at impact than you were at address?

If you have not added much extension from setup to the top, that’s great. Move on to what is going on through impact. Professional golfers have less extension at impact than they do at address.

Not adding extension as you take the club back only makes it easier to decrease it as you move through impact.

Step 3: Set Your Ranges for Feedback

Now that you have your data and can see where your faults are, set the HackMotion feedback to get your wrist angle in range.

The HackMotion will make a noise or vibration indicating that you are in the proper range.

Slow Motion Swing Drill

Mr.Short Game put together a great training video to help promote more shaft lean at impact. With this drill, you will wear your HackMotion device and take very slow and exaggerated swings to increase shaft lean at address.

If your lead wrist is flat or slightly flexed, you are creating shaft lean at address. With HackMotion, you can set the range so that you are alerted anytime the wrist positions are incorrect.

As you slow down the motion, you can increase your speed and try to maintain the same feeling. Go back and forth between fast and slow to get the proper feeling of flexion at impact and forward shaft lean.

FAQs

How much forward shaft lean should you have at impact?

At impact, it is best to have your hands in front of the ball, your lead wrist in a flexed position, and your hands in line with your lead leg.

Why can’t I get a forward shaft lean in my golf swing?

Most golfers that struggle with forward shaft lean in golf also struggle with too much extension in their lead wrist; this often leads to an open clubface. As you are moving through impact, the tendency is to flip the club and close the face, but that motion adds extension instead of flexion.

Should you have a forward shaft lean with driver?

Excessive shaft lean in a driver is a problem. However, you won’t want your hands to be behind the ball at impact, either. Very little or almost no shaft lean is acceptable, but don’t reverse this concept and take the hands behind the ball with the driver.

Does forward shaft lean increase distance?

Forward shaft lean can increase distance because the clubface is square and the golf ball is compressed. There is no benefit to exaggerating forward shaft lean; at some point, you will deloft the club so much it loses forgiveness and ball flight.

Final Thoughts

At this point, you should understand why your golf swing has had issues with shaft lean at impact. If you have been thinking about this concept incorrectly, you are certainly not the only one.

Shaft lean at impact takes a bit of time to learn, and the best way to do so is by working with the HackMotion device. The wrist angles at address, the top of the backswing, and impact give us so much insight into why a golf ball does what it does.

The post Achieve Proper Shaft Lean at Impact: Why It Matters and How to Get It Right appeared first on HackMotion.