Impact!

[oldpalchamp]

I have been playing golf a long, long (really long) time. While not quite a scratch golfer, I can scrape it around, and for a guy my age, move it out there pretty well. I have had lessons and also have learned through experience, and believe that everyone's swing has a certain DNA to it, and is very difficult to change. I was a bowler in my younger days, and a much better bowler than I'll ever be at golf (bummer). The point of my bowling experience is that on days when my timing was off, I was still able, through talent and lots of practice, to score. It's like hearing Tiger talk about scoring well when he didn't have his "A" game.

 

For as long as I have been playing golf (did I mention I have been playing a long time?), I have fought taking the club back to the inside. The club head always seems to be just inside of my hands when it is in the 9:00 position. I still manage to get the club in a good position at the top, and have a pretty good transition. Today, at the range during my brief lunch break, it was the same old thing, trying to find a feel that would get the club going back on plane. My shot were "ok." I started thinking about my instructor, who has often implored me to stop worrying about the backswing because I got to the top in a good position, and start thinking more about impact.

 

Well, after about 20 balls, I thought, the heck with the backswing, I want to get into a good impact position. All of a sudden, I was hitting the ball unbelievably great! I thought about my hips clearing, and was really compressing the ball. I am so freaking excited. Now if i can only keep this up and stop worrying about the backswing, and focus on impact, I believe I will be a better player.

[Asiz]

There is a guy on the Internet maybe you've heard of who subscribes to the theory that arriving at impact position correctly is the single most important element to the swing. Although I can't argue with the importance of takeaway and setup and all the rest, I tend to side with impact position as the be all end all. For one main reason. Lots of golfers do lots of individual takeaways, setups, grips, swing thoughts, etc. But all successful strikers end up in the correct impact position, how they get there is up to them.

[oldpalchamp]

I tend to be a very visual, mechanical player. Too often, I'm playing golf swing instead of golf, but when I changed my swing thought from takeaway to impact, it really made a difference. I've always been a pretty good ball striker (humble brag), but these shots literally sounded different (better). I felt freer, if that makes any sense.

[Deuce Ex]

I'll compare this to baseball pitchers, though I am not one to talk about perfect impact positions. Think back to the days of Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal or Sandy Koufax, or even to Warren Spahn. Look at Hideo Nomo for a recent example. Those guys did all kinds of kooky things before they delivered the ball - and yet their positions at release are all so, so similar.

[JBOMB808]

Great epiphany. More players need to realize this. There is so much emphasis on the secret to a perfect backswing, that a lot of people forget what the main focus is. Keep it up!

[oldpalchamp]

Just got back from another range session. Again, my only focus was on impact. It went really well. Made very good contact, and the ball was going where i was looking. I just may be onto something here. It will be interesting to see what happens when I get on the course!