subject: Improve Your Golf Swing by Trying to See the Ball at Impact [print this page]
Many high handicap golfers fall prey to the natural tendency of wanting to see where their golf shots are headed before impact. Their heads come up and out of the shot before they strike the ball. It is like trying to hit a nail with a hammer without looking at the nail. An errant hit often occurs on the nail and likewise, on the golf ball. More often than not, when the golfer's head comes up, the result is a topped shot, a push, a slice, a hook, a hit behind the ballor at worse, a whiff. Often the ball moves very little or it is in the rough or not in play. A high score results.
Professional golfers and low handicap golfers learned early on that they must keep their heads back and behind the ball through impact. It is this "head back" aspect of the golf swing that enables them to make solid hits and to keep the ball in play. To keep one's head back, the golfer must maintaintheir spine angle throughout the swing. If one were to examine photos of the swings of top golfers, it can easily be seen that they maintain their spine angles, their heads are in fact well behind the ball through the impact zone, and for many, their heads remain back until well into the release and follow through.
Over 50professsisonals and low handicapgolfers were interviewed to learn what they had to say about seeing the ball at impact.
Almost 100% said that they saw the divots on their lofted iron shots. "I could tell where the ball was headed and how well it was struck by my divot."
Four out of five said they were able to see the path of the clubhead through the impact zone. "I could tell whether the clubhead was coming from the inside, square or outside."
Four out of five said they could see the ball at impact with chips and pitches.
Only one out of five said they actually could see the ball at impact with their longer clubs. "The speed of the driver or long iron (clubhead) is so fast that I really can't say I see the clubhead hit the ball." "I see the ball by feel," were the rwo most common responses.
Interestingly, almost all interviewees said that to see the path of the clubhead, or the divot, or the ball at impact, if possible, it was important to keep the head back and behind the ball into and through the impact zone. To do so the golfer must maintain their spine angle. The high handicap golfer may have to develop new muscle memory to break the bad habit and natural tendency of coming up and out of the shot to see the flight of the ball.
The PRO-HEAD Trainer, or other such full swing training aids give tactile feedback about head movement and is most useful in developing and accelerating the new muscle memory or, as some call it, motor memory, required to break this natural tendency for "looking up."
Learn to stay back and behind the ball through impact. Try to see the ball, the path of the clubhead or the divot through the impact zone. This act willhelp youmaintain a constant spine angle. Your swing will improve, you will keep the ball in play and you will quickly lower your scores.
Improve Your Golf Swing by Trying to See the Ball at Impact
