In golf circles, the point of impact is often called the ‘moment of truth’, because that is when all the hard work that has gone into your golf swing really pays off. For all of the planning and practice that goes into making a good swing, the club only actually touches the ball for a fraction of a second. Of course, since it is doing so at high speed, you have to have everything just right at impact in order to achieve a quality ball flight. If you should have even one or two minor details out of place when the club hits the ball, you will end up with a shot that falls short of your expectations.
There are a number of elements which come together to make a good impact position for golf iron
shots. If you are able to meet all of these points, you should be left with a golf shot that finishes close to your target.
Hands in front of ball. This one has already been mentioned above, but it bears repeating because it is so important. Getting your hands back to a position where they are in front of the ball at impact is crucial to your success, which is why the proper golf setup irons require can’t be overlooked. Get yourself into the right address position, and you should be able to get your hands back in front of the ball at impact.
Weight on front leg. Along with getting your hands in front of the ball, getting most of your weight onto your front leg at impact is another key in terms of creating downward contact with the ball. Those who are puzzled by how to hit solid iron shots and always seem to be miss-hitting the ball are likely ‘hanging back’ on their rear leg at impact. Focus on moving your weight aggressively toward the target during the downswing to promote that elusive downward hit.
Eyes on the ball. You should have your eyes on the ball at impact for all of the shots you hit around the course, but it is especially important when playing an iron shot. Of all the great golf tips irons can use, this one is vital because it will help you to make good contact time after time. It becomes much harder to hit the ball square if you aren’t looking at it, so resist the temptation to look up early and keep your eyes down on the ball until after you have hit it.
Complete conviction. The moment of impact is no time to get shy or nervous about your shot. You need to be fully committed to the shot, and hit all the way through the ball and up into a full finish. If you ‘flinch’ at impact and give up on the shot, you can undo all of the good work you have done up until this point. By the time the club has gotten to impact, there isn’t enough time left to fix any errors you may have made – so it only makes sense to remain confident and hit through the shot. Hopefully, you will look up after impact and see the ball flying directly toward your intended target.
In reality, the impact position happens so fast that you really can’t analyze it in real speed. If you want to get a good look at your impact position, consider either taking a golf lesson or having someone record your swing on video so you can pause the recording and see for yourself how you are doing. Taking the time to fix all of the various parts of your impact position might seem like a lot of work, but the reward could be the best iron shots you have ever hit.
