What are the Square Clubface Checkpoints Through Out the Golf Swing (Video) - by Pete Styles
What are the Square Clubface Checkpoints Through Out the Golf Swing (Video) - by Pete Styles

Now we all know how hard this game is, and we all know how much he’s talked about and written about different swing techniques to make this game easier but ultimately if you can understand where the club face is during the swing and most importantly as it hits the golf ball you will generally have more control of your shots. This club face has about 85% control over the initial direction of where this golf balls sets off and then how it would curve in the air. So if we can understand the club face we can understand what the golf ball is doing and what we want it to do. First thing to make sure that when you’re setting up is that you got the club face square. Now I think the easiest way here is position your feet nice and square to the target line so I’m pointing at my target lift the golf club up in front of me and just check the face is vertical. If the face is vertical as I make my grip then I bring the club down behind the ball I now know it’s pointing at the target.

If I have the face in an awkward position a closed position I could see that would be a problem when I hit the ball and likewise open. So I’ve got it square here to start with. Now as I make my back swing I’m going to turn my shoulders but leave my hands to be quite passive and my club face has stayed nice and square to my body line and you can see that the leading edge is now parallel to my spine angle so I know that is also in a square position if I was to use my hands too much and this is general issue that we see with a lot of club golfers they flick the club back with the hands they try and manipulate the club away with the hands the club face now sits open. An easy way to see if that is open is if I put my shoulders back into the original position at setup I can now see the clubs no where near the ball and if I was to bring it down to the ball it would point offline so clearly I’ve manipulated the club into the wrong place on the way back, that would mean I will have to manipulate it again to actually hit the ball and the whole point of this exercise is to trying and keep that club face as squarer as possible. So if I don’t use my hands on the way back that’s a good position now working the club all the way up to the top I want to make sure that my left arm and my club face are pointing in the same direction. What you would find here and just experiment with this, turn the club face aimed left now, grip it and swing to the top and you’ll see that in a closed position that’s horizontal to the ground and not parallel to my arm that would make the ball go left of course and if I open the club face here pointed to the right and griped it and swing that to the top you will now see that’s an open club face, it points down to the floor bit too much. So we need to understand what the club face is doing here in relation to the left arm has a lot of relevance on what the club face would be doing down here as well. So if we can get that position right at the top for you it should now mean the hands don’t have to do too much re-routing or recalculating to get the club square again there so when we’re good at the top, turn the shoulders and the club face will come down quite square. If you wanted to you can re-check your check points that’s good there, that’s good there, that’s good there again same position then I can turn through and hit the ball. And as I’m turning through to hit the golf ball the club face would then come through into a position on this side where my hands are starting to release slightly through to a vertical and then running to a nice finish position. And if I can understand where the club face is during my swing I should be able to understand where it will be when it hits the ball and therefore where the golf ball flies 2014-03-14

Now we all know how hard this game is, and we all know how much he’s talked about and written about different swing techniques to make this game easier but ultimately if you can understand where the club face is during the swing and most importantly as it hits the golf ball you will generally have more control of your shots. This club face has about 85% control over the initial direction of where this golf balls sets off and then how it would curve in the air. So if we can understand the club face we can understand what the golf ball is doing and what we want it to do. First thing to make sure that when you’re setting up is that you got the club face square. Now I think the easiest way here is position your feet nice and square to the target line so I’m pointing at my target lift the golf club up in front of me and just check the face is vertical. If the face is vertical as I make my grip then I bring the club down behind the ball I now know it’s pointing at the target.

If I have the face in an awkward position a closed position I could see that would be a problem when I hit the ball and likewise open. So I’ve got it square here to start with. Now as I make my back swing I’m going to turn my shoulders but leave my hands to be quite passive and my club face has stayed nice and square to my body line and you can see that the leading edge is now parallel to my spine angle so I know that is also in a square position if I was to use my hands too much and this is general issue that we see with a lot of club golfers they flick the club back with the hands they try and manipulate the club away with the hands the club face now sits open. An easy way to see if that is open is if I put my shoulders back into the original position at setup I can now see the clubs no where near the ball and if I was to bring it down to the ball it would point offline so clearly I’ve manipulated the club into the wrong place on the way back, that would mean I will have to manipulate it again to actually hit the ball and the whole point of this exercise is to trying and keep that club face as squarer as possible.

So if I don’t use my hands on the way back that’s a good position now working the club all the way up to the top I want to make sure that my left arm and my club face are pointing in the same direction. What you would find here and just experiment with this, turn the club face aimed left now, grip it and swing to the top and you’ll see that in a closed position that’s horizontal to the ground and not parallel to my arm that would make the ball go left of course and if I open the club face here pointed to the right and griped it and swing that to the top you will now see that’s an open club face, it points down to the floor bit too much. So we need to understand what the club face is doing here in relation to the left arm has a lot of relevance on what the club face would be doing down here as well.

So if we can get that position right at the top for you it should now mean the hands don’t have to do too much re-routing or recalculating to get the club square again there so when we’re good at the top, turn the shoulders and the club face will come down quite square. If you wanted to you can re-check your check points that’s good there, that’s good there, that’s good there again same position then I can turn through and hit the ball. And as I’m turning through to hit the golf ball the club face would then come through into a position on this side where my hands are starting to release slightly through to a vertical and then running to a nice finish position. And if I can understand where the club face is during my swing I should be able to understand where it will be when it hits the ball and therefore where the golf ball flies