You should understand that you need to place your hands in front of the ball at impact on a normal golf swing. But can you get that job done? Maybe, maybe not. Your ability to pull this off is going to depend on the fundamentals in place earlier in your golf swing. Only if you are making the right moves earlier on will you be able to successfully land your hands in the perfect position.
The list below includes some swing keys to work on while trying to improve hand position at impact.
Lag from the top. This is the most important skill you can develop with regard to your hand position. If you can ‘lag’ the club from the top of the backswing down to impact, it will be easy to position your hands in front of the ball. So, what is lag? Simply put, you are lagging the club when your hands lead the way while the club head lags well behind. To do this, you have to keep your right hand mostly out of the action. Use the rotation of your body to turn through the shot, and let your hands and the club just come along for the ride. Your hands should only get involved at the bottom of the swing, when the right-hand fires through to release the club perfectly. Players who lag the club are able to get into a great impact position, and they are also able to hit the ball with authority.
Continue your turn. Sadly, even some golfers who do lag the club correctly fail to get their hands past the ball at impact. Why does this happen? Poor body rotation. If you fail to turn your body all the way through the shot, your hands are going to come up short. This usually takes place when the golfer lacks the necessary confidence to swing all the way through the ball. Once you start your swing, there is no room for doubting your technique – just commit to the shot and expect a great outcome. As long as you continue your turn through the ball, and you blend that turn with good lag, you can expect to find your hands in the right place.
Take your time. You need to give your hands time to make their journey from the address position up to the top of the swing, and back down again to impact. It takes a couple seconds for that to happen, and your hands won’t be able to get past the ball if you rush the swing. Create a nice rhythm for your golf swing and repeat that tempo over and over again on the course.
Once you understand the keys and spend a little time working on this point, you will find that it is actually quite easy to place your hands in front of the ball at impact. Before long, any other kind of swing will just feel awkward. Bring together the three tips above – lag, a good turn, and a smooth tempo – and you’ll be on your way in no time at all.
