Consistent ball striking means driving the club head downwards through the ball, into the ground and making contact with the ball in the centre of the golf club, time after time.

The two factors involved, striking downwards and striking the middle of the club face consistently, provide maximum efficiency of force and spin to the ball to produce fantastic shots.

To achieve these two factors here are three changes to maximize consistent ball striking ability:

1. Body weight on your front leg at the moment of impact. During the downswing, the hips should move sideways to a position where the front hip (left for right handed golfers) is over the front foot by the time that impact is made with the golf ball. This action makes sure that the majority of the body weight and therefore, the bottom of the swing, is in front of the ball to allow the golf club to drive downwards through the golf ball and into the ground. If the body weight is behind the ball on the back leg, either the club contacts the ground first before the ball or is on an upward trajectory into the ball, producing a 'top' or a 'thin' shot and a poor ball strike.

2. Hands in front of the ball at the moment of impact. The hands should lead the club head into the ball meaning that as the club head strikes the golf ball, the hands will already be in front of it. When the hands are ahead of the ball at impact they can force the club head in a downwards direction through the ball and into the ground producing a correct, consistent ball strike. Getting the hands to this position means that the golfer should retain the wrist hinge at the top of the backswing for as long as possible in the downswing, getting the hands past the golf ball before letting the club come down to attack the ball.

3. Keep the head still through the ball. Imagine the golf swing as a circle with the head being the centre of the circle and the club head being the outside of the circle. When the head (centre of the circle) moves sideways or slightly turns during impact with the golf ball, the outside of the circle also moves and so the club head cannot always make the same contact with the ball, time after time. To keep the head still through the swing, focus on being able to see a piece of grass or a part of the ground underneath the golf ball after it has been struck. This thought will hold the head more still for a longer period of time and will give a more consistent ball strike.

Use these three changes for more consistent ball striking.