By Kim Jeong-kyoo
Korea Times Golf Columnist
Accomplished golfers know how to execute whatever shot the situation calls for. They do not just hit the ball. They control it, affecting spin, distance and trajectory. That is what makes a notable distinction between advanced players and beginner golfers.
To be an advanced golfer you need to practice a lot to improve your shot-controlling ability. It is not impossible. It is possible if you determine to learn to make solid impact and master it.
Every single movement in the golf swing relates to impact. To be able to control your shots like tour pros, you need to have better control of the golf club and your body during the entire swing.
What has to be done first to develop and groove a swing that produces solid impact is to understand the ball flight law.
There are five factors that influence ball-flight: the swing path of the clubhead, the clubface alignment relative to the ball-target line, the angle at which the clubhead approaches the ball, the contact point on the clubface and clubhead speed. These five impact factors determine the distance, direction and trajectory.
The golf swing is a continuous motion and it is difficult to stop at impact to examine these factors. However, you will benefit from practicing with short swings and progressing to longer swings, checking these factors. That way you will learn to put your club and body into the proper impact positions, getting a better feel for the impact factors and their effects.
Shorter, slower swings make it easier to learn the correct body and club positions, making it easier to hit the ball on the sweetspot of the clubface.
Practicing short shots is a great strategy when you want to develop a swing. The basic arrangement of your body and club at impact are the same, whether you are making partial shots or hitting full shots.
Contrary to the common understanding, your body and club positions at impact are quite different from those at address. You need to avoid trying to swing the club so that they return to their address positions. That causes you to use your upper body only, neglecting your lower body movement.
To reach the correct impact position you need to allow your lower body to start downswing. That lets your hands and arms drop into proper position so that the club approaches the ball on the correct inside path.
Providing that you allow your lower body to initiate the forward swing, the majority of your bodyweight will be on your left leg at the moment of truth with your right heel slightly off the ground and your right knee worked in toward the target. Also, your hips are 45-degrees open to the target and your shoulders are open about half as much as your hips. The clubshaft is angled more toward the target at impact than at address with your hands and shaft well ahead of the ball at impact.
To learn to put your body and club in the correct impact positions make a three-quarter backswing and slowly swing the club down to the ball to create a correct impact position. Once you learn to put your body and club in the correct impact position, your brain will communicate to your body what and how to do to create proper positions at impact.
A good way to learn to create the proper position at impact is to practice swinging from knee height to knee height.
Make a one-piece takeaway by moving your club, hands and arms all together. Allow the swinging motion of the clubhead to turn your chest. Let your lower body initiate your downswing. Be sure that the clubhead strikes the ball first and create a divot in front of the ball. Trust the loft of the club and let the club work down into the ground to get the ball airborne. Avoid scooping the clubhead underneath the ball to lift the ball in the air. Finish the swing with your body facing toward the target and the clubhead in the knee-high position. Hit at least twenty to thirty shots.
For a slightly fuller motion advance to waist-high swing. Focus on using your body turn, not your hands and arms to increase swing speed. The club will be parallel to the ground both on the backswing and follow-through. Finish with your body facing the target and the majority of your bodyweight on your left foot.
After hitting at least twenty shots, graduate to a three-quarter swing by introducing more chest turn so the hands reach shoulder height on the backswing and follow-through. You need to allow your wrists to hinge naturally. Your chest turn will let your hips rotate just enough to allow for proper upper body rotation on the backswing. Finish in balance with your right knee pointing at the target.
Now move to the full swing. Pay a particular attention to your finish. A balanced finish always means a good swing that produces a successful shot.
Practicing this way will enable you to have more control over your club and body and help you create the correct impact position on a more consistent basis.
More importantly, you will have more confidence on your ball-striking ability, which is the primary step for ball control.