This past weekend I relearned a lesson, that might be the most important component of good golf. If you want to play the best golf that you can play, then you NEED to be striking the majority of your shots out of the center of the clubface. This seems pretty obvious doesn’t it?
But, this is one of the fundamentals of golf that I quickly forget about when I am working on my game.
My golf this weekend, was going exactly how it has been going lately. I had a couple glimpses of good golf bookended by a lot of terrible golf shots. On the fifth hole yesterday, I took a video of my drive and it finally donned on me. I could not hit the center of the clubface if my life depended on it.
Why is Center Contact Important?
Good golf, my opinion, is founded on two things. Predictability and consistency. If you can CONSISTENLY PREDICT where your ball is going to go (East/West) and how far it is going to carry (North/South) the game becomes a lot easier.
Therefore, striking the golf ball out of the center of the face becomes paramount. When you miss the center of the clubface, the ball will not fly its maximum distance and you lose directional control. When you don’t know where the ball going to go and how far it is going to carry, the game becomes very difficult.
Have you ever seen the wear pattern for a PGA Tour golfer? This is one of Tiger Woods old 8 irons.
Center contact is king. That is what I will be working on for the foreseeable future.
How can you work on striking the center of the clubface?
Feedback is important when trying to improve your strike pattern. There are two methods that I use to identify where on the face I am striking the golf ball.
- Dr. Scholls Foot Odor Spray
- Electrical Tape
I find the Dr. Scholls spray to be the best method because it is easier to use with a driver. To find out where on the face you are striking the ball, simply spray the clubhead with the Dr. Scholls and hit a shot. When you hit your shot the golf ball will leave a mark on the clubface like the photo above. This will tell you exactly where you struck the golf ball on your last swing. After about 3 – 5 balls you will need to respray the face to reset the drill.
I have found that this is the best way to figure out where on the clubface you are striking the golf ball.
Identify the problem and then work on a solution
Once you have identified where on the face you typically strike the golf ball, then it is time to make the necessary adjustments in order to find the center of the face. For me, if I miss the center of the face I typically miss it on the low toe. In order for me to find the center of the clubface, I need to keep my width through the swing and I need to stay down and through the golf shot. Those two things help me to move my contact point towards the center.
If you are someone that is struggling with your ball striking I would highly suggest trying out this drill. It will help you to identify your tendency and it will send you down the road to better golf. Next time you go out to hit balls give it a try.
Until next time,
Enjoy the chase!
To read more posts from the blog you can follow this link –> Chasing Birdies Blog.