Do you make solid contact with the golf ball?
At times, all of you can claim solid contact. However, it happens less frequently than you might think.
On top of that, solid contact is often ignored when you focus on improving your golf swing. That thought needs to change.
I work with players every day that want two things: to hit the ball farther and straighter.
“Well, who doesn’t?” is usually my response. At that point, my student and I tend to have different thoughts as to how to attain this goal.
Longer and straighter golf shots tend to get us thinking about alignment and club head speed. After all, proper alignment should lead to straighter shots, and more speed should lead to longer shots.
Not so fast…
Rather than becoming so focused on these two aspects, I’d like for you to instead focus on the quality of contact you are making with the golf ball.
Rarely is the golf ball struck in the middle of the club, yet it’s typically over looked when it comes to your focus while you practice.
The fact of the matter is that striking the ball on the center of your golf club will always cause the ball to go farther.
It’s the trampoline effect.
Imagine jumping on a trampoline. When you jump in the center of the trampoline, you project much higher into the air than you do when you jump off to the side. This is the same way a golf ball reacts when struck on the center of your club as opposed to the side.
This same idea applies to your short game.
When practicing your chipping, I’d like for you to consider the quality of contact you are making with the ball.
If you can’t tell, just look at your clubface and you will generally see where the contact was made with the ball. Focus on solid contact with your chips, and your short game will improve.
The next time you head out to practice, make a commitment to focus on the quality of contact you are making with the golf ball.
Don’t worry about your alignment and distance until you feel that you are striking the ball solidly. Once you start hitting the ball solidly, it will become much easier to hit the ball longer and straighter.
