Instruction
Impact location by handicap
I was teaching a PGA Tour professional the other day and while we were hitting drivers on the Trackman, I sprayed the face with Dr. Sholl’s Odor X in efforts to see the impact point on the club face. Just as I was doing this another student came into the learning center and asked me a question and while I was answering, the Tour pro continued to hit balls — around 10 or so until we could resume our work. Now that we could focus our efforts again, I wanted to reapply the spray to the face so that I could focus on his impact location.
As I walked over to wipe the face this is what I saw:
PGA Tour professional impact location (10 shots)
After 10-or-more shots, the impact location was VERY consistent and it led me to thinking… What did other handicap level impacts look like after just five shots?
30 Handicap
25 Handicap
20 Handicap
15 Handicap
10 Handicap
7 Handicap
5 Handicap
0 Handicap
So what does this all mean from an observation standpoint?
- The higher the handicap, the more random the impact location in general.
- Radical horizontal off-center impact locations invoke gear effect, making shot curvature prediction impossible.
- Extreme vertical off-center impact locations cause excessively high and excessively low spin rates, making driver distance vary dramatically.
- Higher-handicap players tend to have swing plane issues, causing impact to be too high toward the crown of the club, leading to a the pop-up.
- Mid-handicap players tend to have pivot issues that cause them to hit too much up on the ball, thus hitting shots that are topped, flat, or very low.
- As handicap levels go down, players tend to find the center of the face more often.
- As mid-handicap players move down to into the lower-teen handicap levels there tends to be a consistent impact location toward the toe or heel.
- At the single-digit handicap levels, centered impact isn’t that big of a problem and gear effect is very minimal.
- As the handicap lowers closer to zero, vertical impact location becomes increasingly important.
- Tour players can easily control their vertical impact location to launch the ball with more or less spin depending on what type of shot they desire.
The LPGA Tour is kicking off its 2026 season this week at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, and the pros are dealing with something most Florida golfers rarely face: freezing temperatures.
“It’s colder here than in the UK at the minute, which is a first,” said England’s Charley Hull during Wednesday’s media day at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Even Lydia Ko, who lives at Lake Nona, seemed surprised by the cold snap. “We’re pretty much getting to below zero in celsius here, which maybe in other parts of the country they would be thankful, but when you’re in Florida it is a little bit of a surprise,” she said.
If the world’s best players are adjusting their games for cold weather, recreational golfers should, too. Here’s how to play smart when the mercury drops.
Understand What Cold Does to Your Game
Before you change anything, you need to know what you’re fighting against. Cold air is denser than warm air, which means your ball won’t fly as far. Period.
Hull noticed this immediately during practice rounds at Lake Nona. She mentioned hitting a gap wedge into the 18th hole during a previous win but needing a 4-iron during Tuesday’s practice round. That’s a difference of four or five clubs for the same shot.
Action item: Expect to lose 5-10 yards on every club in your bag when temperatures dip below 50 degrees. Plan accordingly and don’t be stubborn about club selection.
Layer Up Without Restricting Your Swing
Hull admitted she wore three pairs of pants during practice. While that might be extreme for most of us, staying warm is critical to playing well in cold conditions.
Your muscles need warmth to function properly. When you’re cold, your body tightens up and your swing gets shorter and faster. Neither of those things help you hit good golf shots.
Action item: Wear multiple thin layers instead of one bulky jacket. Look for golf-specific cold weather gear that stretches with your swing. Keep hand warmers in your pockets between shots. And don’t forget a good hat because you lose significant body heat through your head.
Take More Club Than You Think You Need
This is where ego gets in the way of good scores. When it’s cold, the ball doesn’t compress as well off the clubface. Combined with denser air, you’re looking at serious distance loss.
The pros at Lake Nona are dealing with a course that measures 6,642 yards but plays much longer this week. If they’re adjusting, you should too.
Action item: Take at least one extra club on every approach shot. In temperatures below 40 degrees, consider taking two extra clubs. It’s better to fly the ball to the back of the green than to come up short in a bunker.
Adjust Your Expectations on the Greens
Cold weather affects putting in ways most golfers don’t consider. The ball is harder and doesn’t roll as smoothly. Your hands are cold, making it harder to feel the putter. And if there’s any moisture on the greens, they’ll be slower than normal.
Ko mentioned that she still sometimes reads the greens wrong at Lake Nona despite being a member for years. Cold weather makes that challenge even tougher.
Action item: Hit putts more firmly than usual. The ball needs extra speed to hold its line on cold greens. Take a few extra practice strokes to get a feel for the speed before you putt.
Embrace the Mental Challenge
Hull said something interesting about cold weather golf: “I like the mental toughness of it.”
That’s the right attitude. Everyone on the course is dealing with the same conditions. The player who stays patient and doesn’t get frustrated by the extra difficulty will come out ahead.
Action item: Lower your expectations by a few strokes. If you normally shoot 85, accept that 90 might be a good score in 40-degree weather. Focus on solid contact and smart decisions rather than perfect shots.
Warm Up Longer and Smarter
This might be the most important tip of all. Cold muscles are tight muscles, and tight muscles get injured easily.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul revealed she’s been protecting a wrist injury that bothered her late last season. Cold weather makes those kinds of injuries more likely if you don’t prepare properly.
Action item: Spend at least 20 minutes warming up before your round. Start with stretching, then hit easy wedge shots before working up to your driver. Keep moving between shots on the course to maintain body heat and flexibility.
The pros at Lake Nona this week will adapt and compete at the highest level despite the cold. You can do the same at your local course by following these tips and keeping a positive attitude.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour, and whether you love him or hate him, the guy knows how to win when it matters. After his LIV Golf stint, the five-time major champion returns this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.
What makes Koepka fascinating? He doesn’t fit the mold. His swing isn’t textbook. He doesn’t obsess over mechanics. Yet he’s won three PGA Championships and two U.S. Opens, regularly making it look easier than guys with prettier swings.
So, what can average golfers learn from someone who treats the game so differently? Quite a bit.
Stop Overthinking Every Shot
Koepka describes his approach as “reactionary” rather than mechanical. While most tour pros grind over swing thoughts, Brooks sees the target and hits it. No mental checklist.
This might be the most valuable lesson for weekend golfers who’ve watched too many YouTube swing videos.
How to actually do this:
On the range, hit five balls where you stare at the target for three seconds prior to addressing the ball. Don’t think about grip or stance. Just burn that target into your brain. You’ll be shocked at how pure you hit it when your brain focuses on where the ball is going instead of how you’re swinging.
Next time you play, give yourself a rule: Once you pull the club, you’ve got 15 seconds to hit. Koepka is one of the fastest players on tour because he doesn’t give his brain time to sabotage him.
If you feel tension in your hands at address, you’re trying to control too much. Koepka’s grip pressure is famously light. Loosen up until the club almost feels like it might slip, then add just enough pressure to hold on. That’s your swing thought: soft hands, see the target.
This approach works better under pressure. When you’re standing over that shot with water left and OB right, the last thing you need is a mental checklist. See it, feel it, hit it.
Play to Your Strengths (Even If They’re Not Pretty)
Koepka uses a strong grip that wouldn’t pass muster in some teaching circles. But he’s built his game around what works for him, elite driving distance and recovery skills. He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not.
Here’s how to build your game like Brooks:
Look at your last five rounds and figure out where you’re actually gaining strokes. Bombing it off the tee, but can’t hit greens? Lean into it. Play courses where distance matters more than precision. On tight holes, grip down on your 3-wood instead of trying to thread a driver through a keyhole you’ll miss seven times out of ten.
Koepka knows he can scramble, so he’s not afraid to miss greens. If you’re deadly from 50 to 75 yards, start leaving yourself those distances on the par 5’s instead of going for them in two every time.
Know when to take your medicine. Koepka in the trees at the PGA? He’s punching out to 100 yards, not trying to bend a 6-iron around three oaks. You’re in the rough with a flyer lie and water short? Hit your 8-iron to the middle and move on. That’s not playing scared, that’s playing smart.
Save Your Best for When It Counts
Here’s a wild stat: Koepka’s putting average in majors is often more than a full stroke better per round than in regular events. He elevates when pressure is highest.
How does an amateur tap into that gear? It’s not about trying harder, it’s about caring differently.
Here’s what actually works:
Decide which rounds matter to you. Club championship? Member-guest? That annual trip with college buddies? Circle those dates and treat them differently. Koepka doesn’t care much about regular tour events, but majors? That’s when he locks in.
Two weeks before your big round, change your practice. Stop beating balls mindlessly. Play nine holes in which every shot has consequences. Miss the fairway? Hit from the rough on the next hole too. Three-putt? Twenty push-ups. Koepka’s practice intensity ramps up before majors because he’s rehearsing pressure, not just swings.
Develop a between-shot routine that resets your brain. Koepka is famous for his blank expression after bad shots. Try this: After any shot, take three deep breaths while walking, then find something specific to notice, a tree, a cloud, someone’s shirt. That’s your reset button. By the time you reach your ball, the last shot is gone.
The Bottom Line
Brooks Koepka’s return reminds us there’s no single path to success in golf. His “substance over style” approach proves that results matter more than looking good.
You don’t need a perfect swing; you need a reliable one that holds up under pressure. You don’t need to hit every shot in the book; you need the shots you can count on. And you don’t need to play great every time; you need to play great when it matters.
Welcome back, Brooks. Thanks for the reminder that golf is ultimately about getting the ball in the hole, not winning style points.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
Blades Brown made a big impression last week in the California desert, and not just because he’s only 18. He put up numbers that would catch any weekend golfer’s attention. Most of us won’t hit 317-yard drives or find 86% of our greens in regulation, but there’s a lot to learn from how Brown managed his game at The American Express.
Here are three practical lessons from his performance that you can use on your own course this weekend.
Step 1: Give Priority to Accuracy Over Distance Off The Tee
Brown’s driving stats are impressive. He averaged almost 318 yards off the tee, ranking 12th in the field. More importantly, he hit 76.79% of his fairways, tying for fourth place in the tournament.
Think about that ratio for a second. Brown could have swung harder, chased more distance and tried to overpower the course. Instead, he played smart golf and kept his ball in play.
Your Action Item: Next time you’re on the tee box, ask yourself a simple question before pulling the driver. Do you need maximum distance here, or do you need to be in the fairway? If there’s trouble lurking or the hole doesn’t demand every yard you can muster, take something off your swing. Grip down an inch. Make a three-quarter swing. Do whatever it takes to find the short grass. Brown’s approach illustrates that fairways lead to greens, and greens lead to birdies. He made 22 of them last week, along with an eagle.
The math is simple. When you’re hitting three out of every four fairways like Brown did, you’re giving yourself legitimate looks at the green with your approach shots. That’s when scoring happens.
Step 2: Commit To Hitting More Greens
This is where Brown really separated himself. He hit 62 of 72 greens in regulation, an 86.11% clip that tied for first in the entire field. Read that again. An 18-year-old kid tied for the lead in one of the most important ball-striking statistics in professional golf.
How did he do it? By keeping his ball in the fairway (see Step 1) and giving himself clean looks with mid-irons and wedges.
Your Action Item: Start tracking your greens in regulation. You don’t need a fancy app or a statistics degree. Just mark down whether you hit the green in the regulation number of strokes. Par 3s in one shot. Par 4s in two shots. Par 5s in three shots.
Once you know your baseline, set a goal to improve it by 10%. If you’re currently hitting five greens per round, aim for six. The beauty of this approach is that it forces you to think strategically about club selection and shot shape. Brown’s strokes gained approach number was positive (0.179), meaning he was better than the field average. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be on the dance floor more often.
When you hit more greens, you eliminate the need for heroic short game shots. Brown only had to scramble 10 times all week, and he got up and down 70% of the time. That’s solid, but the real story is that he rarely put himself in scrambling situations to begin with.
Step 3: Minimize Mistakes And Stay Patient
Here’s the stat that jumps off the page: Brown made only three bogeys all week. Three. In four rounds of professional golf against the best players in the world.
He also made just one double bogey. That kind of clean card doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you play within yourself, avoid the big miss and trust that pars are never bad scores.
Your Action Item: Before your next round, decide that you’re going to play boring golf. No hero shots over water. No driver on tight holes just because you can. No aggressive pins when there’s a safe side of the green.
Brown’s performance shows us that consistency beats flash every single time. He didn’t lead the field in any single strokes gained category, but he was solid across the board. That’s how you post numbers and cash checks.
Give these three steps a try. Your scorecard will thank you.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
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Richard
Aug 24, 2014 at 7:24 am
I’m looking for this exact same data but for irons. Do you know if it exists? If not, can you do the same thing with a mid/high iron?
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Joseph
Apr 6, 2014 at 2:13 am
If I apply the Dr. Scholls with a Left to Right Stroke will it make my Slice disappear or make it worse?
Tom Stickney
Jun 25, 2014 at 11:40 pm
Dr scholl’s works better than impact tape which tends to skew the spin numbers and spin axis.
Mark in Louisville
Feb 20, 2014 at 9:16 pm
Finally a 70º day to try out the Dr. Scholls spray on the range. Thanks for the tip Tom. The stuff works like a charm providing me with accuracy feedback and is infinitely better than tape labels. Dr. Scholl’s better start making more of that spray because I think a lot more amateurs will be buying it up this season. Interestingly for me the majority of my impact locations are just to the toe side of center albeit not nearly as tight as the Tour Pro.
Tom Stickney
Feb 21, 2014 at 12:23 am
Thank the early TrackMan guys for the dr scholl’s idea…just following their lead.
Steve
Feb 16, 2014 at 2:54 pm
Tom, I have a big problem : shank wedges. I hit driver well, 8-9 fairway s, mid- and long irons good, but repeatedly hit 45* right off the hosel with wedges. My hc went from 10 to 13.4. Very frustrating to bomb a good drive, pull out wedge and blast a hoselrocket off into the bushes! At the range, I tried gate drill with 2 tees, blasted toe tee off 20 yds. Slow swing, no good. Lined up with ball at toe, tried to hit toe, got dead center. Don’t know what to try next. Please help.
tom stickney
Feb 17, 2014 at 11:06 am
Tough to guess without seeing you, but make sure you are not picking up your wedges and/or falling into your toes on the way down
Steve
Feb 19, 2014 at 6:21 pm
Tom, thanks. I think I was falling forward towards the ball on my downswing. I concentrated on keeping my weight over my arches, and tried to make the wedge swing much more upright. Last 2 rounds were almost shank free. I slowed down my swing all around, but kept a full shoulder turn, trying to ensure a smooth release hitting the ball in the center of the club. Making solid contact as long as I don’t rush myself. Much happier!
Sboss1
Feb 28, 2014 at 8:08 pm
The other main cause of shanks with the short clubs is the tendency to move your body too far forward on the downswing. This leads to the club running out of room and the hosel is all that is left to hit the ball. Stay behind the ball on all shots and that will go away.
Your likely moving forward on other clubs as well but because they are longer, you catch enough club to prevent a shank. What tips me off that this may be your issue is the short length of the club and the fact that you shank wedges only. Good luck…
Loz
Feb 16, 2014 at 2:53 am
I found my old steel shafted Maxfli Tour Ltd driver at my parents house over Christmas. Looking at the size of the face to these modern 460 heads some of these strikes might have been air shots or certainly off the end of the club head. I personally think my overall game has suffered since the introduction of these clubs with massive heads and overly long shafts. I used to be a pretty good ball striker (3 – 4 hcp 20 years ago) and would typically hit 10 – 12 fairways, 12 – 14 greens and shoot 72 – 75, par 71. I was never a good putter, always 34 – 36 putts per round. My long iron play was particularly good back in the time of wooden headed clubs when I could only hit a 3 iron 180 yds. These days that’s a 6 or 7 for some people and I really think my game has suffered as a result of using new technology. I’d be tempted to try my old War Bird steel driver or an older titleist, back when a Tiger used to hit it well and long, and see what the results are like.
Alex
Feb 11, 2014 at 5:12 pm
Great article!
Can you explain a little more about this: “Tour players can easily control their vertical impact location to launch the ball with more or less spin depending on what type of shot they desire”
Does hitting the ball higher on the face cause more spin and lower on the face cause less spin? Or it the inverse?
Thanks!
tom stickney
Feb 11, 2014 at 6:03 pm
The higher you hit the ball in the face the lower the ball will spin and the higher it will launch…
Denis
Feb 10, 2014 at 6:34 pm
Great article Mr. Stickney,
Wondering if you have you ever done or thought of something similar for irons?
Would be interested to see what other factors could also influence impact position on irons given the sole comes in contact with the ground and what effects ill-fitted lie angle could have as well as other factors.
Maybe that’s a project for another day.
tom stickney
Feb 10, 2014 at 7:27 pm
I have not, but it’s easy to do…grab a few buddies and get some dr sholl’s and hit balls off a dry golf mat…you’ll see some common trends for sure…especially when the irons are ill-fit
Christian
Feb 10, 2014 at 1:59 pm
The pro’s impact makes me sad and angry.
tom stickney
Feb 10, 2014 at 2:04 pm
I feel your pain…knocked my socks off as well!
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Keith
Feb 4, 2014 at 2:10 am
Fantastic article Mr.Stickney! Really opens my eyes to how good the pro’s really are..
Tom Stickney
Feb 8, 2014 at 12:34 am
Thank you!
Carter
Feb 4, 2014 at 12:11 am
Does Dr. Scholls work with putters too or is there something better for that?
Tom Stickney
Feb 8, 2014 at 12:34 am
Yes
Alex
Feb 2, 2014 at 11:12 pm
Bought a can this morning to take to the range. I may just figure out the driver problem after all..
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Justin
Jan 30, 2014 at 1:51 pm
I have to say I’m the 30 handicapper. The beginning of last year I was hitting the ball consistent. As the year progress, I danced in the mid 90’s then I finished the year in the 125’s and lost distance on everything, I was driving around 250 then I couldn’t reach 200. I live in the north east is any drills I could do to help with being more consistent. Thanks
Mikel
Jan 30, 2014 at 4:38 pm
I’m an 18hc, so, ya know….
But, I just got over this literally in the past couple days, “turned” out to be that I was fake-turning. I was rotating my shoulders just fine, but not my torso. The drill (there are diff variations) that cured me was to move my back foot so that my toe was in line with my front foot heel. Gave me a pre-turn in my torso and helped me get the feeling back during my normal swing.
I think my issue came from trying to make sure my shoulders made a complete turn and at some point I stopped turning my torso too.
Good luck!
Justin
Jan 30, 2014 at 6:09 pm
Thanks I’ll try that. It was horrible. just didn’t feel comfortable swinging the club anymore.
Tom Stickney
Jan 30, 2014 at 10:00 pm
If you have had that type of turnaround within your game I would suggest finding a teaching pro in your area ASAP. Too many things it could be without seeing you but if you’ve list that kind if distance you might want to see someone.
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Tyler
Jan 29, 2014 at 10:00 pm
What would be the one characteristic of the golf swing that you would attribute to consistently finding the center of the face? Great balance throughout the entire swing perhaps? High handicaps tend to have terrible balance which would explain the sporadic ball contact locations on the face. Would you speculate that if a high handicap were to swing in perfect balance on every shot regardless of swing path they would consistently hit the same spot on the face?
Tom Stickney
Jan 30, 2014 at 2:04 am
Balance is a huge part of impact location for sure…swing plane would be a close second
Double Mocha Man
Jan 29, 2014 at 11:12 am
I tried this out yesterday on the range. Works perfect. Only downside is that yellow can of footspray sitting next to the range mat that every other golfer seems to want to stare at. That, and the voice coming from my pocket that exclaims, “Golf Sense device is now connected!?
Never knew being on the range could be so embarrassing…
Tom Stickney
Jan 29, 2014 at 5:13 pm
That’s funny!
greg
Jan 29, 2014 at 10:48 am
Any suggestions on how to ‘tighten up’ your dispersion? Shorter shaft? Slow the swing down until you can consistently hit the middle and then add speed as you improve?
Tom Stickney
Jan 29, 2014 at 5:15 pm
100% correct.
Josh
Jan 28, 2014 at 5:28 pm
Since you said all the drivers are 44″ long, would you consider doing a similar test but with different length drivers. I would be interested to see how much impact is affected for the lower handicaps when the length is increased.
Tom Stickney
Jan 29, 2014 at 1:09 am
The shorter the driver the more control…for sure.
Josh
Jan 29, 2014 at 12:09 pm
I know shorter provides more control, but how much control is actually lost by going longer. Any time you add length to a club you will swing it faster, but at what point will adding length be comprised to loss off control. Is it .5″,1″, or something longer than that. Everyone just guesses how much control is lost and no one has ever really looked at what the actual amount is.
David Smith
Jan 28, 2014 at 1:22 pm
Problem here was that it was a TMaG golf club, not the player.
In all seriousness though, why is the tour pro hitting it lower on the face? It should be higher up on the face than that.
TJ
Jan 28, 2014 at 2:26 pm
yeah I was wondering the same thing, in that first pic the impact position was at the very bottom of the face, that seems strange
Tom Stickney
Jan 28, 2014 at 2:37 pm
Creates a shot that launches too low and spins too much.
Tom Stickney
Jan 28, 2014 at 2:36 pm
Yep. What he’s currently working on!
Double Mocha Man
Jan 29, 2014 at 11:05 am
Tell him to tee it up 1/4″ higher and use the same swing. That’ll be 100 bucks, thank you.
Harvey
Jan 28, 2014 at 5:09 pm
Shut up
Harvey
Jan 28, 2014 at 5:10 pm
Does it work with normal spray?
Lou Boezi
Jan 30, 2014 at 3:52 pm
I believe the lower marking on the Pro’s image is in fact his tee!
JCorona
Jan 28, 2014 at 9:34 am
at least my driver will smell good even when my game stinks that day
Tom Stickney
Jan 28, 2014 at 12:16 pm
And it won’t get athletes’ foot either
Alex
Jan 28, 2014 at 7:47 am
good story, mate. It seems my driver’s sweetspot is far from wearing.
Tom Stickney
Jan 28, 2014 at 8:58 am
Welcome to my world…sadly we are not alone.
paul
Jan 28, 2014 at 1:00 am
This article makes me feel like a freak. I’m a 20 handicap who hits the sweet spot like a 5. Hit 13/14 fairways today, shot 95 cause I hit some second shots into the drink on a tight water course. I use the marker.
Tom Stickney
Jan 28, 2014 at 8:59 am
We all have our strengths…fix that second shot and you will be a five!
Guruhe
Jan 27, 2014 at 7:23 pm
In this most recent tourney Tiger only landed on the fairway 4 times with his driver in 1 round. Do you think he was hitting the center of the club face every time but the face angle was off? Apparently hitting a centered shot doesn’t guarantee a straight shot.
Tom Stickney
Jan 27, 2014 at 7:42 pm
All depends on his face to path relationship with a centered hit.
Q
Jan 27, 2014 at 5:04 pm
Is there anything I might already have around the house that I could spray onto my clubfaces?
Kelly
Jan 27, 2014 at 4:54 pm
Tom
With the recent article on shorter length drivers, did you happen to measure the club length of the players drivers?
Tom Stickney
Jan 27, 2014 at 5:46 pm
All 44″
ParHunter
Jan 27, 2014 at 4:34 pm
For readers in the UK where you don’t get the Dr Sholl Odor X spray: I am using an athletes foot powder spray. Works just as well.
snow52
Jan 27, 2014 at 2:26 pm
Another good trick is to use a marker from a dry erase/white board (make sure it is a dry erase marker, not a permanent marker). You can color the face of your club, and when you make a swing, it will capture your impact position. When you are done, it just wipes off. Might be a little more convenient that carrying around a can of spray. No matter how you do it, this is a great way to improve your ball striking.
tom stickney
Jan 27, 2014 at 3:51 pm
Good call; tell your golf buddies to use a sharpie! Ha!
Duh
Jan 27, 2014 at 6:21 pm
NOT a Sharpie, doofus! With a Sharpie you’d need acetone. With a dry-erase, all you have to do is wipe.
gocanucksfan123
Jan 27, 2014 at 6:54 pm
It was a joke
Chris
Jan 27, 2014 at 1:44 pm
Golf Digest did a similar thing with putters and impact tape way back in the day – if anyone remembers it or has the article, would love to see it again!
For the best putters on tour, the spot was the size of a thumbtack.
Tom Stickney
Jan 27, 2014 at 3:49 pm
Dave Pelz…in his book
Chris
Jan 28, 2014 at 12:12 pm
Yes that’s what it was! Thanks!
other paul
Dec 23, 2014 at 1:23 pm
I put some tape on a putter once and hit balls. I was shocked. As a 12 handicap I had 28 balls in a spot the size of a dime (better then i expected) and two that missed center by 1″ (oops). But it was great feedback.
roger
Jan 27, 2014 at 1:31 pm
Tom, re the last point, Tour Players can hit the ball on the face higher/lower
to add/lessen spin as desired.
Could you expand on this please!Much appreciated!
I use impact tape or marker pen on balls regularly and play shorter lengths to get Good Impact!
Mid hcper.
Chris
Jan 27, 2014 at 2:21 pm
This is a little counter intuitive but hitting higher on the face means ball hits above the COG which causes the face to “roll back” and the gearing effect of this is to reduce the backspin on the ball. Hitting lower does the opposite. This ignores the effect of bulge / roll. Watch the Trackman Maestro on youtube (look for gear effect) he does a better job explaining. All else equal, tee higher = lower backspin, tee lower = higher backspin. Once you understand gear effect you’ll see why.
tom stickney
Jan 27, 2014 at 3:53 pm
Yep…Joe is right on
tom stickney
Jan 27, 2014 at 3:52 pm
Because of the face design from top to bottom…impact should be higher in the face to give you higher launch with less spin. Most players hit it below the center-line of the club thus gaining extra spin.
jm
Jan 28, 2014 at 11:14 pm
actually i think (though i could be wrong) that most clubs are truly designed to be hit on the actual sweetspot, which is typically in the center of the face. it usually gives the highest ball speeds.
impact should only be higher on the face if you need higher launch with less spin. not all players need these specific changes, especially tour players. tour players need a balance of launch and spin to maximize not just distance, but accuracy as well. tour players typically require a higher spin rate than amateurs of the same swing speed in order to keep the ball in play more on the typically firmer fairways on tour.
hitting it high on the face should also not be the first or even second solution to this problem in my opinion. if you need to hit it higher with less spin there are more efficient, effective and consistent ways to achieve
Chris
Jan 27, 2014 at 12:04 pm
Thanks for a very intresting article. I always wonder how certain handicaps hit with their driver off the face. And Great idea with the Dr. Scholls spray.
Barry
Jan 27, 2014 at 10:52 am
thats weird!im off 10 and thats exactly where i connect with my drives,but i have the odd paintscraper too 🙁
Drew
Jan 27, 2014 at 10:38 am
Does this just wipe off when you’re done? If so, brilliant!
tom stickney
Jan 27, 2014 at 11:34 am
yes…no residual marks
Chris
Jan 27, 2014 at 10:32 am
Interesting, yet I have read many articles on GolfWRX that have talked about the sweet spot on most drivers being higher towards the outside of the face. So …not really hitting the sweet or hotspot…??
tom stickney
Jan 27, 2014 at 11:35 am
all depends on where the driver cog is located…a hot-topic as to where the “actual” sweetspot is located
Rick
Jan 27, 2014 at 8:29 am
Great article. Also, I can’t wait to try the Dr.Scholls spray to check my impact point. Thanks!
tom stickney
Jan 27, 2014 at 11:36 am
THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS REGARDING THIS ARTICLE!! I HAVE RECEIVED A TON OF TEXTS, EMAILS, AND TWEETS…..
Erickson Leonardo
Jan 27, 2014 at 3:19 am
My impact zone is so much better with deep face drivers, but sprayed all over the place with shallow face? Please idea?
Tom Stickney
Jan 27, 2014 at 9:44 am
Some driver design “looks” make people more comfortable…
Andy
Jan 27, 2014 at 3:10 am
Well im in the 0 handicap category but mostly leave my clubface open or close, great post. thank you.
Spencer
Jan 27, 2014 at 1:45 am
By the far the most valuable piece I got from this was the dr. scholls spray instead tape to mark impacts. I’m getting a can!
Glen Metz
Jan 27, 2014 at 9:03 am
Same here. I’m wondering if that works on irons as well.
Tom Stickney
Jan 27, 2014 at 9:44 am
Yes irons too. Better off a mat
Jack
Jan 27, 2014 at 1:24 am
Note to self: Hit the driver more accurately to break into the 10 handicap range, and also buy a can of dr. scholls odor x.