Why do players hit shots offline? The simple answer: they don’t control where the clubface is pointing at impact. So the question then becomes how do we control the clubface? Is it practice? Or is it technique?

I believe it is technique. If you have to practice excessively, that may be a sign that your swing is too reliant on timing. In order to control the clubface the player needs to get his/her body rotating. If the body rotates through impact the clubface is less likely to rotate, creating more consistent results. If we look at the top players on the tour we will see a consistent theme of rotation of the body at impact. The stats from K-Motion tells us that the average range of rotation at impact for the PGA Tour is 45 degrees open for hips and 20 degrees open for shoulders

There are certain factors that help or hinder the ability to rotate your body open. The most common factor of a player’s inability to rotate into impact is a shaft that is steep in transition. If the shaft is steep in transition the body stalls out in order to get the club traveling in the correct direction, thus leaving the face vulnerable and that’s where the misses could go either direction. The other factor that could lead to a player stalling out is having the clubface excessively open which requires the body to stop and release the face.

The 2 main things that GIVE you the opportunity to rotate into impact is a shallow transition and a neutral clubface position. If you look at a swing like Ryder Cup Captain Jim Furyk, you will notice an abnormal backswing motion followed by one of the greatest downswing motions in the game. The shaft shallows in transition, the clubface is solid, and this allows Furyk to rotate just as good as anyone in the game of golf.

If you want to improve your golf game try and rotate your body for maximum control of the clubface!

Give It A Try!

Rotate Your Body Not Your Clubface