Golf Impact Position Drills (Top 3)

Written by Todd in Online Golf Instruction

Our top 3 drills include the following:

  1. Rehearsal of impact position
  2. Swinging from impact position
  3. Video review of impact position

The moment of truth!  Or better known was the impact position golf!

Yes, what happens at impact is the most important part of the swing.  Everything leading up to impact is simply building to get you in the right position.

There are many different backswings amongst the players on tour.  However, come time for impact, they have a lot of similarities. 

We have looked at the 10 weirdest golf swings of all time, here.

The one thing we found looking at some of the weirdest golf swings is that by impact they are in good positions.

Unfortunately, the golf is often taught spending a ton of time on the backswing with very little time with the importance of impact.

Many amateur golfers might believe that a golfer simply needs to return to the address position from when the swing begins.

The reality is that your body must be somewhat open, your hands away and your weight on your front side.

What are the best golf impact position drills?

My Journey: Using video in my swing has helped me transform the way I strike the ball. 5 years ago when I really got to work on my swing as a result of a golf simulator in my garage, I started taking daily video of my swing and studying the greats of the game. The two positions I looked at was the top of the swing and of course impact. I wanted to have a solid transition and then get to a quality impact position. Use that smart phone you have and get to work!

Our three drills take you through a progression.  I would recommend starting with drill 1 before drill 2 and then to eventually drill 3.  Each step along the way is important.  In step 1 we establish where you want to be.  In step 2, we test by starting in that impact position and completing just a half swing.  In step 3, we progress to the full swing, testing out your impact position.  

In each step, we highly recommend the use of video and slowing things down to feel and develop the impact position that is going to best suit your current physical ability and golfing skills.

Check out professional golfers on youtube to see various impact positions and what they have in common.

Drill #1: Rehearsal of Impact Position

What impact position do you want to have?  This can be a little bit of a trick question as there are a variety of teachers and promote different impact positions.  There are some common elements with the number one variable is how open the golfer is at impact.

There are some instructors that teach a golfer to be pretty open with the chest and shoulders.  Our top recommended golf instructor with this approach is Milo Lines.

And then there are instructors that teach a more squared approach with the shoulders.  Our top recommended golf instructors with this approach include Mike Malaska or Mike Bender.

The more open the chest or shoulders are at impact the more the swings relies on rotation vs the opposite relies on the hands squaring up the face and more active hands.

Step 1: Find an instructor and some images of what you want your impact position to be.

Step 2: Practice and rehearse that impact positions, using video on your phone to capture your positions through slow motion movements and then holding that position.

Step 3: Continue to train your body to get to that position.

3 simple steps to perfecting your impact position

Drill #2: Swinging From Impact Position

Now that we have established where you want your impact position to be. I would recommend getting into that position and then swinging back and through (half swing).  Try to get back to your pre-set impact position and engrain this feeling in your golf swing. 

This helps the golfer feel this impact position right before the swing and the half swing allows the golfer to stay under control and develop the feel needed.  Here are the simple steps:

Step 1: Get to your impact position and hold for 3 seconds.

Step 2: Make a half swing back and then through the shot with a focus on returning to that impact position.

Step 3: Review your impact position by taking a video to review right at the impact position.

3 new steps to further develop your feel
A quality impact position allows you to control path and clubface to hit the most difficult shots in golf.

#3: Video Review of Impact Position

Now that we have set the impact position, trained the impact position, now is time to work it into the full swing and use video to once again check.  I would recommend starting at half speed and developing the feel needed to get back to your ideal position. 

We need to train that feel by holding that position, using half swings and then testing with the full swing.  We can always return to the first 2 drills if we are struggling with the full swing.

Step 1: Make a full swing at half speed

Step 2: Check video

Step 3: Make a full swing at regular speed

Step 4: Check video

Step 5: Repeat or return to drill 1 or 2 above until you get to that ideal impact position based on the instructor you are following.

5 additional steps

Golf Instructors Who Teach The Importance of the Impact Position

Some of the top teachers I have experienced in this area include Mike Malaska, Mike Bender, Milo Lines and George Gankas.  The first two are more about being square with the shoulders while the later two are all about getting open.

So which one is best for your game?  I would start by taking a video of your current swing. Are you someone that is somewhat square and just needs some fine tuning?  Or are you someone that wants to maximize your speed and rotation to create clubhead stability?  If so, Milo Lines and George Gankas are great options.

Here are some videos to check out the instruction on the impact position:

Mike Malaska Teaching From the Impact Position Back

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tRrnk5htoI&t=396s

Milo Lines – Spending Time Giving A Lesson on Impact Position

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV7dP8tf1uY

Which Approach Is Best For You?

If you are a handsy player that wants to use your hand and rely on a consistent release then you will want to be more square at impact.  If you want to rely on rotation to square the face up and remove the variable of the hands releasing significantly than the more open approach might be best for you.  

Ultimately, you can test out the different options and consider your ball speed, shot dispersion and overall comfortable level with each approach.

Test out the variety of options! Use a video recording to determine what is best for you, but don’t forget to read your ball flight.

My Secret To Golf Improvement

Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently.  About four years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage.  I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.

This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer.  I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day.  I can practice or play rounds of golf.  I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.

It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.

Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you?  I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor.  Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed.  Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier.  Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system?  It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:

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