Welcome to Play Smarta regular GOLF.com game improvement column that will help you become a smarter and better golfer.
When a pro hits the ball with an iron or wedge, you’ll notice they always have some ahead lean on the shaft. This is a product of placing their hands in front of the ball at impact, allowing them to make first contact with the ball.
This is something all recreational players should strive for. If you want to get the most out of your ball strike, you need to be able to create forward shaft tilt – which reduces your dynamic loft – and hit the ball.
However, in the quest for this “forward” look at impact, many recreational golfers make a huge mistake that actually hurts their ball-striking in the long run. GOLF Top 100 Teachers Joe Plecker explains more in the video below.
What are you doing wrong about the lean shaft
Leaning the shaft forward at impact is great, but you can’t get too fixated on the feeling of your hands being pressed into the target through the impact. Doing so will damage your release pattern and create poor contact.
To properly create the forward axis, your hands must not only work towards the target, but they must also work OVER AND AROUND your body.
“(The handle) is moving both inward and forward,” Plecker says. “And that’s so important to bend the shaft.”
That’s not to say that putting your hands forward in impact isn’t important, but it’s only part of the equation. As you move through impact, you must also allow the club grip to work up and around your body to produce a proper release pattern.
“This has a big impact on keeping the shaft lean and reducing the loft of the golf club,” says Plecker.
So the next time you feel like you’re not leaning the shaft forward enough on the shot, don’t just think about squeezing your hands more toward the target. If you want to swing the ball properly, you must also allow your hands to work up and around your body as you swing the ball.
