Stop hitting it heavy

Top 50 Coach Neil Marr explains how a better understanding of a good impact position can be the key to eliminating fat strikes

Common causes

Poor weight shift through impact is a frequent issue, with the player’s weight getting stuck on their right side. Other causes might be leaning away from the target or releasing the club too early in the downswing, so the shaft is too vertical at impact. On a full shot with a mid-iron, the shaft should be leaning significantly forward, perhaps five to ten degrees.

Rehearse impact position

Many golfers don’t understand how things should look and feel at impact – it perhaps looks odd to them to see the club so delofted here, but this impact bag is a great way to rehearse the correct impact position. Take your normal set-up, then just push yourself and your hands into impact to try and get an idea of how it should feel.

Recreate that position

Now try taking mini-swings starting from that position, perhaps taking the club back just a couple of feet and then trying to find that position again at impact. Once you get good at that, work further back and try to find the feeling you had when rehearsing those smaller swings. It’s a little like the forward press Matt Wolff makes before he takes the club away.