Golf's 6 Degrees
of Separation

Analysis by Tom Ness
with Matthew Rudy

Almost every player has a primal urge to get the clubhead on the ball as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that desire leads to the swing problems that curse most amateur golfers. The act of trying to get the clubhead moving faster - by throwing or flipping it toward the ball - is the single biggest source of frustration in the game.

The impact photographs in this article prove that good players let the hands lead the clubhead through impact - about 6 degrees in front, for tour players. Poor players let the clubhead pass the front arm before impact. In fact, there's a direct correlation between when the shaft catches up to the lead arm and handicap. The later it catches up, the lower the handicap. It's really that simple.

So how can you beat back that primal urge? First, stop thinking about getting the clubhead to the ball and start thinking about getting the handle past the ball. For the average player, that means a fundamental change in the position of the hands at impact. If you flip the club, your trailing wrist flattens and the leading wrist bends through impact. A good player's leading wrist is flat and the trailing wrist is bent.

It might seem like impact happens too fast for you to be able to have any control over it. Try the two drills shown below to get a feel for a tour player's impact position. You'll be surprised how much control you can really have over your ball.

Don't let handle go backward
To get an immediate sense of what tour players do at impact, grab a club just below the grip and make some small swings two different ways. First, try throwing the clubhead down at the ball by unhinging the wrists. Most average players already do this to some degree in a real swing. The butt end of the club will move backward, away from the target, and up toward your belt - leading to the classic chicken wing. Now try a different way. Drive the butt end of the club forward, toward the target, which keeps the club trailing your left arm through impact. Tour players make this move on every swing.

Keep the balloon in place for pure impact
Another way to ingrain a good impact position is to use a balloon (or a grapefruit-size rubber ball) as an impact guide. Place the balloon between your elbows at setup, then hit some chip shots with short, below-the-waist swings. If the body moves in sync with the arms during the swing, the balloon will stay in place. It also means you're keeping the shaft behind your left arm through impact and compressing the ball. If the balloon falls out, you've over-accelerated the clubhead, which forces the elbows to separate. To make crisp contact, your arms should straighten through the downswing. The club will release naturally with your body turn.

» To view full-motion swing sequences click on a player's photo below.

Long leverage If you throw the clubhead with the wrists, you're stuck with a club-length lever. Let the hands lead the clubhead and you extend your lever exponentially. Michelle Wie hits it 300 yards by taking advantage of longer leverage.

Power secret Pound-for-pound, Charles Howell III is one of the longest hitters out there, and it's because of this picture below. At impact, look how far ahead of the ball his hands are.

Tom Ness, who was selected by his peers as one of Golf Digest's 50 Greatest Teachers for 2003-2004, is based at Chateau Elan, near Atlanta.

Sequence photographs by Dom Furore and Stephen Szurlej