The Number One Difference Between Great and Poor Golfers

Golf swings can look remarkably different.

Watch the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour or even the club championship at your local course, and you will see players using different grips, postures, backswing lengths and release patterns.

Some successful players have extremely strong grips. Others have very weak grips. Their swings may look completely different, yet they are all capable of producing excellent golf shots.

That tells us something important:

There is no single grip, swing shape or position that every good player must copy.

However, there is one skill that almost every great ball-striker shares.

Great players control where the club strikes the ground

Imagine scratching a straight line into the ground and asking every golfer at your club to make ten swings across it.

The best players would normally produce a very tight collection of divots on the target side of the line. Their divots would begin in a similar place and reach a relatively consistent depth.

The poorest ball-strikers would normally produce a much wider pattern.

Some divots would begin behind the line. Some swings might miss the ground. Others might produce a good strike, but the player would struggle to repeat it.

The further behind the line the club regularly strikes the ground, the greater the likelihood of heavy contact.

The wider the overall pattern becomes, the less predictable the strike will be.

That is why one of the most valuable skills you can develop is the ability to control your low point — the point at which the club reaches the bottom of its arc.

Three factors that influence your low point

There are many movements within a golf swing, but I would begin by looking at three areas.

1. The position of the pelvis

At impact, the centre of the pelvis should have moved towards the target.

As a general reference, it may be approximately 10–15 centimetres ahead of where it began at address.

The further forward the pelvis moves, the greater the likelihood that the club will strike the ground after the ball.

When the pelvis remains too far behind, the chances of striking the ground early increase.

2. The position of the chest

Moving the pelvis forward is not always enough.

A player can have the pelvis towards the target while the centre of the chest remains too far behind. This can still move the bottom of the swing backwards and lead to heavy or inconsistent contact.

The centre of the shoulders should therefore also move sufficiently towards the target.

You do not need to force your head dramatically forward, but it should not be moving considerably further away from the target through impact.

3. The timing of the release

The lead shoulder, lead arm, hands and club create the radius of the swing.

If that radius reaches its longest point too early, the club can strike the ground behind the ball even when the pelvis and chest have moved forward.

The club must release, but the timing matters.

For many golfers, the solution is not to prevent the release. It is to allow it to happen later.

A simple drill to practise at home or on the range

Draw a line on the ground using chalk, a tee, your foot or the edge of a practice mat.

Then make a series of swings with the aim of striking the ground on the target side of the line.

You can begin without a golf ball. Once you can consistently strike the correct side of the line, place a ball immediately behind it and repeat the exercise.

Do not judge the drill from one successful attempt.

Look at the complete pattern created by ten swings.

Ask yourself:

• Are the divots beginning after the line?

• Are they starting in a similar place?

• Is the depth relatively consistent?

• Are occasional good strikes hiding a much wider pattern?

What to check on video

When recording your swing from face-on, work through the movements in this order.

First, look at the centre of your pelvis. At impact, the zipper of your trousers should have moved towards the heel of your lead foot.

Next, look at the centre of your chest or the position of your head. Make sure your upper body has not moved excessively away from the target.

Finally, consider when the club begins to release. If the arms and club reach their longest point too early, the club may still strike the ground behind the ball.

This order matters.

Start with the larger movements of the pelvis and chest before trying to change the release of the club.

Contact before appearance

This is not a temporary swing thought or a quick fix for one poor shot.

Controlling where the club strikes the ground is one of the central skills behind consistent iron play.

Your swing does not need to look identical to a tour professional’s swing.

Your grip does not need to match somebody else’s grip.

But if you want to become a better ball-striker, you must learn to control where the club reaches the ground.

Move the pelvis forward.

Move the chest forward.

Allow the club to release at the correct time.

Then use the line drill to measure whether those movements are producing the contact you want.