For years I read about making my divot after the ball when hitting my irons. The bottom end of my stroke should descend about an inch into the ground in order to create the proper angle of attack with the clubhead. Unfortunately, this swing movement hinges on several factors that are important and will help you develop solid ball contact when using an iron. There is one factor often overlooked that all amateurs and some professionals neglect to talk about. Well, today I am here to rip off the band-aid to let the golfing world know that there is one topic that needs to be revealed.
When trying to make ball first contact with our irons, there are a few things that need to be accomplished to create a successful swing. They are not difficult to replicate and should become part of your swing pattern. Here are three points you should learn and then after we will discuss the one point often forgotten.
Now that you have watched the video and are likely saying that you do all these points we can move onto ball position. Ball position within your stance is critical to solid iron striking. This is a known concept, but not the one I want to reveal today. The ball position will be important you master the following rarely talked about concept.
The often forgotten topic is a consistent golf swing. The challenge most beginners and many amateurs share is a inconsistent golf swing. It does not matter what it looks like or how your swing plane evolves, but it needs to be consistent. Without a swing plane that routinely bottoms out in the same position, how can you properly determine when the clubface first makes contact with the ground. There are many factors that go into a great golf swing and having a boring, consistent swing path that results in contact on the ground in the same position is one of the most important factors to creating solid ball contact. Once you have established where your clubface is routinely hitting the ground, then you have established your ball position for that club. Sometimes it is forward or behind routine conventions for ball placement, but it will be what works for your game.
Therefore, before you worry about all the factors of ball placement, shoulder turns, knee and hip movement, it is important to develop a golf swing that is consistent and repeatable. Once you have ‘grooved’ your swing, then you are ready to work on ball position and swing mechanics. In case you are wondering, if you have a consistent swing then lower golf scores will follow!
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
I’m not getting your thought here I guess. If making ball first contact is hit or miss or maybe foreign to some golfer, it’s because they are timing contact with the ball. Telling them to get consistent first is kind of well, wrong I would think.
If what you want is to consistently hit ball first, then there is just one thing you have to do. Consistently get your chest ahead of the ball at impact. That’ll get you ball first contact consistently. It could be the top of the ball or the middle or the bottom, but you’ll hit ball first if your chest is past the ball. Of course too much past and you can hit the ground in front of the ball and never touch the ball. So saying that doesn’t help all that much either.
What we know is the number one killer of ball first contact is swaying. If you want more ball first contact you have to stop moving back away from ball and target when you take the backswing. That’s something that we do naturally. We can’t stop it unless we direct the motion correctly. And in fact, it’s something we’re supposed to do, sort of, just not how WE do it.
This is where the turn comes in. But it’s not just turning. We can turn with a sway and turn without one. It’s a matter of how we turn and control how our weight shifts are supported.
Not something we can teach with words really, but there are simple things that can help. An alignment stick and a cut in half tennis ball are two of them. Put the half tennis ball under the outside edge of the trail foot. That will help you learn to keep your weight more centered as you make the turn. And stick an alignment stick in the ground behind you so that the end above the ground hovers about an inch or two off the outside of your trail leg by the hip. A bit lower if it won’t reach is fine. Now take a practice swing. If you touch the alignment stick you swayed and now have to time it to get back to the ball.
The tennis ball should help you push off when it’s time to move your weight back towards ball and target in the right way. That’s something I haven’t tried personally. But from my practice with the alignment rod I wish I’d have known about it sooner. I think I would have caught on faster.
Stick a tee in the ground and use it for a ball. You don’t need a ball for this to work. Lots of practice swings with those two aids should get you hitting ball first more often than not. It will force you to find a way to get your body to move in such a way that consistency becomes easier to attain.
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Kevin,
You made my point with all your points. What you described is my main thoughts is that we have to consistently swing the club to find proper ball placement. Some players will sway (although not recommended), some will pop out early from their swing, others will swing around a flatter plain. The point is to accept these swing faults at first, then determine where to place the ball. The greatest challenge I see with beginners and some more experienced players is that they do not have the same swing pattern during shots. It is hard to select a ball placement when they are all over the place with their movements. I realize that this discussion might be a chicken and egg scenario, but it is worth talking about. Thanks for your post, it was very informative.
Cheers Jim
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