Written By Joe Saia
This swing thought that I am about to explain to you is going to get you MORE SPEED, DISTANCE, and SOLID CONTACT more consistently. It’s a thought that a lot of amateurs could benefit from and is something that a lot of great instructors convey to great players. That one swing thought is KEEP MOVING THROUGH IMPACT. So many times I get students at Transition Golf who think that their sole purpose in the golf swing is just to get to impact and then everything that happens after impact doesn’t matter. They believe that if they can just get to impact with speed then they will hit a good golf shot. But this swing thought can lead to inconsistencies with contact and a loss of distance. You need to shift your mindset to think about what you’re doing AFTER impact and you will see a huge improvement in your impact position.
Stopping At Impact:
First let’s talk about what can go wrong when you do not continue to move through impact and through the golf ball. This swing thought can lead to inconsistencies with contact and a major loss in distance. There is so much momentum in the golf club and in your arms in the downswing that when you stop turning your body after impact it will pull your arms and the club back towards your body. This can lead to the arms not extending through impact and the lead wrist breaking down. When the lead wrist breaks down it adds loft to the golf club and you don’t compress the golf ball which leads to a major loss in distance.
Failing to continue to turn the body through impact can also lead to a major loss in club head speed which then leads to a loss in distance. High handicap players fail to understand that you actually want the club head to accelerate after impact. All of the best players in the world achieve maximum club head speed at the bottom of the swing arc and have the club head accelerate through impact. When you fail to continue to move through the impact zone then you cause the club head to decelerate after impact rather than accelerating after impact. Refer to the image below for a visual reference:
Swing Thought For BETTER CONTACT:
Having the swing thought of KEEP MOVING THROUGH IMPACT can lead to having a better position at impact. Having a better position at impact helps de-loft the club face and compress the golf ball which leads to a lot better contact and more distance. You can achieve more consistent golf shots and more distance by just getting into a better position and not having to even feel like your swinging faster. When you continue to turn through impact and release your body then it will naturally put you into a better impact position. Famous golf instructor Dave Pelz talked a lot about this swing thought in his teaching. He says that if players are tension free while continuing to turn through impact then their club face will naturally be put into a strong position with shaft lean at impact. Refer to the images below to see a player who successfully gets into a good impact and post impact position by continuing to move through impact.
Swing Thought For MORE SPEED:
Boxers are taught that in order to have more power in each punch than they need to feel like they punch through the intended target. This strategy keeps the punching hand accelerating through the intended target. A similar strategy can be used for players to achieve more speed through impact. Players need to KEEP MOVING THROUGH IMPACT in order to have the club head accelerate through impact, rather than decelerating. Too many times I see amateurs at Transition Golf stall at impact which causes the club head to decelerate and can lead to a major loss in distance. Refer to the images below to see a player that accelerates through impact.
