The philosophy of the golf swing is that the position of the clubface throughout the entire swing is the single most important fundamental there is. It affects all other major fundamentals and is the glue that holds the golf swing together. When we swing the club with a square clubface, we naturally improve the path in which the club head comes into the ball, the angle that we approach the ball, our ability to get into a great impact position, our acceleration through the shot and our overall rhythm.



In all my years of teaching, I've found that a great majority of students don't have a basic understanding of what a square clubface is at each point in the golf swing. This must be the first step in becoming a square clubface player and a clean striker of the golf ball. Let's work through the different check points in the golf swing and describe what a square clubface is at each point.

Address: a square clubface at address is when the leading edge of the clubface is perpendicular to the target line.

Halfway back position: when the club is halfway back in the backswing(when the club is parallel to the ground), the toe of the club should be pointing straight up to the sky.

Top of the backswing: at the top of the backswing, our left forearm, wrist and back of hand should be in one solid line and the clubface should be parallel to them. At a 45 degree angle.

Halfway down position: when the club a back down at the halfway down position(when the club is again parallel to the ground) the toe of the club should once again pointing straight up to the sky.

Impact: at impact, the leading edge of the clubface should be perpendicular to the target line. Just as it was at address.

Halfway through position: when the club is at the halfway through position(when the club is parallel to the ground) the toe of the club should once again be pointing straight up to the sky.

Finish: at the finish, the clubface should be at a 45 degree angle.

So try to work these clubface positions into your golf swing. I recommend that you practice them at home for a few days before taking them to the practice tee. It may also help to perform these movements in front of a mirror to aid you in seeing them. If you become a square clubface player, a lot of good thing will happen to your golf swing and your strike of the ball. And most of all, your enjoyment of the game will skyrocket.

If you control the clubface, you control the ball

Dave Wesley

Copyright (c) 2009 Dave Wesley