Witnessing the point of impact is important for me…

I normally play 18 holes on a Monday with my mate Dan. Unfortunately, he’s just landed a new job but being the problem solver he is, he booked an 8:00 am tee time on Saturday. The first hole at our local is a long par 5 with a slight dogleg to the left and a creek running across the landing area of my normal third shot necessitating a layup. Never come away with less than double or triple bogey. Today I lipped out for par, and came away 1 over. It was a good start and I continued to play reasonably well, despite the foggy head from Friday night's red wine and whiskey.

I was hitting the ball well… not great distance off the tee but down the middle and out of trouble mostly, except for one lost in the rough and one in a water hazard. Hit some good long irons and fairway woods, pitched and chipped well and putted steadily.

Unfortunately, along with the two dropped shots, I had 5 or 6 mis-hits that frustratingly prevented me from reaching my goal for today. Whether you’re trying to break 100, 90 or 80, it’s those six or seven shots left out on the course that tend to prevent your celebrations.

What I have worked out for myself over the years and which has been the motivation behind the research and development of Acustriker ( www.acustriker.com) is the following….

The fundamental elements of a successful golf stroke are….

1. The position at impact should resemble the position at setup.
2. You need to maintain a steady centre and consistent spine angle around which the shoulders and torso rotate.
3. You need to maintain a steady and level head with limited vertical, horizontal and lateral movement.
4. You need to witness the club face impacting the ball and complete the follow-through.

On reflection after today’s round I focussed on point #4 There are numerous articles supporting the notion that one should “see” the club strike the ball (witnessing impact) and many saying that it’s not that important. As with so many issues in golf, there are conflicting opinions. I tend to go with what works for me. Today’s good shots were a result of me seeing the club making contact with the ball… I clearly recall witnessing impact and on following through seeing the ball going in the intended direction and distance. After assessing the mis-hits I can honestly say I did not witness the point of impact.

Another useful tip I have started practising when putting, is to “listen not look.” You should hear your putts drop and not see them. I focus on a dimple at the back of the ball or a specific letter in the logo and try to see the putter make impact. I then focus on the spot where the ball was. I use a similar technique when chipping around the fringes. I try to “hear the ball land and not see it land.” This encourages me to stay down in the shot, witness impact, preventing chunking or skulling the ball.

Give it a go and feel free to contact me through (www.acustriker.com) for information and with feedback. Check out the links to our affiliates partners, Golf Skate Caddy, Trust Golf Balls and Yardstick Golf Simulators.

*You will notice a slight vertical movement in the picture above but it’s not excessive. Continued practice with Acustriker will iron this out.