Golf Swing Squaring Fails – How we React to the Clubface

In a typical round, I might hit 5–6 shots that are pretty great — the rest are just minor errors. We just make small golf swing squaring fails and this leads to reactions.

The club’s openess or shutness in relation to our athletic ability will influence our motion with pure misses or reactive misses.

This article is written from an old school golf swing perspective but can (kind of) be applied to some modern swing protocols as well.

Reaction 1 – The Too Open Too Late Scenario

So you’ve chased the ball too much and actually cut the corner in the downswing. This means that the club hasn’t shut down properly. What happens then is that either we, if a small error, present a rather thin strike with an open blade. This will be the “boring” push fade miss that leave you in the front right bunker.

Less power, less compression. Just a standard miss.

BUT, if you actually overdo this, meaning that your clubface is WAY too open too late then your athletic reactions will kick in and you will try to save it with your hands. Your wrists break down and you often present this pull draw shot that is usually out of control.

And here’s the problem. Thinking about it from a first level thinking perspective makes you think your clubface was too shut but the origin was the exact opposite.

Reaction 2 – The Too Closed Too Early Scenario

So it’s always a balance of your clubface position in relation to your release. This is where it get’s pretty interesting. In the odd case we will be able to fully release the golf club with a too shut face. Then the origin of the problem has, more often than not, been a too shut face in the backswing.

The old school release unleashes more centrifugal force earlier and demands more blade opening in the backswing.

So, what happen if you are too shut too early? The small mis will be a left pull hook that takes you slightly long and left. No biggie right.

The big one though is this. If you are way too shut too late then your athletic response will be to strangle the club and hinder centrifugal force. This is when you start hitting these really “boring” left shots with less power. Not very nice at all. The good thing is that first level analysis actually works. You’ve been too shut so you just open it more. Problem solved.

Understanding your misses and understanding your golf swing is maybe the most underrated asset in your golf life. If you understand the complexity you can enjoy the simplicity of the old school solutions.

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