Part One
The three that decide contact.
Clean contact isn’t a dozen swing thoughts. Start with the three that control where the bottom of your swing lands — get these and the strike takes care of itself.
01 · Setup
Set up the same way, every time.
You can’t repeat a strike you can’t repeat the start of. Athletic posture — hinge from the hips, soft knees, arms hanging — a stance about shoulder-width, and the ball just ahead of centre for your irons. Same setup, same strike.
02 · Weight
Weight forward — and keep it there.
Weight hanging back is the number-one cause of fat and topped shots, because it moves the low point behind the ball. Start with a touch more weight on your lead foot and finish with your belt buckle at the target. Finish on your front foot.
03 · Contact
Ball first, then the ground.
The club strikes the ball and then brushes the grass in front of it — no scooping to help it up. The loft does the lifting for you. Hit down to send it up.
Part Two
Two that hold it together.
The setup and the strike do the work — these two make them repeatable, shot after shot.
01
Centre
Swaying and bobbing move the low point all over the place. Keep your head and chest quiet and level while the body turns around them. Turn around your buttons.
02
Tempo
Trying to kill the ball wrecks contact. A smooth swing you can repeat beats a hard one you can’t. Smooth and balanced beats fast and off-balance.
03
Finish
If you can hold a balanced finish for three seconds, the strike was almost certainly a good one. The pose is the proof. Hold it and admire it.
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If the club brushes the ground in the same place every time, the ball simply gets in the way of a good strike.
Part Three
Take it to the range.
Three simple drills that build ball-first contact. Ten minutes of these beats an hour of hitting and hoping.
Drill 01
Tee-Gate Brush
Lay a tee or a line just in front of the ball. Your job is to brush the grass — or clip the tee — after the ball, never before. Instant feedback on ball-first contact.
Drill 02
Feet Together
Hit little shots with your feet almost touching. It forces balance and a steady centre, and you’ll be surprised how solid the contact suddenly gets.
Drill 03
Finish & Hold
Swing and freeze your finish on the lead foot for three full seconds. Trains weight forward and balance in a single move.
Take This Home
Today’s one-pager.
The five basics and three drills on a single printable page for your golf bag — ball first, finish on your front foot, stay balanced.
Download the PDF