Why Most Golfers Never Improve Their Impact — And How to Fix It in One Session

Last Updated: July 04, 2026

By Coach Erik Schjolberg, PGA Professional | The Science of Better Golf | McCormick Ranch Golf Club, Scottsdale, Arizona

Coach Erik Schjolberg analyzing a student's ball striking with TrackMan data during a live golf lesson in Scottsdale Arizona

Let me be direct with you: most golfers spend years — sometimes decades — working on their swing without ever improving the one moment that actually matters. Not the takeaway. Not the top of the backswing. Not the follow-through.

Impact is the only moment the ball responds to.

Everything else is setup. Everything else is a means to an end. And yet in my 25+ years of coaching, after analyzing thousands of swings on TrackMan and HackMotion at McCormick Ranch Golf Club, the single most consistent finding is this: golfers fix the wrong things, in the wrong order, for the wrong reasons.

This post is the corrective. I'm going to show you exactly why impact never improves for most golfers, what the real causes are in the motion, and how a properly structured session — using the right diagnostic tools and the right drills — can produce measurable change the same day you start working.

This is The Science of Better Golf. Let's get into it.

Key Takeaways

• Impact is governed by five controllable inputs. Every miss traces back to one or more of them.

• Low point is the master variable. Fix it first, and compression, spin, and distance follow automatically.

• Most golfers never improve because they treat symptoms (the flip, the slice, the fat shot) rather than causes (pressure, sequencing, low point).

• "Worse before better" is not a coaching philosophy — it's a diagnostic failure.

• The matchup framework means there are no universal fixes. Grip, face, wrist conditions, and path must agree with each other.

• One session with the right diagnosis and a constraint-based drill produces improvement you can measure immediately.

• Golfers who train with feedback tools — TrackMan, HackMotion, Sportsbox AI — improve faster because they eliminate guessing.

What Is Actually Happening at Impact — and Why Does It Matter So Much?

Impact is not a position. It is a condition — a set of measurable physical relationships between the club head, club face, shaft, and ball that determine everything the ball does from the moment it leaves the face. Start line, launch angle, spin rate, curvature, carry distance: all of it is decided in roughly 0.0004 seconds of contact.

Citation Hook: Research published in the Journal of Sports Sciences confirms that the ball's initial direction is governed approximately 75–85% by club face angle at impact, with swing path accounting for the remaining influence on curvature — meaning face control is the dominant variable in start line and shape.

What I see on TrackMan every single day is that amateur golfers have wildly inconsistent impact conditions — not because they have bad swings, but because they have never been taught to understand what impact actually requires. They've been taught positions. They've been taught feels. They've been taught swing thoughts that have no direct mechanical relationship to what happens at the bottom of the arc.

Here is the impact hierarchy I teach in every lesson at Coach Erik Schjolberg Golf:

1. Low Point — the arc must bottom out in front of the ball

2. Compression — the natural result of correct low point + correct shaft and face conditions

3. Spin, Distance, Start Line, Curvature — downstream products of compression and face control

4. Centeredness of Contact — the reward for getting the first three right

Notice what is not on that list: takeaway, grip position at the top, hip rotation cues, "keeping the head down." Those are not impact variables. They are swing variables — and only matter insofar as they feed the impact conditions above.

Why Do Most Golfers Never Actually Improve Their Impact?

The answer is simple and uncomfortable: they are solving the wrong problem.

Most golfers — and, frankly, most instructors — look at the ball flight miss and work backward to a swing position fix. The ball goes left, so they work on the path. The shot is fat, so they work on "scooping." The contact is thin, so they "keep their head down." Every one of those responses addresses a symptom, not a cause. And because the cause remains untouched, the symptom returns.

Are Golfers Fixing Compensations Instead of Root Causes?

Yes — and this is the most expensive mistake in the game. A flip at impact, for example, is not a flip problem. It is a low point problem, caused by a pressure problem, caused by a sequencing failure. If you drill the flip in isolation — using impact bag work without addressing the sequencing upstream — you will temporarily suppress the flip and create a new compensation somewhere else.

The matchup framework I use at The Science of Better Golf blog is built on this principle: never fix a compensation without removing the cause. Grip, club face angle, wrist conditions, release pattern, hand path, and swing plane must all agree with each other. When one element is out of alignment with the others, the body compensates — and the compensation looks like a fault.

Does "Worse Before Better" Actually Apply to Golf Improvement?

No. "Worse before better" is an excuse for poor diagnosis, not a coaching philosophy. In my experience, correct diagnosis combined with the right constraint produces improvement on day one. Not week three. Not after the new motor pattern "settles in." Day one.

When I put a student on the pressure mat and identify that they are hanging back — weight staying on the trail foot through impact — and I give them the Force Pedal Setup drill to establish correct pressure shift mechanics, their low point moves forward immediately. TrackMan confirms it in the next five shots. That is not luck. That is what happens when you identify the real cause.

Citation Hook: Dr. Sasho MacKenzie's research on the kinematic sequence demonstrates that proximal-to-distal energy transfer — lower body initiating, pelvis decelerating, torso accelerating, arms and club releasing last — is the foundation of both club speed and consistent low point control. Disrupting this sequence at any stage produces compensations that cascade all the way to impact.

What Are the Five Controllable Inputs That Govern Every Shot?

I call these the Five TrackMan Imperatives. They are the only variables you can directly control. Every other TrackMan number — ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, carry distance — is a resultant of these five.

ImperativeWhat It ControlsPrimary Impact EffectLow Point (Attack Angle / Shaft Lean)Where the arc bottoms outBall-first contact, compression, spin loftSwing DirectionPath tendency (in-to-out vs. out-to-in)Curvature, start line contributionSwing PlaneShallowness or steepness of deliveryAttack angle, strike qualityCenteredness of StrikeSmash factor, gear effectBall speed, distance efficiencyClub SpeedThe engine — kinematic sequence outputMaximum distance potential

Every lesson I teach starts with identifying which of these five is the primary limiting factor. Not the swing position that caused it — the impact variable itself. Then I trace it back to its mechanical origin in the motion.

What Is Low Point and Why Is It the Master Variable?

Low point is the bottom of the swing arc — the point at which the club head transitions from descending to ascending. For every iron shot, the arc must bottom out in front of the ball. That means the club head is still descending when it contacts the ball, producing ball-first contact, forward shaft lean, and genuine compression.

The sternum and upper-body center govern the arc. Not the hands. This is the most misunderstood concept in amateur golf instruction.

When the upper-body center is behind the ball at impact — which happens when a golfer hangs back, early-extends, or fails to shift pressure forward — the arc bottoms out behind the ball. The club head reaches its lowest point in the dirt before it gets to the ball. The result is a fat shot, or the golfer instinctively flips the hands to lift the ball, producing a thin shot or a flip.

Belt buckle past the inside of the lead ankle at impact is my primary low point checkpoint. If that relationship exists at impact, the upper-body center is in the right place and the arc is in front of the ball.

Tiger Woods iron face-on — professional golf swing reference — Coach Erik Schjolberg Golf instruction

Look at Tiger Woods in this image. Notice where the belt buckle is relative to the lead ankle. Notice the forward shaft lean. Notice that the upper-body center has moved toward the target — the arc is in front of the ball. This is not a Tiger-specific technique. This is what a correct low point looks like in any competent ball striker.

What Drills Fix Low Point Behind the Ball?

The drills I use depend on the cause. Here are the primary ones, organized by the fault driving the low point error:

If the cause is hanging back (weight staying on trail foot):

1. Force Pedal Setup — I set up a physical constraint that requires the student to feel the lead foot driving into the ground at the start of the downswing. This establishes the pressure shift that moves the upper-body center forward.

2. Uphill Lie Practice — hitting balls from a slight uphill slope forces the body to shift forward to maintain balance. The uphill lie is a physical constraint that teaches the correct pressure shift without a verbal instruction.

3. Stork Drill — finish the swing balanced entirely on the lead foot. If you can't hold it, you didn't shift.

If the cause is a low point arc error (not pressure-related):

1. Towel Behind Ball — place a folded towel 4 inches behind the ball. The task is to not hit the towel. The body solves the low point problem to complete the task.

2. Penny Drill — place a penny on the ground 2 inches in front of the ball. The task is to brush the penny after contact. Immediate feedback on where the arc is bottoming out.

3. Two Tee Gate — two tees placed in the ground, one behind the ball and one in front. Hit the front tee, not the back one.

I walk through several of these in detail — watch my breakdown of this here .

What Is the Flip — and Why Does Fixing It Directly Never Work?

The flip is the most common impact fault I see in amateur golfers. At the moment of impact, the trail wrist extends (scoops) and the lead wrist flexes, the shaft leans backward, dynamic loft increases, and the arc bottoms out behind the ball. The result is high, weak, inconsistent contact — often a thin shot or a fat shot depending on exactly where the arc bottoms.

Golfers and instructors treat the flip as a wrist problem. It is not. It is a sequencing and pressure problem that the wrists are compensating for.

Here is the causal chain:

1. The golfer fails to shift pressure forward in transition

2. The upper-body center stays behind the ball

3. The arc bottoms out behind the ball

4. The body instinctively flips the hands to get the club head to the ball

5. The flip appears at impact

Fix step 4 in isolation and step 3 remains. The flip returns. Fix step 1 and 2 — the pressure shift and sequencing — and steps 3, 4, and 5 resolve automatically.

Citation Hook: HackMotion wrist sensor data consistently shows that golfers who flip through impact have lead wrist extension values at impact that exceed 15–20 degrees of extension, compared to tour average values of 10–15 degrees of flexion — a 25–35 degree difference that directly increases dynamic loft and destroys compression.

What Drills Actually Fix the Flip?

Once the pressure and sequencing cause is addressed, these drills reinforce the correct release pattern:

1. Impact Bag Push — push the bag with the club face using body rotation, not hands. The bag gives immediate resistance feedback. If you flip, the bag tells you.

2. Pivot Driven Release — the release is driven by body rotation, not hand action. The hands stay passive; the pivot moves the club through impact.

3. Waiter's Tray Drill — maintain the trail wrist in extension (palm facing up, like carrying a tray) through the hitting zone. This prevents the scoop and maintains forward shaft lean.

4. Whoosh Drill — flip the club upside down and swing. The whoosh sound should occur after the ball position, not before it. If the whoosh is early, the release is early.

5. Towel Drag Drill — lay a towel on the ground and drag it with the club head through the impact zone. The drag requires the shaft to lean forward. You physically cannot drag and flip simultaneously.

For a deeper look at how forward shaft lean connects to low point, check out my post on forward shaft lean and low point control.

How Does Sequencing Failure Destroy Impact — Even When the Swing Looks Good?

This is where golfers who "look good" on video still hit it poorly. Sequencing is the order in which body segments accelerate and decelerate. The correct kinematic sequence is: lower body initiates, pelvis rotates and decelerates, torso accelerates, lead arm and hands accelerate, club releases last. Each segment's deceleration is what transfers energy to the next segment.

The deceleration is the engine. This is the concept that separates Sportsbox AI and 3D analysis from simple video review. A golfer can have a beautiful-looking swing that fires segments in the wrong order and lose 20–30% of available club speed — and far more in low point consistency.

When sequencing breaks down — typically because the upper body initiates the downswing — the result is an over-the-top path, a steep angle of attack, and a low point that is inconsistent at best. The golfer compensates with the hands, and the flip reappears.

Coach Erik Schjolberg using high-speed video analysis to diagnose a student's golf swing during a live lesson in Scottsdale Arizona

What Drills Fix Sequencing Failure?

For over-the-top transition (upper body firing first):

1. Towel Under Trail Armpit — tuck a towel under the trail armpit and keep it there through the first move down. This physically prevents the trail shoulder from firing over the top and forces the lower body to lead.

2. Pitcher's Throw Feel — feel like a pitcher loading the back hip and driving forward before the arm throws. The lower body goes first. This is an external cue that maps directly to the kinematic sequence.

3. Pump Drill — from the top of the backswing, pump the lower body toward the target three times before completing the swing. Exaggerates the correct sequencing until the feel is established.

4. Step Drill— with you feet together, step towards the target with your lead foot as you start your backswing.

According to TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) research, over 65% of amateur golfers demonstrate a reverse kinematic sequence — upper body firing before lower body in the downswing — which is directly correlated with casting, over-the-top path, and inconsistent low point.

What Does a One-Session Impact Fix Actually Look Like?

Here is exactly how I structure a diagnostic session at McCormick Ranch Golf Club when a student comes in wanting to improve their ball striking.

Step 1: Establish the Baseline (10 minutes)

Hit five to seven shots with a 7-iron. TrackMan captures attack angle, dynamic loft, smash factor, path, and face angle. HackMotion captures lead wrist conditions at the top and at impact. Sportsbox AI captures 3D sequencing data. I now have an objective picture of the impact conditions — not a guess.

Step 2: Identify the Primary Limiting Factor (5 minutes)

I am looking for one thing: what is the single impact variable that, if corrected, would produce the biggest improvement? In my experience, it is almost always low point — specifically, the arc bottoming out behind the ball due to a pressure shift failure or a sequencing issue.

I do not address four things. I address one.

Step 3: Trace the Cause (5 minutes)

Is the low point problem caused by hanging back? Early extension? Casting from the top? Over-the-top sequencing? Each has a different drill prescription. The diagnostic tools tell me which one it is. I don't guess.

Step 4: Apply the Constraint (30 minutes)

One drill. Physical setup. Task-based. The student's body solves the problem rather than executing a verbal instruction.

For a hanging-back fault, I use the Uphill Lie Practice drill — hitting balls from a slight uphill slope for 15–20 shots. The physical constraint of the slope forces the correct pressure shift. TrackMan confirms the attack angle improving in real time.

For a casting fault, I use the Waiter's Tray Drill combined with the Impact Bag Push. The student feels the correct wrist conditions and then transfers that feel into a full swing with the bag providing resistance feedback.

For an over-the-top fault, I use the Towel Under Trail Armpit combined with the Pitcher's Throw Feel. The physical constraint prevents the fault; the external cue maps the correct sequencing feel.

Step 5: Measure the Change (10 minutes)

Back to full shots. TrackMan measures the new impact conditions. In a correctly diagnosed session, attack angle improves, smash factor improves, and the student can feel the difference. This is not a promise — it is what happens when the diagnosis is correct and the drill matches the cause.

For a complete breakdown of drills organized by fault category, download the free drills guide — it covers every drill I use in lessons, with setup instructions and the fault each one addresses.

How Does Club Face Control Connect to Impact — and What Happens When It's Wrong?

Low point is the master variable, but club face angle is the most influential variable on where the ball starts. As TrackMan data confirms, approximately 75–85% of start line is determined by face angle at impact. Path determines curvature relative to the face.

A golfer can have a perfect low point and still hit bad shots if the face is open or closed at impact.

Tiger Woods chipping unknown — professional golf swing reference — Coach Erik Schjolberg Golf instruction

Notice in this image how the club face, wrist conditions, and shaft relationship all match. The face is not fighting the body rotation. The lead wrist condition and the face angle are in agreement. That is a matchup — and matchups are what I teach, not universal positions.

What Drills Fix an Open Club Face at Impact?

1. Pivot Driven Release — the face closes because the body rotates through, not because the hands flip. The rotation drives the release; the face squares naturally.

2. Motorcycle Move — supinate the lead forearm in the downswing as if revving a motorcycle throttle. This directly addresses lead wrist extension that holds the face open.

3. Toe-Up Swings — at the halfway-back and halfway-through positions, the toe of the club should point straight up. If it points forward (open) at the halfway-through position, the face is open through impact.

4. Hanger Drill — use a training hanger on the grip to provide real-time feedback on face rotation through the hitting zone.

What Drills Fix a Closed Club Face at Impact?

1. Hit the Intentional Fade — set up to hit a deliberate left-to-right shot. This teaches the golfer to feel the face staying open relative to path — a matchup concept, not a position fix.

2. Hit and Hold — hold the release at impact, preventing the face from closing. This builds awareness of what a neutral or open face condition feels like at impact.

3. Toe-Up Swings — same drill, different application. Feel the toe pointing up at the halfway-through position without the excessive closing that produces a hook.

For more on face-to-path relationships and how they govern ball flight, see my post on reading ball flight and fixing your curve.

What Role Do Ground Reaction Forces Play in Impact Quality?

Ground reaction forces (GRF) are often taught as a primary driver of power — and they are important — but I want to be precise here: GRF are frequently a consequence of good sequencing, not the sole cause of it.

When the kinematic sequence is correct — lower body initiating, proximal-to-distal energy transfer — the body naturally applies vertical and horizontal force into the ground as a byproduct of the rotational mechanics. Trying to consciously "push into the ground" without the sequencing in place often produces early extension or a slide rather than rotation.

Citation Hook: Research by Dr. Young-Hoo Kwon on ground reaction forces in the golf swing demonstrates that peak vertical GRF occurs before peak pelvis rotation speed in elite golfers, confirming that the ground force application is an integrated part of the sequencing pattern, not an isolated technique cue.

That said, when a golfer is hanging back — failing to shift pressure forward — the GRF drills are essential:

1. Jump Drill — jump straight up at the finish of the swing. If you can't jump, you didn't load the ground.

2. Stomp Drill — stomp the lead foot into the ground at the start of the downswing. Exaggerates the pressure shift.

3. Kettlebell Swings — builds the hip hinge and proximal-to-distal loading pattern that transfers directly to the golf swing.

4. Crush the Can — feel like you are crushing a can under the lead foot through impact. This external cue drives lead-side posting and GRF application without a mechanical instruction.

You can explore more of these concepts and how I apply them in lessons at EJS Golf.

If you are working on your game remotely, all of these diagnostics and drill prescriptions are available through my online golf lessons program — students send video, I analyze with the same framework, and the drill prescription is the same whether you are in Scottsdale or anywhere in the world.

What About Centeredness of Contact — Is That a Separate Skill?

Centeredness of contact is not a separate skill. It is the reward for getting low point, compression, and face control right. Smash factor is the scoreboard.

When I see a student with a smash factor below 1.40 on a 7-iron, I am not looking at their strike pattern first. I am looking at their low point. A low point that is behind the ball forces the club head to be ascending at contact — which means the heel or toe is more likely to contact the ball depending on the path. Fix the low point, and the strike pattern improves automatically.

The exception is a genuine path-driven gear effect issue — a severe in-to-out path producing consistent toe strikes, or a severe out-to-in path producing consistent heel strikes. In those cases:

• Foot Spray on Face — spray the face with foot powder and hit shots. The strike pattern is immediately visible. This is pure feedback — no instruction needed.

• Exaggerated Heel Hits — intentionally try to hit the heel of the club. This teaches the golfer what path and body position produces a heel strike, and the contrast makes the correct feel obvious.

Learn more about what it takes to become a better ball striker in about Coach Erik and how I've developed this system over 25+ years of coaching.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my ball striking get worse when I try to fix it?

You are almost certainly fixing the wrong thing. When you address a compensation — the flip, the slice, the fat shot — without removing the cause, the body finds a new compensation to maintain the same dysfunctional impact condition. The result is a different bad shot pattern, which feels like "getting worse." The solution is correct diagnosis first: identify the primary impact variable that is failing, trace it to its cause in the motion, and apply a constraint-based drill to the cause, not the symptom. In my experience, a correctly diagnosed fix produces improvement within the same session.

How long does it take to genuinely improve impact?

With correct diagnosis and the right drill, measurable improvement in attack angle, smash factor, and low point happens within a single session. Ingraining the pattern so it holds under pressure and transfers to the course typically takes three to six weeks of deliberate practice — but the change in impact conditions is immediate. The difference between "feels different" and "holds under pressure" is repetition volume and feedback quality, not time.

Is TrackMan necessary to improve impact, or can I do this without data?

TrackMan accelerates the diagnostic process dramatically, but it is not the only path. The constraint-based drills I use — the Towel Behind Ball, the Penny Drill, the Uphill Lie Practice — all provide immediate physical feedback without a launch monitor. What TrackMan eliminates is guessing: you know the attack angle, the face angle, the path, and the smash factor within seconds. Without it, you are diagnosing from ball flight and feel alone, which is slower and less precise. If you have access to a TrackMan session, use it. If not, the drills still work.

What is the single most common impact fault you see in amateur golfers?

Low point behind the ball — the arc bottoming out before the ball rather than in front of it. This produces fat shots, thin shots (when the golfer compensates with a flip), high weak iron shots, and inconsistent contact. It is caused by a failure to shift pressure forward in the downswing, which is itself caused by a sequencing failure — the upper body initiating the downswing rather than the lower body. Fix the sequencing, fix the pressure shift, and the low point moves forward automatically.

Can I fix my impact working alone at the driving range?

Yes, but only if you have a clear diagnosis and a specific drill. Random ball beating at the range without a defined task rarely produces impact improvement — it reinforces existing patterns. Choose one drill from the free drills guide, set up the physical constraint exactly as described, and hit 20–30 shots with that constraint before removing it. Measure the result — even without TrackMan, you can assess ball flight, divot direction, and contact quality. One drill, one session, one measurable variable.

Why do I hit it well on the range but poorly on the course?

This is a pressure and variability problem, not an impact problem. On the range, you are hitting the same shot from the same flat lie with the same club repeatedly — the pattern is reinforced through repetition. On the course, every shot is different: different lie, different target, different pressure. If your impact pattern is only stable under identical conditions, it has not been trained under variability. The fix is to practice with variability: change clubs every shot, change targets, practice from different lies, and use the Scottsdale golf lessons environment at McCormick Ranch Golf Club where I can replicate course conditions in a diagnostic setting.

How does wrist condition affect impact, and should I be monitoring it?

Wrist condition at impact is one of the most direct predictors of dynamic loft and forward shaft lean. Lead wrist flexion at impact correlates with lower dynamic loft, forward shaft lean, and compression. Lead wrist extension at impact correlates with higher dynamic loft, backward shaft lean, and the flip pattern. HackMotion sensor data in my lessons consistently shows that golfers who complain of weak, high iron shots have 20–35 degrees more lead wrist extension at impact than tour averages. Yes, you should be monitoring it — and the Waiter's Tray Drill and Motorcycle Move are the two most direct ways to train the correct wrist condition without needing a sensor. That said, HackMotion makes the feedback immediate and objective, which dramatically accelerates the learning process.

Ready to Fix Your Impact — For Real This Time?

If you have read this far, you understand that impact improvement is not about swing tips. It is about correct diagnosis, cause-and-effect mechanics, and the right constraint applied to the right problem.

Here is what I want you to do right now:

Step 1: Download the free drills guide at EJSGolf.com. Every drill referenced in this post is in there, with setup instructions, the fault it addresses, and the impact variable it improves.

Step 2: If you want a complete, structured program built around the impact hierarchy — low point first, compression second, everything else downstream — get into the Ball Striking Machine Blueprint Video Series at The Science of Better Golf. This is the most comprehensive impact training program I have built, and it is designed to work whether you have a TrackMan or just a bucket of balls.

Step 3: If you are in the Scottsdale area, book a Scottsdale golf lessons session at McCormick Ranch Golf Club. We will put you on TrackMan, HackMotion, and Sportsbox AI, identify your primary impact variable in the first 10 minutes, and have you hitting better shots before you leave.

Step 4: If you are outside of Arizona, my online golf lessons program delivers the same diagnostic framework remotely. Send video, get a full analysis, and receive a drill prescription built around your specific impact data.

The ball does not lie. TrackMan does not lie. Your impact conditions are measurable, fixable, and improvable — starting today.

Coach Erik Schjolberg | PGA Professional | The Science of Better GolfMcCormick Ranch Golf Club | Scottsdale, Arizona

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