Instructor Kenny Nairn showed this impact drill a couple of days back on GC... and it fascinates me. This is a great example of a drill where you try to create a feel BUT your swing won't include the actual move you're practicing!
I know that 45° angle between the shaft and the target line seems unrealistic, but my testing seems to back it up. Your wrists are uncocking as you come down into the impact zone so they won't actually stay cocked that long UNLESS you're deliberately trying to hold the angle... and if you are, you're going to lose clubhead speed. However, because you are swinging on an inclinded plane extending from the ball up through your shoulders, that 45° angle is close to what you would see at some point as the clubhead approaches the ball. Do you follow me so far?
But here's the trick: If you are swinging freely, there is no way you're going to hold that shaft angle through impact as you do during this drill. What this drill teaches you is the necessity to keep turning your body until you completely finish your swing. That's why he stresses keeping your lead elbow close to your side all the way through -- this forces you to turn to your finish.
And with all the bad weather we're having this time of year, you can practice a half-swing version of this drill indoors. Just place a coin or something else small and flat on the floor instead of a ball. You can set up the entire "drill station" with just two clubs and a coin.
If you record your swing when you start swinging at full speed on the range, you won't actually see this position in your swing -- the club will be moving too fast. But trying to create this feel should help you learn to make better impact.
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