By Jaacob Bowden

Let’s talk about another important aspect of getting off the tee long and straight…and that is hitting the ball solidly and consistently in the sweet spot.

It doesn’t really do any good to swing faster if you don’t hit the center of the clubface. In 1998, Golf Digest did a study to show how much off-center impact shots affect distance.

For a 100 mph swing, this is what they found.

  • Center Hit – 258 yards
  • 1/2 inch off center – 243 yards
  • 3/4 inch off center – 237 yards
  • 1 inch off center – 227 yards

According to these numbers, if you miss by an inch, you’re looking at having to come in to the green with 3 more clubs…a 6-iron instead of a 9-iron, for example.

Now, 1998 was a number of years ago. Drivers these days are slightly more forgiving, however, even today you still lose distance when you miss the sweet spot. Not to mention, missing the sweet spot also greatly affects your accuracy.

Take a look at these photos from PGA Professional Tom Stickney II showing some typical impact spots for a Tour player, 10-handicapper, and 20-handicapper.

Tour Player

 

10-Handicapper

 

20-Handicapper

 

As you might expect, the…

Read the rest of what Jaacob has to say about Hitting Solid in the April 2014 Monthly Handicap Improver here:
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