A clubface that's open a mere .75 of a degree can send your ball 10 yards off target (see our robot data on page 103). Such a small margin for error means that once you have your path where you want it, you need to focus on face angle at impact.
Open Face Syndrome runs rampant among so many players for one reason alone: most of us don't know where the clubface "looks" during the swing. The key to squaring the face at impact is to gain greater control of it at every point in your motion. The following drills will help you do just that.
The Drill:
Check your address position in a mirror. If your right hand is on top of the grip (instead of on the side), you're set up to produce a slice. Take your right hand off the grip, let your right arm hang loose at your side, then smoothly move it up toward the handle and retake your grip.
What It Does:
It encourages a stronger right-hand hold for greater clubhead control, and it sets your shoulders square to your target line. In the photo above, notice how the right-hand-on-top position forces my shoulders to open, pre-programming an outside-in swing.
Get square at the top for square impact
The Drill:
Swing to the top and hold that position. If you're a slicer, the clubface is probably pointing at the ground. Try varying amounts of left and right wrist bend to match the face angle to your swing path.
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What It Does:
If you're square to your path at the top (same face and shoulder angles), chances are you'll be square at the bottom. Cupping your left wrist (or bowing your right) at the top is a big no-no.
Be square at impact
The Drill:
Place a box slightly ahead of where you'd normally play your ball. From address, move your club forward and try to knock the box straight ahead. You can only do this if you keep your clubface square as it moves down the line.
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It provides visual feedback that you can use to mend your clubface position and path at the bottom of your swing. If you hit the box to the right, you opened your clubface or pushed your club too far to the right.
