How important is noting your contact point when practicing?

[nevets88]

This is a selective sample (dry erase marker used here), I'm not showing you my hosel rockets .

While I am guessing we all have a basic guess as to where on the clubface we're making contact, is it productive to check where contact is made with every swing or is it too much information, over analytical? Does it make more sense for wedges vs irons vs woods? I personally like to know exactly where it is so I can associate feel/swing with contact point. What do you think?

[iacas]

It can depend on what kind of stuff you're practicing, wouldn't you say? :)

[saevel25]

Originally Posted by iacas

It can depend on what kind of stuff you're practicing, wouldn't you say? :)

Though it does take a different mind set to accept shit results when your trying to exemplify a change, because we are always looking for solid contact :p

[nevets88]

Originally Posted by iacas

It can depend on what kind of stuff you're practicing, wouldn't you say? :)

Yeah, especially keeping in mind your post on practicing simple, short, specific and slow. I would think if you're working on specific motions, forget the contact point. Perhaps if you're working on working the ball?

[birlyshirly]

The only situations I can think of in which I wouldn't think that marking impact for every shot was overkill are:

(a) when you're struggling with sh@*&ing; and

(b) when you're hitting on a Trackman/Flightscope or similar, and paying close attention to face angle measurements; and

(c) driver fitting.

I can think of 1 very good player who says he likes to mark impact when he's practicing his wedges.

[Shambles]

The general rule is to always use the sweet for all shots. I try to follow that rule as much as I am able, though there are some strange lies in the rough or between the roots of a tree or nestled on the wrong side of a tree or bush that just won't give you the space and you have to create a shot.

There are people, some of them very well respected, who over the years have advised the use of different parts of the face for the sake of controlling the shot but I've long felt that was an extra complication that I would rather do without. There is enough to learn and remember as it is. I believe that bit of advice which I first ran across in the mid 80's is not very popular and might even have been written by some golf writer. Regardless, I'll stay with always striking the ball with the sweet.

Shambles

[TourSpoon]

I was thinking about this at the range yesterday and noticed that after a few strikes I usually look at the face of my club to see where the ball marks are on the club face (grass range). On the good strikes I can feel the sweet spot. Anyway, I was hitting some fairway woods and contacting the middle of the face but the ball flight was a straight push. I rechecked alignment and path and hit the next one on target. There is a lot more to practice than just whacking balls and impact is one of them. Every swing is a little much to be checking, as you should be able to feel it when you are off.