If you want to learn how to make solid contact with your irons, woods, and wedge from the turf, you’re in the right place. There isn’t a much better feeling than a clean iron strike with a perfect divot pattern. It’s the sign of a true ball striker and something every golfer strives towards.
But how do you make solid contact? What do the pros do differently than everyday golfers who don’t hit it consistently well?
These are good questions that I’ll address today so you can learn how to make better contact. When you learn these skills you’ll not only improve your strike but also probably improve your distances too.
How to Improve Turf Interaction
To improve your contact and turf interaction, you first need to understand how it happens. The reason that pros and elite ball strikers make better contact with any club off the turf is forward shaft lean at impact.
This means that the shaft is ahead of the clubhead at impact, so you’re compressing the shot. This creates a divot pattern ahead of the ball, not behind it, for a pure shot.
According to Golf Digest, “Three main factors determine the quality of the strike: ball position at address, location of the weight on the downswing, and flatness of the lead wrist at impact. The common contact faults—fat and thin shots—can be traced to errors in one or more of these areas.”
It’s easier than done, but with the drills and tips below, you will improve turf interaction sooner than you thought possible.
Key Takeaways
- Making solid contact with the golf ball is key to maximizing distance and improving accuracy.
- If you mishit shots on the toe or heel, you’ll hit too many draws/hooks or fades/slices that can lead to missed greens in regulation.
- To improve your strike, it’s important to create solid fundamentals like ball position, posture, and alignment.
- Which makes it easier to create a forward shaft lean and strike it like a pro.
Ball Position Basics
As mentioned in the Golf Digest quote, ball position is one of the leading reasons golfers don’t make good contact. Even if every other mechanic is right, the wrong ball position makes things nearly impossible.
Ball position changes with each type of club but in general:
- Driver ball position is the furthest up in your stance, just off your lead foot.
- Fairway woods are about one ball back of where you place the driver.
- Hybrids and irons are more front-center ball position.
- Short irons/wedges more in the middle of your stance.
Avoid the back of your stance unless you’re trying to lower the trajectory. Read our full guide on ball position here.
Weight Distribution and Transfer
The second contact mistake most golfers make is weight distribution during the downswing.
I’ve hit more thin shots in my 20+ career than I care to admit. When looking back, it was mainly from a poor weight transfer with too much weight on my trail leg at impact.
But before getting into the proper weight transfer, it’s important to consider where your weight is at address. If you’re hitting a shot from the turf – pretty much every club other than driver – get more weight on your lead foot. About 60% so it feels like more weight is on your lead leg at address.
Having more weight here will make it easier to rotate around your body and not sway horizontally. If I’m ever hitting shots poorly and thin, I will hit range balls with 90% of my weight on my front leg and drop my right foot back. This makes it easy to make a better strike and compress the ball.
Learn more about the proper weight transfer in golf here.
Wrist Position
The final mistake that negatively affects your strike is the wrong wrist position at impact. There are three types of wrist position in the golf swing, which you can read more about below:
- Cupped wrist in golf
- Bowed wrist in golf
- Flat wrist in golf
If you need help getting your wrists in a better position, make sure to check out the Hanger training aid. This low-cost tool can help you improve your wrist angles on the downswing.
If you have a larger budget, you might want to consider the HackMotion wrist trainer as well or even the deWiz golf watch. Both sync with an app on your phone to display tons of information about your swing and mechanics to improve your contact.
Check Your Tempo
Even if all your mechanics are solid, don’t forget to consider your tempo as well. Most amateur golfers have a slow tempo that makes it harder to sequence your swing properly. Not to mention, a slow tempo can lead to a rushed transition and lack of clubhead speed.
Download the Tour Tempo app so you can check/improve your tempo and likely add more clubhead speed. Plus, it will likely improve your transition for a better overall strike.
Get Fit For Clubs
All the steps above will help you make solid contact more consistently. However, don’t forget that it is incredibly important to play clubs that match your skill level. If you’re a mid to high handicap but trying to play blades or even muscle back irons, you’re likely making the game even more difficult.
Play the clubs that are right for your unique swing.
This means the right clubheads and the right shafts so you can swing with confidence and still have forgiveness on mishits. A custom club fitting is the easiest way to make sure your equipment is helping your game.
But if you don’t want to do a fitting yet, here are a few tips for different types of golfers.
- High handicaps: Game improvement or super game improvement irons with lightweight graphite shafts. Most likely, regular or senior flex to match a slower swing speed.
- Mid-handicaps: Cavity back irons and lightweight steel or heavier graphite shafts for moderate swing speeds. Most likely regular or stiff flex shafts.
- Low handicaps: Cavity back or muscle back irons with steel shafts and stiff or extra stiff flex.
- Scratch golfers or better: Muscle back or blade (or a combo set with a mix of both). Most likely stiff or extra stiff steel shafts.
Do you have more questions about improving your contact? If so, keep reading through the most frequently asked questions and answers now.
Why can’t I make solid contact with irons?
If you can’t make solid contact with irons, it might be from incorrect ball position, poor alignment, and/or lack of weight transfer. Make sure to read our best irons drills article so you can practice effectively at the driving range or simulator.
How do I fix ball contact in golf?
Start by identifying your miss – is it a thin shot? A fat shot? Or is it an accuracy issue, like a pull or push shot?
Each mishit can tell you a lot about your swing, but it’s important to analyze it correctly. If you have a combination of mishits, you might consider getting a golf lesson to address various issues.
How do I hit a golf ball solid every time?
I’m not sure if it’s possible to hit it perfectly every time, even for professional golfers. But if you have solid fundamentals as noted above, have a consistent practice routine, and a good tempo, you’ll have fewer mishits.
Don’t forget, that even pros only hit about 67% of greens in regulation. Missing fairways and greens is part of golf – having the right expectations is vital to getting the most out of your golf game.
How do you make solid contact with fairway woods?
Fairway woods are typically a little harder to hit from the fairway than irons or wedges, as they’re bigger and have longer shafts. Make sure to read our guide on how to hit fairway woods next.
My Experience
Learning how to make solid contact will change the way you play golf.
Focus on the fundamentals above all else, especially if you’re a beginner golfer. Too many players get into advanced shots (like the “stinger”) before they can hit basic golf shots.
Use these iron drills if you need more help to master hitting down and making better contact. These proven practice drills don’t require much other than a towel and a few tees to help you make better contact.
Final Thoughts
Remember, making better contact with the golf ball means avoiding three mistakes; the wrong ball position, not moving your weight properly, and wrist angle at address.
If you can get the proper ball position, move your weight properly, and improve your wrists, you’ll hit it better than ever. Paired with a 2:1 tempo and the right equipment, you will find the sweet spot more often than not.
Do you struggle hitting irons well and getting your divot ahead of the ball? Hit the comments and let us know below.
Michael Leonard
Michael is an avid golfer of 25 years who played in high school, college, and now competes in Arizona amateur events. He is a full-time writer, podcast host of Wicked Smart Golf, and mental golf coach.
