How to Properly Strike a Golf Ball

Achieving that pure, solid strike on a golf ball is an incredible feeling, and it’s simpler to repeat than you might think. Many golfers believe there's a secret move, but solid contact is actually the result of getting a few fundamentals right in a specific sequence. This guide breaks down every part of the swing - from how you stand over the ball to your finish position - into clear, manageable steps so you can find the center of the clubface more consistently.

The Foundation: Your Setup and Grip

Before you ever start the club back, you set the stage for success or failure. A bad setup forces your body to make compensations throughout the swing, leading to inconsistent strikes. A good setup, however, creates a stable foundation for power and puts you in position to move correctly.

Finding an Athletic and Balanced Stance

Your setup isn’t just about where you put your feet, it's about creating an athletic posture that allows your body to rotate freely. Think of it less like standing still and more like getting ready for action.

• The Posture: Start by standing up straight, then hinge forward from your hips, not your waist. Allow your bottom to push backward slightly while keeping your back relatively straight. This move creates space for your arms to swing.
• Arm Position: Once you're hinged over, just let your arms hang down naturally from your shoulders. This is where your hands should grip the club. If you’re reaching for the ball or feel cramped, adjust your hinge or how far you stand from the ball.
• Stance Width: For a mid-iron shot, place your feet about shoulder-width apart. This provides a stable base that's wide enough for balance but narrow enough to let your hips turn. Too narrow, and you'll struggle with balance, too wide, and you'll restrict your hip rotation.
• Ball Position: Keep it simple. For short and mid-irons (think wedges up to your 7-iron), place the ball directly in the middle of your stance. As your clubs get longer (hybrids, fairway woods, and driver), move the ball position gradually forward toward your front foot. For the driver, it should be lined up with the inside of your lead heel.
• Weight Distribution: With an iron, your weight should be distributed evenly - 50/50 between your left and right foot. You should feel centered and balanced, ready to move in either direction.

How to Hold the Club for Control and Power

Your grip is your only connection to the golf club, making it your primary lever for both power and control. An incorrect grip forces you to manipulate the clubface with your hands during the swing, while a good, neutral grip lets you use your body as the engine.

To find a neutral grip (for a right-handed player):

1. The Left Hand: Place the grip diagonally across the fingers of your left hand, from the base of your little finger to the middle segment of your index finger. Close your hand so the palm rests on top of the grip. When you look down, you should be able to see the knuckles of your index and middle fingers. The "V" formed by your thumb and index finger should point toward your right shoulder.
2. The Right Hand: Now, bring your right hand to the club. Your right palm should face your target and cover your left thumb. The "V" formed by your right thumb and index finger should also point toward your right shoulder. This places both hands in a neutral, parallel position.
3. Connecting the Hands: You have three common options for how your hands connect: the interlock (right pinky locks with left index finger), the overlap (right pinky rests on top of the space between the left index and middle fingers), or a simple ten-finger (or baseball) grip. None is technically superior, choose the one that feels most secure and comfortable to you.

A good grip feels awkward at first, especially if you’re used to something else. But stick with it. It’s what gives you control over the clubface without having to consciously think about it.

Building Momentum: The Backswing

The entire purpose of the backswing is to build power in a way that allows you to deliver it correctly on the way down. A good backswing is not about lifting the arms, but rather a coordinated turn of your body away from the ball.

The Takeaway and Wrist Hinge

The very first move away from the ball sets the path for the rest of your swing. The goal is to move the club, hands, arms, and torso together as one unit. For the first few feet, imagine them moving as a single, connected triangle.

As the club shaft becomes parallel to the ground, your wrists will begin to hinge naturally upwards. This isn’t a quick, snatching motion, it’s a gradual setting of the club that stores energy. This wrist hinge helps get the club onto the correct plane - an imaginary angled line from the ball through your shoulders as you're set up.

Creating the "Coil" with Your Body

The real engine of the backswing is the rotation of your upper body against your lower body. Think of it like a spring coiling up.

• Turn, Don't Sway: As you swing back, focus on rotating your chest and shoulders away from the target. A common mistake is to sway your hips laterally away from the target. Instead, try to feel your right hip (for a right-hander) turning behind you. Imagine you're staying inside a barrel, you can turn within it as much as you like, but you don't want to bump into the sides.
• Feel the Stretch: A proper backswing turn will create a feeling of tension across your upper back and core. This is the coil - the stored energy you will unleash in the downswing. Don't worry about how far back the club goes, simply turn to the point where you feel this comfortable tension. For some golfers, that means a very short, compact swing. For others with more flexibility, it will be longer. Both are correct if they match your body.

Delivering the Blow: The Downswing and Impact

This is where all the patient work in your setup and backswing pays off. The downswing is a chain reaction - a dynamic unwinding of the body that slings the club into the back of the ball with effortless-looking power.

Starting the Downswing correctly

Amateur golfers almost universally make one mistake here: they start the downswing with their hands and arms. The pros do the exact opposite.

The very first move from the top of the backswing should be a slight lateral shift of your hips toward the target. It’s a small, subtle move, but it has a huge effect. This shift does two things:

1. It gets your weight moving toward the target, which is essential for hitting down on the golf ball.
2. It creates space for your arms and the club to drop down from the inside, putting you on the right path to the ball.

After that initial bump, your body unwinds in sequence: the hips open up toward the target, followed by your torso and shoulders, which then pull the arms and club through.

Understanding a Pure Impact Position

Impact is something that happens because of the correct sequence, you shouldn't try to "create" it. When you hit an iron well, you are actually hitting the ball on a downward arc. This means you strike the ball first, and then your club brushes the turf, taking a shallow divot after the ball.

This is the "trapping" or "compressing" feeling you hear about. It only happens when your weight has shifted forward and your hands are slightly ahead of the clubhead at the moment of impact. Trying to "scoop" the ball into the air by flipping your wrists will lead to thin (hitting the top half of the ball) or fat (hitting the ground first) shots. Trust the loft on your club, it’s designed to get the ball airborne. Your job is just to deliver the clubhead squarely to the back of the ball on a descending path.

The Signature: A Full and Balanced Follow-Through

What you do after impact is just as important as what you do before it. The follow-through isn't just for show, it's the natural result of a committed, accelerated swing. A good finish proves you didn't quit on the shot at impact.

Extend and Rotate to the Finish

As you swing through impact, you should feel fully "released." Don't stop your body's rotation. Let your arms extend fully out toward the target as your body continues to turn until your chest and hips are facing directly where you want the ball to go.

Stick the Landing

A good swing ends in a perfectly balanced finish position you can hold for several seconds.

• Your weight should be almost entirely on your front foot (your left foot for a right-hander).
• Your back heel should be up off the ground, with only the toe touching for balance.
• Your body should be upright, and the club should be wrapped comfortably behind your head or over your shoulder.

If you're off-balance or fall backward, it’s a telltale sign that your weight didn’t shift properly during the downswing. Make it a goal to hold your finish until your ball lands. It's an excellent habit that promotes a better swing from the start.

Final Thoughts

Consistently striking the golf ball well comes down to building a sound, repeatable swing from the ground up. By focusing on an athletic setup, making a powerful turn, sequencing your downswing correctly, and rotating through to a balanced finish, you can build a motion that delivers pure contact without overcomplicating things.

Building a new swing takes practice, and we know questions come up when you're at the range or on the course. That’s why Caddie AI is so helpful. Say you’re facing a tough lie that messes with your setup and stance, you can snap a photo, and the app will give you a simple recommendation for how to adjust. Or if you’re unsure what kind of shot the situation calls for, just ask and our AI provides tour-level strategy. It’s like having an expert coach in your pocket, ready to answer any question and help you apply these fundamentals confidently on every shot.