The Real Secret Behind Forward Shaft Lean
If you’re tired of poor strikes, ballooning shots, and hearing about forward shaft lean and compression without ever truly achieving them, you’re not alone. Over the years, I’ve seen countless golfers face this frustration. The truth is, the difference between poor ball strikers and elite players is almost always impact. Elite golfers move their weight into the front leg, get the shaft leaning forward, open the body, and compress the ball with a powerful strike.
Most club golfers, on the other hand, return to impact with almost the same position as address—little to no shaft lean, weight back, and often an open clubface. This leads to thins, tops, and weak strikes. If this sounds familiar, let’s change it.
Why Closing the Clubface Is Essential
Here’s the key: if you want forward shaft lean at impact, you must close the clubface through impact. This might sound counterintuitive, but it’s absolutely crucial. Most golfers have an open clubface in the downswing and the only way they can square it up is by releasing the club early—resulting in those frustrating flicks and inconsistent contact.
Once you learn to close the clubface, you’ll find it far easier to achieve forward shaft lean and compress the golf ball. This is where the magic happens for distance, accuracy, and pure strikes.
The Drill: Cheat Forward Shaft Lean and Learn the Feel
Let’s make this dead simple to start with. Set up as normal, but deliberately close your clubface a few degrees at address. It’ll look odd when you look down, but trust the process. Make your normal swing. You’ll find the ball goes left and feels powerful, with the low point after the ball. Yes, you may still hang back or release early at first, but you’re starting to feel the difference.
Now, add the next step: from that closed clubface position, move your body as far towards the target as you can during your swing. Your goal is to keep closing that clubface and move your weight forward until the ball doesn’t go left anymore. It might feel like you’re sliding toward the target, but this is what the best players in the world do. Hips move forward, shaft leans, and the strike is transformed.
Remember, you may need to exaggerate this move at first. Most golfers never push the change far enough to feel or see real results. If the ball starts flying lower, straighter, and further, you’re on the right track.
From Drill to Real Swing
Once you’ve got the hang of it with a closed clubface, return to a square clubface at address. Now focus on moving your body towards the target through impact, getting the low point ahead and the shaft leaning forward. This will make your strikes feel completely different—crisper, more solid, and with that elusive compression.
If you’re struggling to square the face from a normal set up, focus on the feeling in your downswing: twist the club so the back of your lead hand faces more up to the sky, keeping the knuckles down, and keep moving your hands forward. Keep rehearsing this until it becomes second nature. It might feel odd at first, but it’s only because you’re not used to it.
Why Exaggeration Works
Every golfer I’ve coached who struggles to make a change simply doesn’t exaggerate the new move enough. It’s natural to want to stay in your comfort zone, but sometimes you need to push the boundaries to create a new habit. Once you’ve felt the exaggerated move, you can always dial it back to what you need.
Make This Work for You
If you find you strike it great with a closed clubface and moving forward, you could even stick with this technique for now. But if you want to go back to a square clubface, focus on moving your body correctly and twisting the club through impact. I promise you, this will improve your ball striking with every club, especially irons and hybrids played from the ground.
If you want to develop your game further or need more personalised help, I offer online lessons through Skillest. No matter where you are in the world, we can work together to improve your ball striking and consistency.
Watch the Full YouTube Video
For a full walkthrough and more demonstration, watch the original YouTube video here.
