Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

A term you’ll hear quite frequently in golf instruction is “forward shaft lean.” As in “you need forward shaft lean if you want to hit the ball solidly.” I know it’s something I’ve typed many times, and it’s something that a whole lot of golf instructors have said, too.

That’s why the hook of the Athletic Motion Golf video (below) stuck out so much when I scrolled past it on Instagram. “Is shaft lean at impact just a myth?” it asks. At first, I scoffed at the idea. But after watching the clip (and later, the full video on YouTube), it makes total sense.

The illusion of shaft lean

When golfers hear that they need forward shaft lean at impact, they often try to achieve it simply by holding off on their release until their hands get past the ball.

“That’s where the illusion lies,” Shaun Webb says. “Because the way to create that image is not what you think.”

While it’s true that your hands should be in front of the ball when you reach impact, when you break it down, it doesn’t happen simply by pushing your hands toward the target. Instead, it results from several moving components throughout the swing.

To see what is happening, get your body set in the proper impact position. Your hips should be open about 45 degrees, and your shoulders slightly open. Your weight should be on your front foot, and your hands should be slightly in front of the ball on the ground. From a face-on view, this illustrates forward shaft lean.

This is where the “illusion” comes in. Turn your hips and shoulders back to square, and let your arms and hands follow.

“His hands, club and everything are farther back when his pelvis is square to the target than they are at address,” Mike Granato says.

The only reason the hands are in front of the ball and the shaft is leaning toward the target is because the hips and shoulders are open when you reach impact. It’s the turn of the body that gets the shaft to lean forward, not pressing the hands toward the target.

Get the feeling of the body opening up and the hands and arms following, and you’ll hit the ball better than ever before.

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