A few months ago, I had the opportunity to work inside the ropes at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am alongside my good friend and teaching partner Mike Dickson, representing Mike’s training aid company LagMaster Sports and teaching lessons to corporate guests.
Over four days, we conducted roughly 200–300 mini-lessons, each lasting between 10 and 25 minutes. Most of the players were mid-handicappers, with a few low single-digit golfers and even a couple of highly skilled professionals mixed in.
Despite the variety of ability levels, one issue kept showing up again and again—and it had nothing to do with grip, stance, or swing style.
It was a misunderstanding of something far more basic:
Geometry.
The Question That Changed Everything
At the start of nearly every lesson, I asked a simple question:
“Where do you think the low point of your golf swing is?”
Without exception, every player gave the same answer:
“At the golf ball.”
It sounds logical. But it’s also the root cause of inconsistent ball striking for a huge percentage of golfers.
The Reality of the Swing Arc
The golf swing is circular in nature. Every circle has a center, a radius, and a lowest point—the low point.
In golf, that low point is not at the ball.
For a right-handed player, the low point occurs slightly forward of the ball—directly under the lead (left) armpit.
That single concept changes how the club should move through impact.
Why Most Golfers Struggle
If you believe the low point is at the ball, your body will instinctively try to bottom out the swing too early. That leads to a chain reaction:
Fat shots. Thin shots. Weak shots. All symptoms of the same underlying issue—poor low point control.
What Proper Impact Looks Like
When you understand that the ball is struck before the low point, everything starts to organize correctly.
At impact:
The result is what every golfer is searching for:
When players try to make the shaft vertical at impact, they disrupt this geometry and lose control of the bottom of the arc.
The Ground Tells the Truth
If you want honest feedback, look at your divot.
The ground doesn’t lie. It’s the most reliable indicator of how your swing is functioning.
A Simple Drill That Works
One of the most effective drills we used that week is simple—and immediately revealing.
Lead Arm Connection Drill
Take a 7-iron and choke down so the grip extends slightly up your lead forearm. Let the grip rest against your forearm and make small, controlled swings.
Focus on:
This trains the correct geometry and helps you feel what proper impact actually looks like.
The Bottom Line
Most golfers aren’t struggling because they lack talent or effort.
They’re struggling because they’re working from the wrong concept.
Once you understand where the low point truly is—and how the geometry of the swing actually works—you can begin to control the strike. And when you control the strike, everything else in the game becomes easier.
Because in golf, it’s not just about how you swing.
It’s about where the swing bottoms out.
