Impact is the most important part of the golf swing. This is when the club makes contact with the ball and the rest of the swing is simply leading up to and continuing from this position. Working on other parts of the golf swing can increase odds of having a good impact position. While, it's important to get other parts of the swing correct and in order, here I'm going to focus on the exact keys that are necessary to produce a solid and consistent strike of the golf ball.
The first key is to make sure your clubface is square at impact. When the clubface points right or left at impact, your shots will tend to go in that direction. It's helpful to have a square clubface for as long as possible through the impact zone. This gives the golfer a greater chance of hitting the ball with a square clubface. I teach having less arm rotation than some golf instructors teach. There is more chance to hit the ball straight when the club face is square longer close to the impact zone.
Swinging your club on a correct swing plane will lead to a good impact position. If your club is too steep at the top of your backswing, it can come into the ball steeply and a golfer may take bigger divots. This will slow the club head down so you won't hit your shots as solidly. A golfer that is too flat with their swing plane can struggle with the opposite problem and smetimes catch the ball too thin.
Another important concept is to have a width golf swing arc. This gives the club face a longer chance to stay square and make solid contact with the golf ball at impact. The longer time the club is in good position in and near the impact zone, the better your golf shots are going to be and the more consistent you will be also.
Keeping your arms extended through the golf impact zone will help you as well. Golfers who bend their arms near this area will struggle with their ball striking. The more you can compress the golf ball while maintaining good extension, the more power and acceleration you will be able to have also. This is connected with your swing arc so try to have good extension for more solid golf shots. The hands should lead at impact slightly but the arms will remain fully extended. This allows the golfer to compress the ball and have better results with their golf shots.
