Is there anything better in golf than hitting it right in the sweet spot?
Hitting a pure golf iron or wood directly in the middle of the club face is as rewarding as draining a long putt for birdie that had no business going in. As an amateur golfer there’s nothing more rewarding than hitting it in the middle of the face… as they used to say, “Hit it on the screws.”
While there aren’t screws in your woods anymore (which I can’t imagine trying to hit) the sweet spot is what we’re all after. Every golfer is looking to find the sweet spot a few times each round to keep you coming back.
But golf is a game of misses and you’re more likely to hit it high, low, left, or right of the center more often than not. Professional golfers however tend to find the center of the face like clockwork every single round.
Keep reading to learn more about the coveted sweet spot in golf and some strategies to find it more often than not!
Golf Club Sweet Spot 101
Before we dive into how to hit it better, let’s first define this common term.
The sweet spot is the center of the clubface.
The size of this spot changes based on the golf clubs you’re using and the type of clubs as well. Larger clubs, like drivers, have bigger sweet spots than shorter clubs like wedges.
But you’re also swinging longer clubs at higher speeds, they have less loft, and they have much longer shafts as well. This all makes it harder to actually hit the sweet spot frequently (and why so many amateur golfers fear their driver).
When you hit a golf ball in the middle of the club it goes longer, higher, and straighter than mishits. It’s the signal of a perfect golf shot and even sounds different from mishits.
If you go to a PGA Tour event make sure to stop at the driving range. You can hear the noise it makes when they hit a golf ball vs. your everyday driving range of normal golfers. It’s the sound of pure bliss and one that everyone in the sport strives for.
Not only does it sound good, it feels good too. You can actually feel a perfect shot differently as it vibrates through the shaft to your hands. This is very different from a thin shot in cold weather that stings your hands from hitting it low on the club face.
Sweet Spots Have Changed (Larger Sweet Spot)
Everyday golfers don’t realize how good we have it in terms of technology. Golf clubs are bigger and easier to hit than ever before; from wedges to driver, golf equipment is just easier to hit. If you look at the clubs from 30 to 100 years ago, it’s hard to fathom even attempting.
In the past, golf clubs were small, stiff, heavy, making them extremely hard to swing consistently. Now, golf clubs are oversized, tons of flex options, lightweight, and easy for anyone to swing.
The sweet spot comes into play in the blades vs. cavity back iron debate. While some golfers choose for blades and more compact designs, most golfers know cavity back irons make golf easier and opt for the easiest irons to hit. Heck, even guys on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf choose hybrids, graphite shafts, and more forgiving clubs despite being the best ball strikers in the world.
What Happens When You Miss a Sweet Spot
Missing the sweet spot used to mean big problems.
If you missed the center of the face with older, smaller clubs, your shot would be drastically different. But now technology has changed the game and your misses aren’t nearly as bad as they once were.
Here’s what happens when you don’t make solid contact with the center of the club:
- Low on the face: When you hit a ball slightly low on the face the ball doesn’t go as high as normal. But it can still go the maximum distance and why a lot of golfers say “thin to win.”
- High on the face: When you hit a shot high on the face, you’ll hit it fat with irons or a pop-up with drivers/woods. These are incredibly frustrating shots that don’t go anywhere and can damage your golf clubs.
- Toe miss: If you miss off the toe, you’ll tend to hit it left of your target.
- Heel miss: If you miss off the heel, you’ll tend to hit it right of your target.
Plus, you can have different types of misses due to swing path and club face.
For example, if you hit it low on the face and off the toe, it’ll go lower and to the left. This is why it’s important to learn the ball flight laws of golf and understand the bottom point in the swing.
How to Hit the Sweet Spot More Often
If you’re like most beginner golfers, I’m sure you’ve asked, “How do you hit the sweet spot on a golf club?” It’s a good question because when you do, your ball goes longer and straighter than ever.
Step 1: Buy Impact Tape or Spray
If you want to become a better ball striker, you first need to learn where you’re making contact on the face. The easiest way to do this is with golf impact tape that goes on your clubface. Then you hit balls with different clubs and can see if you’re hitting it high, low, off the toe, or off the heel.
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of tape you can always use spray as well. We suggest using Strike Spray as it won’t damage your club and is easy to keep in your bag. Click here to read our full review of this spray now.
After hitting shots with different clubs you should be able to find a trend. Most golfers tend to make the same errors as hitting it low on the face (aka thin shots) or off the heel (aka slice ball flight). Once you have a better understanding of your impact position, then you need to work backward to find the solution.
Go here to read our full article on golf impact tape.
Step 2: Analyze Your Swing
Once you can learn from your tape or spray, it’s time to analyze more in-depth. Golf is a funny sport because one bad move in your setup or alignment can lead to all kinds of swing changes. While you might be missing the sweet spot, figuring out what is causing the miss is challenging.
If you don’t love to learn about swing theory it’s best to get a golf coach, whether it’s in-person or online. But if you like geeking out on all things golf, click here to learn how to analyze your swing.
When analyzing make sure to focus on four things:
- Grip
- Alignment
- Takeaway
- Good posture
Usually something is breaking down in one of these four areas that is leading to mishits and not hitting the sweet spot. Overall, improving your golf swing leads to better contact.
Step 3: Add More Practice Sessions
To find the great feeling of hitting the sweet spot more often you need to put in the reps. While you don’t need to spend hours a day on the driving range, you can’t skip work and expect to get better. To hit the ball straight and more consistently you want to develop a golf swing you can count on.
Check out some of our favorite practice articles below:
FAQs About Hitting the sweet spot
Do you have more questions about hitting it in the sweet spot and improving your ball striking? If so, keep reading to learn more about it now.
Where is the sweet spot on a golf club?
It’s in the middle of the golf club; the smaller the clubhead, the smaller the sweet spot.
If you look at older golf clubs it’s easy to see why they’re so difficult to hit… the sweet spot was almost non-existent! Compared to today where drivers are 460CC, it’s night and day thanks to modern technology.
Why do golf clubs have a sweet spot?
To give you something to aim at – but seriously, most golfers try to hit it and rarely do. Luckily, golf is a game of misses and you can miss the sweet spot on most shots and still salvage a good score. Thanks to new technology mishits are straighter and longer than ever.
Plus, if you have a good short game, course management, and mental game, anything is possible. While it’s important to groove a consistent swing, don’t forget that scoring from inside 100 yards is what matters most.
How big is the sweet spot on a golf club?
That’s a great question since it’s not marked on the club. The sweet spot of a typical iron is about the size of a pinhead. It’s typically larger in fairway woods and biggest in your driver. Drivers made for beginners have an even bigger sweet spot.
Final Thoughts on Hitting the Sweet Spot
While the goal on every golf swing or putt is to hit the sweet spot, it doesn’t happen often for most golfers. But there are a few shots each round that are bound to keep you coming back, even on tough days.
The good news is that you don’t need to find the sweet spot with every golf swing. With so much amazing technology even shots off the heel or toe end up pretty straight. If you miss it high or low, they still have plenty of ball speed to help your golf game.
Compared to the old days of a heavy steel shaft in a golf iron and small persimmon woods, golf technology has changed the game! But as you know, golf still remains a challenge even for the best athletes in the world.
To find the sweet spot more often, make sure to study your swing and make necessary changes. Without enough practice you can learn how to “swing your swing” and navigate the golf course with ease.