Eric Alpenfels
Director of Golf Instruction /
Golf Academy at the Pinehurst Resort
The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc is privileged to
have Eric Aplenfels as one of our contributers.
Eric Alpenfels is the Director of the Pinehurst
Golf Academy and Golf Instruction at
Pinehurst Resort. He is a Class A Member
of the PGA of America and has been part
of the Pinehurst family since 1985. His
expertise has earned him recognition
from Golf Magazine as one of the “Top 100
Teachers in America,” Golf Digest as one of
“America’s 50 Greatest Teachers” and U.S.
Kids Golf as one of the “Top 50 Teachers for
Kids.” Eric’s activities beyond the fairways
of Pinehurst are extensive, and include
speaking engagements, contributions to
industry publications and participation as
an Adjunct Facility of the PGA of America
Education Department. In partnership
with Dr. Bob Christina, The Golf Academy
is conducting research to pioneer the
development of new practice techniques
and innovative drills. He recently
coauthored “Instinct Putting” with Dr. Bob
Christina and Dr. Cary Heath.
TEE TIME con't. next column
TEE TIME continued
Impact, the Moment
of Truth, Part II
by Eric Alpenfels
In the first article of this series, I highlighted
the six impact factors that influence the ball’s
flight. These six factors include centeredness of
contact, clubface angle, clubhead path, angle
of approach, clubhead speed and dynamic loft.
The goal of the first of four articles was to give
a basic overview of the six impact factors and
their influences on the ball’s flight. This article
will focus on one of these impact factors and
highlight two of the most effective drills that I
have found to influence the club’s angle of attack
at impact. In my experience, typically golfers’
angle of approach can be one of the easier
impact factors for the amateur golfer to control. I
say this only because, in most cases, the angle of
approach is the by-product of the clubhead path
through impact. Typically, a clubhead path that
travels too much to the left (out to in) results in
an angle of approach that tends to be too steep.
A clubhead path that travels too much to the
right (in to out) results in an angle of approach
that tends to be too shallow. The two drills
address the two distinct angle of approaches
to the ball (steep and shallow) and, for me have
been effective in creating the appropriate angle
of approach for my students. As a reminder, the
definition of angle of approach is as follows.
Angle of Approach
There are three angles of approach possible
in the downswing. The first angle of approach is
one that has the clubhead traveling too steeply
to the ball. As a result, divots will typically point
to the left of the target and be deeper than
desired. Shots with irons will tend to be heavy or
thin, while teed balls can be skied or topped. Too
shallow an angle of approach to the ball causes
the downswing to bottom out too far behind the
ball, tending to produce a motion that swings
up through impact, with thin or topped shots
with irons as well as fairway woods as results.
The ideal angle of approach to the ball is one in
which the bottom of the swing is at the ball. This
shallow angle of approach will eliminate heavy
and thin shots with the irons and help eliminate
skied and topped shots with the woods.
Angle of Approach Drills
Left Foot Up Drill
A drill that helps develop a more shallow
angle of approach to the ball is called the “left
foot up” drill. After addressing the ball with a
seven-iron, position your left foot (for the righthanded
golfer) on an empty range bucket or
similar type object. Make short swings as you
attempt to keep the left foot on the bucket. As
you become more comfortable with the motion,
you can experiment with different clubs, and
the length of the swing can be increased. After
attempting this routine five or six times, you
should then hit shots with a normal set-up,
attempting to maintain the same feel of the drill
with a shallow approach to the ball.
Towel Drill
A drill that will help create a steeper angle
of approach to the ball is called the “towel”
drill. This drill begins with a towel placed
approximately four inches behind a teed ball
on the target line. After addressing the ball
with correct posture, simply attempt to hit the
teed ball without hitting the towel behind the
ball. Typically, a downswing that is too shallow
would contact the towel prior to impact.
After becoming comfortable with the towel as
well as making solid contact, move the towel
slightly closer (three inches away) to the ball
and attempt to hit the teed ball without hitting
the towel. As you progress and become more
confident in your ability to hit the ball without
hitting the towel, remove the tee. In all cases,
hitting the towel before the ball would indicate
that your angle of approach to the ball is too
shallow. Missing the towel while making solid
contact would indicate that the bottom of the
swing is at the ball. ☐
New Growth, by L. S. Crain.
No. 134 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.9
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