The Best Free Golf Video Lessons565 Free Golf Lessons from the Best ProsOver 120,000,000 views
565 lessons from professionals, selected and summarizedOver 120,000,000 views across all videos
Irons: Compress the BallTarget Focus Irons Expert / Intermediate ⏱ 5 min 🇫🇷 Video in French

Predicting Ball Contact: Edouard Montaz’s Drill

Why is your practice swing always better than your actual swing? According to Edouard Montaz, it’s because you stop moving the club toward the target to hit the ball. His exercise shows that contact is determined by your posture—without ever having to seek it out.

▶
Edouard Montaz
Edouard Montaz · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.
Schedule · Step 6 of 7Hit Your Irons Pure in 7 StepsConsidered successful when: Out of 10 shots, you call your shot before hitting the ball and are correct 8 times.
Step 7 →

To be continued

8 minSame problemFat Shot from Tipping Back: Right Shoulder Toward the BallLewis Wallace · Intermediate8 minSame problemShaft Lean at Impact: Brake to ReleasePadraig Harrington · Intermediate / Expert9 minFrom the same proWrist Hinge in Golf: Edouard Montaz's Two PendulumsEdouard Montaz · Beginner / Intermediate

What the lesson shows

Edouard Montaz, director of instruction for Wisdom in Golf in Europe, starts with an observation: the practice swing is often better than the swing with a ball. Without a ball, you guides the club toward the target; when playing with a ball, the goal is to hit an object. For the brain, these are two different tasks. His thesis: Ball contact is a prediction, not an action.

The drill demonstrates this. Aligned with the target, he first positions himself well above the ball and swings toward the target: a swing at air, as expected. Lowered stance at the ball’s equator: a thin shot. At grass level: a clean shot, a bit thin. A few millimeters lower: ball, grass, and ground. At no point did he try to hit the ball; only his stance changed. The result: shots with more penetration and better accuracy.

The Exercise, Step by Step

  1. Choose a target and line up with it.
  2. Take a practice swing next to the ball, focusing on the release toward the target.
  3. Position yourself well above the ball and swing toward the target: you'll end up swinging at thin air.
  4. Lower your body until it reaches the middle of the ball, and repeat: you'll get a perfect score.
  5. Get down to grass level: the ball flies cleanly, a little thin.
  6. Lower yourself a few more millimeters to make contact with the ball, the grass, and the ground—still without reaching for the ball.

Key Takeaways

Hitting a ball and swinging the club toward the target are two different tasks.
Contact can be anticipated: it depends on posture, not on the movement of the hands.
You never look for the ball—you always pass it to the target.
Each posture level results in an expected contact: empty, top, clean ball, ground ball.
The practice swing becomes the model for the actual swing.

Mistakes to Avoid

  • Trying to hit the ball instead of swinging the club toward the target.
  • Correct your form with your hands rather than with your posture.
  • Changing your swing between the practice swing and the actual shot.
  • Losing sight of the target when taking a shot.

Driving Range Mode

Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.

  1. A practice swing toward the target before each shot
  2. The four stages of posture, in order
  3. The same swing at each level; only the height changes
  4. On the course: Focus on the target, not the contact

Your Questions

Why would you deliberately take a shot in the dark?

To show that the contact was predictable, Edouard Montaz demonstrates that the swing was correct: it was only the stance that positioned the club above the ball.

How do you make contact with the ball and then the ground?

By lowering your stance a few millimeters below the level of the grass, while continuing to aim at the target, without making any special effort to reach for the ball.

Why is my practice swing better than my actual swing?

According to the video, when there's no ball, you swing the club toward the target; when there is a ball, you try to hit an object, which the brain processes as a different task.

Learn More

All “Irons - Compressing the Ball” videos →Find the lesson that's right for youAll “Target Intention” videos →Find the lesson that's right for you Fat Shot from Tipping Back: Right Shoulder Toward the BallThe “gratte aux fers” comes from tilting the upper body backward: the sternum in front of the ball (“right shoulder toward the ball”), controlled by a stick. Hitter vs. Thrower Swing: The Real DifferencesCompare the swing of someone who hits the ball with someone who throws it to the target: intent changes the setup, the move, the release and the finish; change the start and the end. The Arm-Shoulder Triangle in Golf: Bringing It Back at ImpactMaintain the arm-shoulder triangle from address and bring the clubhead toward the inside of your front thigh at impact, first on a half-swing and then on a full swing. Edouard MontazAll of his lessons

Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Edouard Montaz). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons, without hosting them.

* Amateur competitions with guidance from the pros