While there are a lot of moving parts in the golf swing, only one position truly matters: impact position.
Your impact position is the moment of truth in the golf swing. It’s when the club face meets the golf ball and determines the shot trajectory, plus the direction.
If you hit it low on the face, expect a thin shot (aka two groover). If you hit it high on the face, expect a chunked shot that travels a fraction of the distance. Plus, if it’s off the toe, it might draw too much and if it’s off the heel, it might not ever stop slicing.
The best ball strikers in the world master their impact position. They get their weight on their lead side, a square face, hands ahead, and follow through to a beautiful finish.
If you want to step up your ball striking, it’s time to master your impact position. The best way to learn about this position without hiring a coach is with impact tape. It’s easily one of the best ways to hit it better quickly.
Keep reading to learn more about impact tape, alternatives, and other ways to improve this crucial position in the golf swing.
Golf Impact Tape – How to Improve Ball Striking
So, how does impact tape work?
It’s pretty simple. First, clean your golf club so it’s fresh and wait for it to dry. This will ensure the tape will stick to the face and do its job.
If you’re using irons or wedges, make sure to clean the grooves thoroughly with a club brush. Let them dry and stretch the tape so it’s in the middle of the face.
Then, start hitting golf balls.
The dimples on the ball will leave an imprint on the tape to identify the location on the face you’re hitting it. Whether you’re hitting a driver, hitting your irons or wedges, this method will help you understand your swing much better.
If you’re like most golfers you will quickly spot a pattern based on the dimple location. Maybe you’re too far off the heel, too low on the face, or too far on the toe. Or, a combination of several and can’t find the sweet spot if your life depended on it.
The tape will show you where the ball is hitting the face so you can adjust your setup and swing to find the center more often. A good way to use impact tape is by warming up, then hitting a short or mid-iron 5-10 times (a single piece of tape will last this long).
By swinging 5-10 times you can eliminate any outliers and start to identify your swing tendencies. Then, use different practice drills or training aids to try and get the face more square.
After working on your swing, you can apply another piece of impact tape and see if you’ve improved. It’s cheap, easy to use, and provides instant feedback on every swing.
Hopefully, it’ll lead to finding the sweet spot more often which leads to:
- Increased distance
- Better contact with irons
- More roll on driver swings
- Lower your handicap over time from better ball striking
Here are our favorite choices of golf impact tape:
MSOAT Golf Impact Tape
This is the #1 pick when it comes to golf impact tape as it comes with 100 sheets. Each sheet has three pieces of tape so you get a total of 300 tapes for a small price.
According to the company they, “Use a special paper to produce this golf impact tape, these thin labels provide clear and accurate impact marks without compromising feel and performance. Letting you know what a missed shot or a perfect swing looks like.”
What’s unique about this tape is that they have quadrants for each piece of tape. This makes it easy to identify how close you are to the sweet spot with each shot.
Another benefit of this great product is that they have three different sizes. One size for your driver/woods, one for your irons/wedges, and one for hybrids.
Each label lasts between 6-10 shots in good weather. That means you can use the for up to 1800 shots worth of feedback.
Besttile Impact Tape Labels
Another option is the tape labels from Bestle which are also available on Amazon. These also come with three different size pieces of tape for a total of 300 pieces. With a size for every club, you can get instant feedback with all golf clubs
Or, if you don’t want to buy golf specific impact tape and are waiting for shipping, there are a few DIY alternatives too. These include:
- Masking tape
- Painters tape
Or, you can skip tape entirely and use a type of spray method instead to identify your contact point.
Golf Impact Tape vs. Golf Spray
While golf tape is effective in helping you better understand your ball striking, some players prefer an alternative like spray.
Strike Spray is the best on the market and it ensures you don’t have any residue on the face after hitting shots. Instead of applying a piece of tape to your golf club, you can simply spray a coat on the club face.
Strike Spray is pretty easy to use and nearly as beneficial to help you understand where the face is at impact. Here’s how to use it:
- Clean the golf club you’re about to hit. If you’re hitting a wedge or iron, clean the grooves with a brush too.
- Spray the face for about 10 seconds and let it dry.
- Then, start hitting shots to see where the ball is hitting the face at impact.
- Re-apply after 5-10 swings.
The only downside to spray vs. tape is that the spray wears off quickly. While tape lasts longer and you can save them if you want to remember a great ball striking day on the range.
Click here to read our full review of Strike Spray now.
Related Training Aids to Improve Ball Striking
Golf tape or golf spray can help you identify mishits but there are some similar items out there too. Here are some of our favorite training aids that give you instant feedback to improve your golf swing and impact position.
Lead Tape
Another popular type of tape that is used by golfers is known as lead tape. This is very different from impact tape and applied on the back of the golf club, not the club face.
Lead tape is applied (sometimes generously) to add weight to the back of the club. This can help with distance and it’s also commonly used for straightening out golf shots. Since you can’t adjust irons like fairway woods or drivers, this is a good way to improve your iron game.
For example, if you suffer a big slice, you can apply lead tape on the heel portion of your driver or any other club. This will make the heel heavier and allow the toe to release more so it’s closer to square at impact.
You can use lead tape with woods, irons, wedges, and even putters. It can help:
- Improve trajectory
- Add more forgiveness
- Lower ball flight and spin
- Straighten out a slice or draw
And more!
While it’s legal to use and loved by professionals, it’s not a quick fix for a swing flaw. Click here to read our full article on lead tape and how it can help your golf game.
Divot Board
Divots never lie in golf.
If you hit a massive over the top pull, your divot will be way left of the target. If you push one right of the target and wonder if it’ll stay on the course, your divot will be way right.
Similar to learning your impact position with tape or spray, understanding your divots is key to becoming a better ball striker. Since a lot of golf courses use mats, it’s not always easy to see your divots unless you’re on the course.
But a newer product called the Divot Board allows you to evaluate your divot, whether you’re on the turf or a mat. This allows you to learn more about the low point in your swing and get instant feedback, anywhere, at any time.
In fact, you don’t even have to hit golf balls during a practice session to learn more about your divot. Plus, it’s small and works for both right or left-handed players.
Click here to read our full review of the Divot Board now.
FAQs About Golf Impact Tape
Do you have a few more questions about tape and other training aids to play better golf? If so, keep scrolling to read the most frequently asked questions and answers below.
How do you make golf impact tape?
If you want to save money but still want to learn more about your swing, there are some DIY options to tape.
The Backyard Golfer shows in this video how to use masking tape across the face. He also recommends using old golf balls as the dimples will appear more clearly on the tape.
However, I think it’s best to spend the money for quality tape that is meant for golf clubs. But if you’re in a pinch and want to practice at home, this trick with masking tape can help.
Additionally, if you want to use spray without paying extra, see if you have any athlete’s foot spray in the house. It works nearly as well and won’t damage your clubs either.
Can you use impact tape on every golf club?
Yes, you can use impact tape on every club with a full swing (sorry putter).
The recommended products above are great because they have three different sizes of tape based on the club you’re hitting. It’s important to use a piece of tape that isn’t too big for the face as it can affect your ball flight performance.
Why do people put duct tape on golf clubs?
You might think it’s duct tape but it’s generally lead tape which has the same color. Although, this Golf.com article shares how duct tape applied to your body can actually help your swing too.
Can you use impact tape during the round?
No, impact tape violates rule 4.1(a). This rule bans external attachments from use during competition. If you use it even once during the round, it’s an automatic DQ.
Final Thoughts on Golf Impact Tape
Adding some tape to your golf club in practice can help you become a better ball striker. It will help you identify where your misses are on the face of the club so you make the necessary swing changes.
Ultimately, impact tape can help you save time by quickly identifying your biggest issues. Then, you can work backward to find out different drills and swing tips to find the sweet spot more often.
While impact tape is helpful, make sure you don’t get overly dependent on it in practice. But from time to time, it’s an essential product that will help you improve ball striking fast.
Buy a roll today to create a better, more consistent golf swing.
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