When it comes to improving your golf swing, nothing matters more than understanding impact. In this video, Mike Malaska breaks down what he saw from the dozens of impact positions submitted by members and the key lessons every golfer needs to take from them.

Too many players focus on the top of the swing, backswing positions, or where the hands should be at various checkpoints. But impact is the only position that actually affects the ball. And ironically, it’s the position most players misunderstand. Mike emphasizes that once your brain understands the task of impact, it naturally starts filtering out any motion that doesn’t help you achieve it. The golf swing becomes simpler, more efficient, and more athletic.

What Mike observed in nearly every submitted video was a consistent breakdown in how players transition into impact. Most know they’re supposed to clear the hip, but as they do, they level the shoulders, fall back on the trail foot, or jam their right arm straight down onto the shaft. This creates a twisted, imbalanced look that is far from what you see in elite players.

To correct it, Mike walks you through a better approach. Start by raising both arms, then drop the trail arm down naturally onto the shaft plane. Let the weight of the club help flatten the wrist. The lead arm should remain extended, while the trail arm is bent and tucked. As you bend toward the ball, push the lead hip back and out of the way. That movement causes the lead shoulder to rise and rotate back, the trail shoulder to drop, and the right side of the body to move under and forward. This is how the best players arrive at impact.

Mike references the idea of “the box” — how the hips and shoulders work together in sync. If the left shoulder goes back and up, so does the left hip. That forces the right hip to go down and in, and the right shoulder to follow. Everything is connected. If one part of the box fails, the entire impact structure collapses.

Mike also shares a drill from one of his mentors. He would place a club or stick across Mike’s shoulders and elbows, then gently push the trail elbow down. This automatically rotated the entire structure into the correct geometry by dropping the trail side and raising the lead side.

Finally, Mike urges players to train from the task. Start in a correct impact position, chip from there, then work your way into fuller swings. This trains your body to feel the destination, rather than guessing from backswing mechanics or top-of-swing positions. Just like picking up a ball, the body organizes motion best when it understands the purpose.

Mike closes with a powerful reminder. Even elite players often miss this. When he asks them to demonstrate impact, most get it wrong. But when he puts them into the right position, everything changes. Impact becomes their new reference point, and their swing transforms. Impact is not a result. It is the purpose. If you train it, your golf game will never be the same.