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Impact Snap is one of the most popular training tools in the golf industry. That says a lot, because the market is full of devices that promise to solve the weakness of golfers and most fail. It has won several awards and I know many swing instructors who use it to give their students a more functional impact position.
I recently had the opportunity to try the Impact Snap
for a few weeks. In this article I will give my impression of who I think it is for and whether it can help your swing.
What is Impact Snap Probe to Fix?
One of the problems that plague recreational golfers is struggling to get into a functional impact position. There are countless reasons why this happens. Many golfers notice that they "scoop" the club, resulting in weaker and inconsistent balls. This video from the TPI website gives a nice overview of what this looks like:
One thing that many skilled ball attackers have in common is how they look at impact. They often have a slight slanting axis with their hands in front of the ball. It is not the holy grail of golf. You can still take bad photos from that position, but it can give you a better chance.
Brooks Koepka at impact, notice where his hands are at impact and the shaft lean
The Impact Snap is designed to train your hands and wrist to get closer to that position, rather than having your hands well behind the ball. The primary feedback from the device is a popping sound that alerts you when you release your wrist. The goal is to prevent the sound from appearing earlier in your downswing and making it "click" closer to the moment of impact.
I can tell you anecdotally that working on my impact position has greatly helped my iron game over the last few years. I recently had my swing analyzed on a GEARS system that looks like a CT scan for your golf swing. You can see this image of my hands at impact, which makes my shaft lean forward and my hands for the ball. So it means that I remove my irons somewhat, which helps with ball compression and shooting distance.
You can see my hands in front of the ball in a shock with a forward slanting axis
My impressions
When I first received the Impact Snap, I was a little confused by the instructions. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about buying it, or who just received one, to watch this video. I believe this clarification on how to use it correctly:
I believe in the swing concept that the product is trying to promote. In recent years I have trained with the DST compressor, a similar product. The main difference is that it uses a curved shaft and a real golf club to provide feedback. I still use it and consider it one of my favorite tools. However, the DST compressor is difficult to use. If you don't get in the right position, you can shoot all kinds of ugly shots, which can frustrate golfers.
The DST compressor
After using the Impact Snap
for a few weeks, I feel it promotes a similar feeling, but you don't get feedback if you hit a ball. Instead, try to improve your wrist angles during your downswing to get the "snap" closer to the impact than earlier in your downswing.
It is hard to tell whether the Impact Snap has improved my swing because I usually do what it is trying to promote, but for me it reinforces the feeling.
To be honest, I am a bit torn for who this product is intended for. My impression is that a more advanced ball player might get bored because they want the feedback of a real golf shot. A product such as the DST Compressor or even the Tour Striker
may be more suitable for them.
A beginner for the moderately skilled golfer (especially those scoopers) may be better suited to the Impact Snap because it can help them learn the feeling without discouraging them. So I think the Impact Snap can help certain golfers, and I understand why it has been so popular in recent years.
Short Game Bonus
As a bonus, I think the Impact Snap can be a great tool to help people with their short games. If you turn the handle a 1/4 turn (as they describe in the video above) and let the yellow ball rest in your forearm, this can help you feel as if you are using your hands less with your chip or pitching movement , many golfers (including myself) can struggle with.
If many players just used it for this purpose, it could be the entry fee because many golfers waste a ton of hits on the greens because of active / flippy hands.
Final Thoughts
I understand why the Impact Snap is one of the training tools that has had some sustainability in the golf industry, which says a lot because it is a brutal market to succeed. When it comes to devices like this, it's hard for I recommend it to everyone because of the wide range of golfers reading this site. I think some of the feelings it promotes can help certain golfers with their full swing and short game.
I am concerned that some golfers, especially more advanced golfers, can use it multiple times, get bored and then stop using it. Golfers often expect immediate results and it just doesn't work that way. You need to do some work with using a product like this and take the time to try to transfer the feeling to your full pace. I could not promise the success, but it can point many of you in the right direction.
You can buy the Impact Snap here
for $ 99.