Eric Cogorno takes over School of Golf and starts with ground contact and an 80% rule

School of Golf has a new instructor. Eric Cogorno debuted alongside co-host Blair O'Neal in a season premiere GolfNow posted on Thursday, October 29, taking over the show Martin Hall hosted for 15 seasons and about 400 episodes, as Cogorno put it on air. His first lesson is the one he calls the most important skill in golf: getting the club to hit the ground consistently.

The episode was filmed on the range at Harkers Hollow Golf Club in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, near where Cogorno says he grew up and learned to play and coach. He says he has coached for 20 years and that most students arrive "confused" or "overwhelmed," so his goal for the season is clarity: a few things to work on and a plan. The season will build fundamentals, then move to driver, wedges and short game.

Three levels of ground contact

Cogorno lays out an order. First, the clubhead has to strike the ground. Second, it has to strike it in the same spot. Third, that spot has to be at or past the ball.

For step one he stresses arm length. The best ball strikers, he says, have their arms straightest and the clubhead farthest from them about 45 degrees past impact. Bent arms lift the club and lead to thin and fat shots. If straight arms aren't enough, he points to body tilt: lead shoulder down going back, trail shoulder down coming through, so you don't stand up out of the shot.

The 80% rule

To move the low point forward, Cogorno wants weight to go from 50/50 at address to about 80% on the lead foot by that 45-degree spot past impact. Arms straight and 80% forward, he says, is where good ball striking comes from.

Homework and the advanced tip

The homework comes in two levels. With an 8- or 9-iron, make three practice swings that each hit the ground, then hit one ball. Once that's reliable, make three swings that hit the ground at or past where the ball would be, then add a ball.

For better players, he adds that swing path moves the low point. The more a right-hander swings in-to-out, the farther back the low point goes. Swinging more left moves it forward. His preference is a neutral path, but if you're doing everything else and still hitting behind it, check whether your path has drifted too far in-to-out.