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LONG GAME · JOHNNY MILLER
Stop at Impact. Know Your Clubface.
Your drill at a glance
Johnny Miller’s stop at impact drill helps you recognise and control the clubface position instead of guessing where it is pointing.
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Johnny Miller places clubface control at impact at the heart of good golf. This mirror drill makes that skill something you can rehearse deliberately: stop square, stop open and stop closed. Say the matching cue as you arrive at impact, then check whether the face matches your intention. Use slow rehearsals without a ball.
Watch Johnny Miller’s impact drill
The video starts at 7:14, where the drill begins.
Step 1. Stop Square
What to do
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Set up in front of a mirror | Choose an imaginary target line and stand where you can check your impact position. Leave enough clearance for the club to stay well away from the mirror. |
| Rehearse and stop | Make a slow rehearsal into impact and say “Stop Square” as you stop. |
| Check the face | Square means the face is neither open nor closed to the target line. Check it, reset and repeat for six rehearsals. |
Use “Stop Square” as your straight-shot cue. Keep the movement slow enough to stop comfortably at the intended position.
Step 2. Stop Open
What to do
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Reset | Return to your setup with the same imaginary target line. |
| Name the position | Rehearse slowly into impact and say “Stop Open” as you stop. |
| Check and repeat | Open means the clubface is open to the target line. Check that the face matches the cue, then reset. Complete six rehearsals. |
Use “Stop Open” as the drill’s fade cue. Notice how this face position feels compared with square.
Step 3. Stop Closed
What to do
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Reset again | Use the same setup and target reference. |
| Name the position | Rehearse slowly into impact and say “Stop Closed” as you stop. |
| Check and repeat | Closed means the clubface is closed to the target line. Check the position, reset and complete six rehearsals. |
Use “Stop Closed” as the drill’s draw cue. Compare all three positions so you can recognise the difference.
Keep the practice simple
Complete six square, six open and six closed rehearsals: eighteen in total. Count one point when you stop and confirm the face matches the cue you called.
| Score | When to award it |
|---|---|
| 1 point | You stop under control with the clubface in the position you called. |
| 0 points | The face does not match your cue, or you cannot stop under control. |
Record one total out of 18. Reset between repetitions rather than rushing.
How this relates to shot shape
Square, open and closed here describe the face relative to the target line. On a struck shot, curvature also depends on the face relative to the swing path. With a centred strike, a face open to the path produces fade curvature for a right-handed golfer; closed to the path produces draw curvature. An open or closed face to the target alone does not guarantee that shape.
Further reading: Trackman’s face-to-path guide.
George’s Conclusion
Do not rush past the part you are trying to learn. Say the cue, stop and check. The mirror gives you feedback on whether the face is where you intended, and the three positions help you notice their different feels.
Keep these rehearsals slow. When you return to hitting balls, swing through normally and use the feedback to develop your awareness of the face.
