guides
Square the Clubface: 6 Aids I Tested, $15-$295
I hit a push-slice on 16 last Saturday that started 40 yards right and never thought about coming back. Playing partner says “you left the face open.” He was right. He did not tell me how to stop doing it.
TrackMan data is clear: face angle determines 75-85% of the ball’s starting direction. Face-to-path determines curvature. If your face is 5 degrees open at impact, it does not matter what your path is doing. The ball is going right, every time. Path gets all the attention from instructors and YouTube videos, which is why most golfers never fix the right thing.
This guide is about face control only. Not slice fixes. Not hook fixes. Just the tools that teach you what a square clubface feels like, organized by which specific face fault each one fixes.
Which Face Fault Do You Have?
- Open face at impact: ball starts right and curves further right. Lead wrist is cupped at impact.
- Closed face at impact: ball starts left and curves further left. Lead wrist is overly bowed.
- Inconsistent release: ball goes right one swing, left the next. Your wrist timing varies every swing.
- Poor grip foundation: your hands are too strong or too weak at setup, making a square face impossible before you even swing.
The Picks
1. Alignment Sticks ($15-$30): Best Awareness Tool
Put two sticks on the ground: one along the target line, one perpendicular pointing at the ball. Square the face to the target-line stick and hit 20 balls. If every shot fades right, your face is open at impact. The sticks do not fix anything. They tell you whether you need fixing.
What works: $15 removes the “was I even aimed correctly” variable. What does not: it provides zero feedback during the swing. Buy if you do not know whether the problem is aim or swing. Skip if your alignment is fine and your face is still wrong.
2. Tour Striker Educator ($60-$65): Best Physical Feedback
The Educator is a molded plastic plate that clips onto your grip and rests against your lead forearm. If your wrist cups (extends), the plate lifts off and you feel it instantly. Flat wrist: plate stays. Cupped wrist: gap. Face control reduced to one physical sensation. No app needed. You can hit real balls with it.
What works: brutally simple. After 50 swings your body learns what a flat lead wrist feels like. The $57 direct price from tourstriker.com is slightly cheaper than Amazon. What does not: it only addresses lead wrist extension. If your face problem is trail hand dominance or body rotation, this will not help. Buy if your lead wrist is cupped at impact. Skip if your wrist is flat but the face is still open.
3. theHanger ($80): Best Visual Face Reference
The Hanger attaches to the club shaft and extends perpendicular to the clubface. It looks like a coat hanger glued to a golf club. As you swing, the Hanger gives you a visual reference for face angle throughout the entire motion. At address, halfway back, at the top, and through impact. When it points at the target at the top, your face is square. When it points at the sky, your face is open.
What works: shows you face angle visually in your peripheral vision during the swing. What does not: $80 for bent plastic. It is a visual reference only, no resistance or correction. Buy if you need to see where your face is throughout the swing. Skip if you want correction, not awareness.
4. IMPACT SNAP ($99-$124): Best Release Timing
The IMPACT SNAP is a grip-sized device with a weighted ball that slides along an internal track. Release correctly through impact and the ball snaps forward with an audible click. Flip, cast, or release early and it stays silent. The click tells you the face was released at the right moment. Release too early: open face. Release too late: closed face. The click gives you an audible cue instead of visual data.
What works: you do not need to look at anything. You hear the click or you do not. What does not: $99-$124 for a grip with a ball inside it. Trains release timing, not face angle directly. Buy if your release timing is inconsistent. Skip if your release is timed correctly but your face is still open. They are related but not the same.
5. SquareSet ($99): Best Grip-First Face Corrector
SquareSet forces both hands into a neutral grip and holds the clubface square. If your hands want to rotate the face open or closed during the swing, the attachment fights you. Grip is where face control starts. Too strong: closed face. Too weak: open face. No downstream training aid fixes a bad grip.
What works: addresses the root cause of most face problems. What does not: $99 for a molded grip accessory. Limited independent reviews. Sold through Performance Golf’s direct funnel at $99 (permanently marked down from $199). Buy if your grip is the root cause. Skip if your grip is neutral and your face is still inconsistent.
6. HackMotion Core ($295): Best Data-Driven Diagnostics
HackMotion is a wrist sensor that clips onto your glove and streams real-time wrist angle data to your phone. You can see exactly what your lead wrist is doing in degrees at impact. A cupped lead wrist (extension) opens the face. A flat or slightly flexed wrist squares it. The Core ($295) gives you the essential metrics and drills. The Plus ($495) and Pro ($995) add more data.
What works: real numbers in degrees, not feelings. After a session you know your lead wrist averaged 8 degrees of extension at impact. That is an open face problem confirmed. What does not: $295. It is a sensor, not a magic wand. Sold direct only. Buy if you want face angle data in degrees. Skip if $295 is too much. The Educator ($60) tells you the same thing through feel.
What I Would Actually Buy
Open face, never worked on wrist position: Tour Striker Educator ($60). It physically prevents the position that opens the face.
Inconsistent face, different miss every swing: IMPACT SNAP ($99). The audible click trains release timing.
Want exact data: HackMotion Core ($295). But start with the Educator first. Data is only useful once you know what correct feels like.
Budget fix: alignment sticks ($15) + Tour Striker Educator ($60) = $75.
Where to Buy
- Alignment Sticks (SuperStroke) $30 (generics from $15) at Amazon
- Tour Striker Educator $60-$65 at Amazon ($57 direct at tourstriker.com)
- theHanger $80 at Amazon
- IMPACT SNAP $99-$124 at Amazon
- SquareSet $99 at Amazon
- HackMotion Core $295 (search Amazon; sold direct from HackMotion)
I hit a push-slice on 16 because my lead wrist was cupped at impact. The Educator told me that in two swings. Two weeks later, my miss is a baby fade instead of a 40-yard push. Face control is not complicated. You just need a tool that does not let you cheat.