High Face Contact: What It Means and How to Fix It
A high-face strike sits above the center of the clubface, toward the crown. It's most often discussed on drivers, where it has a distinct effect on spin that's worth understanding before trying to fix it.
What a High Face Mark Looks Like
The disturbed patch sits above center, closer to the top edge of the face — the opposite of a low face strike. See how to read impact marks for the full picture.
What Causes High Face Contact
- Low tee height relative to your angle of attack. The most common driver cause — the ball sits lower than the swing's natural bottom point.
- A descending rather than ascending strike. Catching the ball on the way down instead of the way up pushes contact higher on the face.
What It Does to Ball Flight
High face contact generally lowers spin, which can actually help a golfer who spins the ball too much off the tee. Past a certain point, though, it costs ball speed and can produce a weak, high pop-up rather than a penetrating flight — the difference between a moderate and an extreme high-face strike matters here.
How to Fix It
- Raise your tee height to better match your natural angle of attack.
- Work on hitting up on the ball rather than down, especially with the driver.
- Track the pattern with impact spray to confirm the adjustment is actually moving contact toward center, not just toward the opposite extreme.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does high face contact add spin?
No — it generally lowers spin, which helps up to a point but can cost ball speed if the strike is extreme enough.
Is tee height really the cause?
It's the most common cause on driver, though a descending angle of attack can produce the same mark even at a reasonable tee height.
Does this happen more with driver or irons?
It's discussed most often with driver, since irons are played off the ground with a naturally descending strike already built into the swing.
How much distance does it cost?
It varies by how extreme the strike is — a moderate high-face strike costs less than a mark near the very top edge of the face.