The C3 Method: A Golf Performance Framework

The C3 Method analyzes golf performance through three fundamental elements (the 3 C’s) that directly influence ball flight and scoring.

This framework provides a simplified but comprehensive approach to golf improvement.

1. CONTACT – That crucial instant when your club strikes the ball

Want to pure your irons? Flushing shots is all about nailing two things at impact:

• Face Contact: The location of impact on the clubface
  • Center strikes maximize energy transfer
  • Off-center strikes reduce distance and accuracy
  • Critical for consistent distance control
• Ground Contact (for shots from turf)
  • Ball-first contact
  • Proper divot after impact
  • Essential for clean, compressed shots

Performance Impact:

• Primary influence on distance control
• Major factor in consistency
• Affects both distance and accuracy

2. CONTROL – What the club head is doing at the moment of truth

Want to hit more fairways and greens? Accuracy and ball flight is all about your club’s movement through impact:

• Face Direction: Where the clubface is pointing at impact
  • Primary determiner of initial ball direction
  • Most influential factor in shot shape
  • Critical for accuracy
• Swing Path: The direction the club is traveling through impact
  • Influences shot shape (draws/fades)
  • Affects ball flight curvature
  • Key for intentional shot shaping

Performance Impact:

• Primary influence on accuracy
• Determines shot shape
• Essential for course management

3. CLUBHEAD SPEED – How fast the club head is moving at impact

Want to add more yards to your drives? Speed is the secret sauce of distance and scoring:

• Pure Clubhead Speed: How fast the club is moving at impact
  • Primary determiner of potential distance
  • Affects spin rates
  • Influences shot options available to player
• Speed Control: Managing speed for different shots
  • Partial shots
  • Distance control
  • Shot variety

Performance Impact:

• Primary influence on distance
• Affects strategy options
• Important for scoring ability

Application Framework

Every golf shot can be analyzed and improved through the 3 C’s. When applying the C3 Method, consider:

1. Which of the 3 C’s is most relevant?
2. How do proposed changes affect each of the 3 C’s?
3. What is the primary C goal for a particular improvement effort?

Core Principles

1. Skill over mechanics – All technique changes only matter if they improve the 3 C’s
2. Impact is everything – the only thing that matters is what happens when club meets ball
3. Different swings can work if they create good conditions in the 3 C’s
4. Improvement should be measured through results in the 3 C’s
5. Practice should target specific elements of the 3 C’s

Target Outcomes

Contact

• Consistently centered face contact
• Clean ground interaction
• Predictable distance control

Control

• Predictable ball flight
• Intentional shot shapes
• Improved accuracy

Clubhead Speed

• Optimized speed for skill level
• Consistent speed delivery
• Appropriate speed for situation

This framework provides a foundation for analyzing, teaching, and improving golf performance through the lens of what actually matters at impact.