Definition: "Closed face" refers to the position of the clubface relative to the target line at impact (the moment the clubface strikes the ball).
The ideal is to get the clubface to the ball square at impact. Picture a line extending straight forward from the ball on the target line. Now picture a line extending along and out from the clubface (from the heel to the toe and out). If the club is square at impact, those two lines will be perpendicular, forming a right angle.
However, with a closed face (a k a, a club that is closed at impact), the toe of the club is turned a little inward. The toe of the club is a little forward of the heel at impact. So the angle that is 90 degrees when the clubface is square is less than 90 degrees with a closed face.
A closed face is one of the common causes of the hook and the pull.
Also Known As: Closed clubface, shut, closed at impact
