I am amazed at the technology for analyzing the golf swing these days. Trackman, Flight Scope, and others are tremendous tools which provide incredible amounts of data. From angle of attack to spin rate, launch angle and club head path, swing speed and ball speed, and on and on. All of which is great, but it can all become a bit overwhelming. It’s great fodder for the little professor (see Zombies and Professors).
That little professor is always looking for something more to yammer on about. But does it help? As with most things in golf, it depends. Some people respond well to the myriad of data points these tools provide, others are just further confused by it all. Luckily, we all have access to perhaps the best analysis tool available – the flight of the ball.
One of the best things these modern tools have done is to settle the great clubface/club path debate. In the past, the common teaching was that the club path determined the initial direction of the ball and the clubface determined the curve in ball flight. Using Doppler radar (Trackman, etc.) and super high-speed photography, the opposite is now known to be true. Wherever the clubface is “looking” at impact is where the ball flight will begin. The curvature of the shot is a result of the swing path relative to the clubface and the sidespin that is produced.
A couple definitions may be in order before going on:
– Target Line: An imaginary line through the ball to the target and extending back behind the ball.
– Inside the Line: The golfer stands inside the target line.
– Outside the Line: The area beyond the target line as viewed by the golfer.
For a perfect, straight shot, the club head path comes from inside the line to the target line and then back inside the line. At impact the club face is square to the target line and the club path is also square. That is, impact occurs just before the club head begins its return to inside the line. No side spin is produced so the ball flies straight.
With that bit out of the way, let’s look at the nine basic shot shapes and what causes each. The nine basic shot shapes can be further broken down into three categories. There are three shots that start to the left of the target line and then curve further left, go straight, or curve back to the right. There are three shots that start on the target line then curve left, stay straight, or curve right. Finally, three shots that start right, curve left, go straight, or curve right.
Let’s begin with those shots that start out left of the target line. For all three, the club face must be looking left of the target line. Remember, the club face is the primary determining factor in the initial direction of the shot. The curvature of the flight is due to side spin imparted on the ball by the path of the club. So, for a shot to start left and curve further left -the pull hook- the face is looking left, and the path is extremely from inside the line to outside the line. That path will impart counterclockwise spin on the ball, causing the flight to curve left. A shot that starts left but flies straight is caused by a swing path that is somewhat outside the line to inside the line.
Assume the clubface is pointed three degrees to the left of the target line at impact. If the swing path is outside the line to inside the line also by three degrees at impact, there will be no sidespin imparted on the ball. The result is a straight pull. Finally, a shot that starts left and curves back the right. In this case, the swing path is very much from outside to inside the target line. Again, let’s assume the clubface is three degrees left of the target line, but now our swing path is such that the club is traveling 6 degrees left, clockwise spin will be imparted on the ball causing a left to right flight of the ball.
I’ll leave it to you to work through the three shots that start straight and the three that start to the right. The principles are the same in all cases. Armed with this knowledge you are better equipped to analyze your own tendencies and work on corrections. For the quickest results schedule a lesson or series of lessons with me today. Just visit the Lesson Booking link in the navigation menu above.
If you’re not local to northern Alabama, find your nearest PGTAA or PGA teaching professional and book a lesson. I can promise one thing, the better you play the more fun you’ll have!
If you have any comments or questions about this or any of my posts, please feel free to use the comment section below. I look forward to hearing from you.
Doug