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We all know what we want our good shots to look like. But what about our bad ones? Do you really understand what your bad shot just did, beyond 'it went left' or 'it went right.'
Good players work backwards from what the ball is doing, and when they do, they get specific.
These things matter, and it's the subject of our latest Film Study video, which you can watch on YouTube right here (or below!)
What are the laws of ball flight?
The laws of ball flight are a basic teaching principle that golfers use to understand what is causing their shots. It's a combination of where your clubface is pointing at impact, and where your club path is traveling at impact. Put those two things together, and you can get nine different, basic ball flight combinations.
The reason why this matters is because different ball flights—even ones that go in the same general direction, are caused by different things.
Using some images from our Ball Flight Builder Tool (which you can check out right here), we can see how.
A slice, for instance, is a shot that curves wildly and ends to the right. It's caused when the club path is moving left, and the club face is pointing to the right—and there's an extreme difference in the two.
A push, however, is a shot that also ends to the right. But instead of curving to the right, it flies straight to the right. This is because their clubface and club path are both pointing to the right. There's no difference between the two.
Golf Digest+ members can dive deeper into this important concept using our new interactiveBall Flight Builder Tool right here.
The slice golfer needs something like an over-the-top tip (like this one!); something to stop their swing path moving so far to the left.
The push golfer needs the literal opposite tip (here's a good one!). Maybe they need to move their swing path more to the left, or something to close their clubface more.
Why you should care
They're incredibly different solutions, even though the end result looks vaguely similar on the surface. If each golfer tried the other's, they'd each get worse.
And this is why good players know the ball flight laws inside and out, and pay attention to them every day. Because it helps them problem solve quickly, without flailing around on bad solutions.
Golf Digest+ members can dive deeper into this important concept using our new interactive Ball Flight Builder Tool right here.
Continue reading...
Good players work backwards from what the ball is doing, and when they do, they get specific.
- Where is the ball starting?
- How is the ball curving?
These things matter, and it's the subject of our latest Film Study video, which you can watch on YouTube right here (or below!)
What are the laws of ball flight?
The laws of ball flight are a basic teaching principle that golfers use to understand what is causing their shots. It's a combination of where your clubface is pointing at impact, and where your club path is traveling at impact. Put those two things together, and you can get nine different, basic ball flight combinations.
- Straight
- Pull
- Push
- Slice
- Hook
- Pull-Fade
- Push-Draw
- Pull Hook
- Push-Slice
The reason why this matters is because different ball flights—even ones that go in the same general direction, are caused by different things.
Using some images from our Ball Flight Builder Tool (which you can check out right here), we can see how.
A slice, for instance, is a shot that curves wildly and ends to the right. It's caused when the club path is moving left, and the club face is pointing to the right—and there's an extreme difference in the two.
You must be registered for see images attach
A push, however, is a shot that also ends to the right. But instead of curving to the right, it flies straight to the right. This is because their clubface and club path are both pointing to the right. There's no difference between the two.
You must be registered for see images attach
Golf Digest+ members can dive deeper into this important concept using our new interactiveBall Flight Builder Tool right here.
The slice golfer needs something like an over-the-top tip (like this one!); something to stop their swing path moving so far to the left.
The push golfer needs the literal opposite tip (here's a good one!). Maybe they need to move their swing path more to the left, or something to close their clubface more.
Why you should care
They're incredibly different solutions, even though the end result looks vaguely similar on the surface. If each golfer tried the other's, they'd each get worse.
And this is why good players know the ball flight laws inside and out, and pay attention to them every day. Because it helps them problem solve quickly, without flailing around on bad solutions.
Golf Digest+ members can dive deeper into this important concept using our new interactive Ball Flight Builder Tool right here.
Continue reading...
