Instruction
Why do low-handicap college golfers miss left?
As instructional tools evolve, we as teachers are better armed with technology that helps us become better instructors. The video feature on my Trackman helps me to better understand the dynamics of impact and the issues of faulty positions throughout the golf swing. While there are always idiosyncrasies that players can make up for at different times during the golf swing, it seems like I continually see some of the same swing flaws. In this article, I’d like to discuss an issue I tend to see in most low-handicap college golfers who are trying to become scratch or better.
With today’s style of “grip it and rip it,” we have seen the evolution of the grip — what once was more neutral has now become stronger in efforts to hit the ball greater distances. These stronger grips help to deloft the club at impact and with the higher ball speed players, this can mean prodigious distance shots with all clubs. The second thing these stronger grips can promote is a larger face-to-path relationship (as we’ll discuss below), which moves the ball on a stronger right-to-left ball-flight pattern, which for most players — not all — tends to create more distance.
While this is all good, sometimes this stronger grip can be the root of an issue in the golf swing that causes the ball to begin at the target and miss it a touch left. This is always a concern for these college players in tournaments when trying to access back left pins with bunkers, water, and out-of-bounds just left of the green. We have all “tugged” this type of shot starting the ball too much targetward, thus when it begins to curve, it’s gone.
Now as we have all seen before, the perfect impact dynamics look something like this to hit a push draw:
The ball begins in the direction of the face and curves away from the path. Thus, when the face angle at impact is between the path and the target as shown above, the ball will begin to the right and curve back to the pin.
Now, back to the grip and why it can become an issue with a stronger grip for the college kids.
This player has today’s normal grip, which shows between two to three knuckles on the left hand at address. This grip places a slight “cup” in the left hand at address. Whenever this “cup” is lost on the way back, the club face tends to shut as you can see in the photo above. Now the face is NOT brutally shut, but it is a touch more closed than I’d like to see for this right-to-left player at this point in the golf swing.
From here, the club face remains shut at the top and into delivery, almost mirroring the same club-face position I showed you on the takeaway earlier. When this happens, you are in trouble as you will see in a second.
As discussed, this player has begun with today’s stronger grip and shut the face on the way back, to the top, on the way down, and now is trying to deliver this slightly closed face through impact. From here, you will see that the problems begin in regard to missing the ball a touch left.
The player’s swing dynamic look like this, which will cause a draw that starts at the target and moves farther left:
His path is from in-to-out at 5.7 degrees, but the club is basically reaching impact in a square or target-ward condition. Whenever the face is pointing AT the target during impact with a rightward path, you will see the ball begin at the target and move farther left (with centered impact) as shown by the ball flight screen at the bottom right of the photo above. This slightly shut face upon impact increases the face-to-path ratio to 5.6 degrees, meaning the face angle at impact was almost 6 degrees left of the club’s path. This gives us a 12.7-degree spin axis.
Whenever the club and the face point different directions, you will tilt the ball’s spin axis and the ball will curve, and in this case, it’s going left of where this player wanted the ball to go.
Note: this is NOT a path issue, it’s a FACE issue. Because of the stronger grip, the club moved into a shut condition from the takeaway through to impact leaving this player to fight a draw that starts at the target, which always misses to the left of the target.
So what is the fix?
As the teacher, I could weaken the grip slightly or keep the “cup” in the left hand the player established at address into delivery. I could even try more radical solutions, like raising the vertical swing plane at impact, decreasing the dynamic loft, leaning the shaft more forward at impact.
However, before we go crazy, we should try to monitor the face, making sure it’s not moving into a shut condition during the swing. If the student cannot feel the face condition doing this and it still remains too shut into impact, then I am forced to do one of the above things in efforts to put his club into a more consistent delivery and impact condition.
The key for these lower-handicap players is to fix the things that are easy to fix before going off on a complex mechanical tangent that will take time and “sweat equity” on your part.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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Josh
Dec 21, 2014 at 6:24 pm
Click Here!
leo
Oct 3, 2014 at 2:52 am
the problem with the college players i have played with recently is they think they should try to birdie every hole.when i played in college we were taught to birdie the par 5s and go for green light pins maybe 6 per round.even after turning pro and playing a draw 95% of the time i would never miss left in the situation you described.if disaster lurkes just left aim a little more right try to make a 20-25 footer and live to fight another day with no worse than par
Tom Stickney
Oct 3, 2014 at 8:38 pm
Agree but sadly they are better now than we were then.
Matt Christian
Oct 2, 2014 at 5:36 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY3LGVreUuI
Rumble
Oct 1, 2014 at 9:53 pm
Hey Tom ,
I’m 24, stand at 5’4″ and carry the driver 250, and my 6 iron 180. However, the ball stops dead in the fairway on my drives, sometimes even ends up behind the pitch mark. I am very flexible and am told by everyone I have a “beautiful” swing, but I can’t seem to stop missing high and right. It generally starts right (sometimes way right almost shanked), and curves right near the end of flight. Often when the ball does start on line, it still falls off to the right. I do feel like I swing hard, as I sometimes wobble or my left foot swings open, and have thought for awhile of the typical fixes. My shoulders may open to fast, or my arms get stuck behind, my weight is stuck on my back foot, or I lose my tush line, but I can’t seem to pinpoint it for more than a couple swings. I know it is hard to give online instruction because there are so many variables, but do you have any ideas?
Its frustrating because I’ve always been a good putter, and I average 1.9 putts per green, and I get up and down just shy of 50%, but can’t seem to hit enough GIR’s to score well.
Tom Stickney
Oct 2, 2014 at 12:09 am
If you’re missing high and right your path is left of your target and your face is rt of the target at impact.
Rumble
Oct 2, 2014 at 9:00 am
Thank you for the quick response Tom
Tom Stickney
Oct 2, 2014 at 10:29 am
My pleasure.
Jeffcb
Oct 4, 2014 at 10:08 am
Hands could be ahead of the clubface at impact too huh? Its what I was taught and is the cause when I fan it. Gotta keep the clubhead moving past the hands. My pull draws (left misses) are because I stop turning my body and let my arms keep going. A fine line this game! I enjoy your articles Tom, lotsa food for thought.
Tom Stickney
Oct 4, 2014 at 7:30 pm
Thanks sir. Too much handle drag can be a killer in better players.
Set up
Oct 6, 2014 at 1:07 am
Rumble,
Try to pull your right leg back behind the right one, and then try to purposefully hit big hooks from way right to left when you practice next time, so you can see and feel the opposite of what you’re used to. It should help you recognize how you’ve been lining up and how you’re coming across the line. Then go back to the middle from there. You should be able to hit it straight from there, I think. But it’s hard to break that “comfortable” set up position in alignment. It’s going to take some practice to change it up completely, it’ll be weird and uncomfortable for a while.
JMaron
Oct 1, 2014 at 2:00 pm
My exact challenge – except I’m 52 years with a 1 handicap. Tried weakening my grip, but that feels so awful I gave up. Got a tip from an ex- tour pro about keeping the “cup” in the left hand through delivery…worked wonders for a while but definitely a battle.
I’ve tried to focus on maintaining that cup at impact, but have not found much consistency. Any other tips throughout the the whole swing that might help me keep that cup into delivery?
Tom Stickney
Oct 1, 2014 at 2:56 pm
It’s not about cupping the left wrist at impact- that’s incorrect. It will be flat and the shaft lean will hold the face from shutting too rapidly.
Jim Maron
Oct 3, 2014 at 8:00 am
Thanks Tom,
I appreciate the info.
JMaron
Oct 3, 2014 at 2:16 pm
I realize I incorrectly described the tip the ex playing pro gave me…it was to maintain an angle in the right wrist on impact and to have a sense that the heal strikes the ground first.
Felt obliged not to misquote him in a sense – even thought I didn’t mention his name. He also said I should look at some tips from Paul Azinger.
Tom Stickney
Oct 5, 2014 at 2:05 am
Appreciate it. Makes sense now. Bent right wrist with the feel of moving into the ball from the inside. Good thoughts.
derek
Oct 1, 2014 at 3:57 am
On course adjustments? I can miss them both ways aka i can work them both ways.
but lets say it the club championship and i dont wanna look like a fool.
If I notice on the driving range my shots are missing 5 to ten yards right of target whats the best slight adjustment ? I feel if i start messing with the grip mid round bad bad things are gonna happen.
Rather than mess with my grip would Lowering and moving the hands Forward a bit pull that miss back to the flag a bit? and vice versa for the 7 yard pull or over draw?
My go-to shot is a 250 pull fade (Chandelle? Payne Stewart) But I feel it and dont know the technical stuff other than my thoughts being I have an out to in swing, open stance with an open(?) club face at impact.
In pressure situations it calms the nerves and I can bunt the driver 250.(7k altitude)
TIA for your thoughts or stats
Tom Stickney
Oct 1, 2014 at 10:56 am
I’d never mess with my grip on the golf course. The key would be to get it around the course as best as possible any way you can and then find it again on the range after your round. Golf is all about score.
leo
Oct 3, 2014 at 2:31 am
with all those adjustments and swing thoughts it is amazing you can make contact.if you are missing all your shots 5-10 yds right aim 5-10 yds left and make a confident swing.this worked for nicklaus for about 30 years.
ChiefKeef
Sep 30, 2014 at 11:58 pm
Good read and refresher. I’d like to see a little more in-depth explanation(s) of the process you’d go thru with a better player to try and find the right “fix” for him/her…
Tom Stickney
Oct 1, 2014 at 10:58 am
The fix can be multiple things…but auditing your grip and release pattern would be the best place to begin.
Jeffcb
Sep 30, 2014 at 9:09 pm
Usually I’m trying to hit it too hard and my body opens up to the target line. Since I try and swing in to in I try and resist and swing smooth but it easier said than done in this game.
vinax
Sep 30, 2014 at 2:47 pm
Sorry to be an a s s.
But which college golfer hits a 7i @ 2667 rp backspin @ 13yard height & 25* land angle? Did you just pick a THINNED SHOT to show us this?
Tom Stickney
Sep 30, 2014 at 5:48 pm
You’re kidding me right? Sir, this is a sample shot to get the point across. Always better to show the extreme case rather than one that is not that far off.
COGolfer
Sep 30, 2014 at 10:17 pm
The entire point was to show a shot that was missed left… The shot you chose makes sense, because it’s a miss.
AJ
Sep 30, 2014 at 12:30 pm
AoA plays a big role in this too. Was AoA 0* in all the examples above?
Tom Stickney
Sep 30, 2014 at 1:36 pm
Yes. Aoa is consistent.
Jeff
Sep 30, 2014 at 5:29 am
I am a 1 who uses a neutral to slightly weak grip, and know I cup at the top. I see the draw in my head, but when I try my “normal” high draw shot, I tend to miss left with all clubs (as a miss). I can work it both ways, but find the draw easier and with stronger(more penetrating) ball flight. My ball does exactly what you say – starts at target and falls left, sometimes dramatically so. Could my path have something to do with this, or is it just face angle?
Tom Stickney
Sep 30, 2014 at 9:41 am
Face
Jeff
Oct 1, 2014 at 10:53 am
Thanks. So, with the weaker grip (one to on and a half knuckles showing), what’s the best way to get the face more to the right?
Tom Stickney
Oct 1, 2014 at 10:59 am
It could be something as simple as more shaft lean at impact.
christian
Sep 29, 2014 at 11:19 pm
Before I even clicked on the article I was thinking “because they usually hit a draw in order to get max distance”. Has it not been known “forever” that a good players miss is a hook/miss left? I think this is common knowledge, see no need for some in-depth analysis.
Tom Stickney
Sep 29, 2014 at 11:24 pm
While you do not- others do! It’s always best to truly explore and thus understand why things happen rather than guess. There is more to this article than meets the eye…
Bryan
Sep 30, 2014 at 10:14 am
Why would you even post a response like that… Seriously.. If you don’t like it; don’t read it! No need to bash someone’s work.
Tom Stickney
Sep 30, 2014 at 1:37 pm
People often criticize what they don’t fully understand. You can ALWAYS learn more.
MJ
Sep 30, 2014 at 12:35 pm
A good players miss is usually or block to the right. Of course this depends on the player but I would say the majority of good players would be able to control this over a hook.
MJ
Sep 30, 2014 at 12:40 pm
I guess I meant to say that is the miss that a good player is trying to achieve. When I mean good player, I mean pro.
Tom Stickney
Sep 30, 2014 at 5:49 pm
Everyone has their “issue” for sure
Alex
Sep 29, 2014 at 10:23 pm
I’m a 27 year old scratch and have been playing with a neutral grip for the past 14 years. Lately (last year or so) I’ve been thinking about trying out a stronger grip because so many of the college guys/mini tour pros I play with get it past me 10-20 yards.
This article has given me confidence to stick with the neutral grip. I love curving it both ways and I hate the pull and/or hook miss. Thanks for the great, easy to understand piece.
Tom Stickney
Sep 29, 2014 at 11:20 pm
My pleasure Alex
Jubby
Sep 29, 2014 at 5:29 pm
Better players in general tend to miss left more often than right. It’s mostly because they are coming in from a shallower angle versus a higher handicap that come over the top most of the time.
Tom Stickney
Sep 29, 2014 at 5:36 pm
Agree
keyser
Sep 29, 2014 at 10:00 pm
http://www.golfwrx.com/115076/the-myth-behind-the-one-way-miss/ .. do they?
Tom Stickney
Sep 29, 2014 at 11:25 pm
Keyser. I’m talking about strong gripped kids and ams- not Tour pros.
Carlos Danger
Sep 30, 2014 at 10:13 am
5 Handicapper here…
I have been a strong draw player my entire life. My natural setup is aim right and suck it in. About three years ago I decided to switch my driver swing to a fade and keep everything else the same. I paid very close attention to my scoring and where I was loosing strokes, the area other than the obvious (putting) was that I could count on 2-5 strokes per round that were a result of a drive missed WAY left…or as some people call a snap hook. Also, the club I joined is pretty much clockwise OB left so one or two snap hooks a round is not an option.
It took me about a year but I now am very confident standing on the tee box with a driver and while I have lost a little distance, my accuracy is much better. When I miss it is not a violent snap, its more of a balloon fade that lands soft.
In the transition, this fade swing worked its way into my irons from time to time which really F-d me up but seems I got that fixed as well. Just wondering if anyone else has this same mindset/game plan of fading the driver and pounding draws with everything else?
Tom Stickney
Sep 30, 2014 at 1:42 pm
I’ve seen many rounds played that way; whatever works best
SS
Sep 29, 2014 at 3:57 pm
All it means is that young kids are all wanting to hit longer with draws than lose distance with a cut. Why don’t they just learn to hit it both ways all the time and not stick to one shot shape?
Tom Stickney
Sep 29, 2014 at 5:37 pm
Everyone has a shot that they “see” and it’s best to stick with that most of the time.
Urrid
Sep 29, 2014 at 10:21 pm
So they “see” a hooked miss to the left ALL the time? Ridiculous
Tom Stickney
Sep 29, 2014 at 11:26 pm
Urrid– of course not. But players see either rt to left or vice versa. You have to play the shot you like to see most of the time.
Teaj
Sep 30, 2014 at 8:59 am
where did you get that? people play a draw because thats the way they like to see their flight. they get into the miss left because of face angle at impact with a draw swing plane (inside to out) and face square to target.
if you are comfortable hitting both draw and fade just the same good on you but im going to bet 99% of golfers rather hit one over the other. thats how I read the article and comments anyways.
Tom Stickney
Sep 30, 2014 at 9:42 am
Teaj– most players have their go-to shot pattern for sure. Agree.
Mickey Harris
Sep 29, 2014 at 2:48 pm
When I went through this phase my self a few years back, I found the same results through 3D launch monitors and the D-Plane. My fix was quite simple for me. For ME,, I managed the face by controlling post impact rotation. It worked dramatically fast and with relatively no growing pains. Golfing Machinist called my release “horizontal.” I called it the “nothing” feel. No reverse rotation, no hook rotation.
Tom Stickney
Sep 29, 2014 at 5:39 pm
Are you sure it wasn’t angled hinging? That’s usually described as a no roll procedure.
Jeff D.
Sep 29, 2014 at 2:48 pm
Interesting. I think demonstrates a lack of either understanding or trusting “shot shape” on behalf of the less than Pro Experienced Golfer. Every Instructor that I have ever heard – when explaining the shape of a draw says ” a shot that starts right of the target line and fall off on the target line – but not across it”. If I read correctly – this means that the college level golfer lines up incorrectly – either by accident or by refusing to “trust” the shot shape – both of which result in a shot that ends up left of the intended target.
Mickey Harris
Sep 29, 2014 at 2:50 pm
It just means more that thier club face is pointed too far left at impact.(righties) Alignments could be anywhere at that point.
Tom Stickney
Sep 29, 2014 at 5:40 pm
Correct mick
Tom Stickney
Sep 29, 2014 at 5:39 pm
Could be. But it’s usually a face to path issue.
TheFightingEdFioris
Sep 29, 2014 at 12:23 pm
Awesome stuff, had a student struggling with this very thing last week. Always nice to have affirmation of a diagnosis and fix! Keep up the great work.
Tom Stickney
Sep 29, 2014 at 5:40 pm
Thanks thefightinged
John R
Sep 29, 2014 at 12:18 pm
Good article. For students that cannot feel the face condition, do you have any ways for students to get a feel for the face condition before you move on to more… aggressive changes?
Mickey Harris
Sep 29, 2014 at 2:57 pm
What works for me is using what they know to be relative in their grip. Holding their grip and club at eye level, paralel to the ground, I teach them to feel their release going either way right or way left or staying stagnant. Some key words I use like “right palm to the sky for push slice” (right handers) “right palm to the ground for pull hooks.” They usually start to tap into thier innate feel at that point.
Tom Stickney
Sep 29, 2014 at 5:41 pm
Mick. Whatever works! 🙂
John R
Sep 30, 2014 at 11:58 am
Interesting, we’ll give it a shot. Thank you.
Tom Stickney
Sep 29, 2014 at 5:41 pm
Educate the hands and feel the face with chipping, pitching, and punch shots first.
John R
Sep 30, 2014 at 11:57 am
That makes sense. Thank you.