Instruction
Use the new ball flight laws to understand your tendencies
If you are a golfer over the age of 25, you were probably taught the old ball flight laws. You know, the one stating that club path determined the starting direction of the golf ball and that face controlled the curvature. If so, you were probably shown a ball flight law poster similar to the one shown below. Ignore it.
We now know, thanks to studies done on Doppler radar launch monitors like FlightScope and Trackman, that the old ball flight laws are invalid. The golf ball actually starts in the direction of the face angle at impact and it curves away from the club path provided a golfer has centered impact. With drivers, face angle controls about 85 percent of a ball’s starting direction.With irons, face angle accounts for about 75 percent of a golf balls starting direction. As loft is added, the ratio is reduced.
Note: For the sake of this article, we are going to assume that all your shots are a centered strike. When shots are hit off-center, something called “Gear Effect” applies, which changes the launch and spin of a shot.
The New Ball Flight Laws
- Curvature is created when the path of the club and the face angle of the club point in different directions at impact.
- When the path and the face are pointing in the same direction at impact, you can hit a pull, a straight shot, or a push depending on where the face and the path are pointing. The ball will not curve unless another force is acting upon it, such as wind, slopes, off-center hits, etc.
- The ball mostly starts in the direction of the face angle at IMPACT (green arrow).
- The clubface direction at ADDRESS does NOT control the face angle direction at impact, however, it can influence it.
- The ball curves away from your swing path (blue arrow).
- Divots do not tell you starting direction, true club path, angle of attack, curvature or exact lie angle. They are virtually worthless for you to use to determine what happened during impact.
How Doppler Radar Launch Monitors Show Golf Ball Curvature
- Club Path shows us if you are swinging in-to-out, down-the-line, or out-to-in. Negative numbers are out-to-in, while positive numbers show in-to-out.
- Face Angle tells you what direction the clubface was pointing at IMPACT. Negative numbers show that the face was pointing left of the target line, and vice versa for positive numbers.
- Face-to-Path Ratio is the difference between these two entities. With longer clubs, the bigger the face to path number, the more curvature you will see with a centered impact. Negative numbers show that the face was left of the path and positive numbers show the face right of the path.
- Launch Direction shows where the ball started relative to the target. Negative numbers will result if the ball begins to the left of your target, and positive numbers will result if the ball begins to the right of the target.
- Spin Axis shows us the curvature of the ball or tilting of its axis. Negative numbers result if the ball moves to the left and positive numbers result if the ball moves to the right.
You can see all these numbers at once in the ball flight screen below. Click the photo to enlarge the image.
Now, I’ll explain the numbers that create a “Pull Hook.”
- The club path is 4.5 degrees right of the TARGET.
- The club face is -8.5 degrees left of the TARGET.
- The face-to-path is -13 degrees.
- The launch direction is -6.1 degrees left of the TARGET.
- The spin axis is -18.8, showing the movement of the ball to the left.
This ball started a touch left of the target line and curved further away from the path, missing the target way left. Obviously it’s easy to see these actions when you have a FlightScope Trackman handy, but how do you best audit your ball’s flight when you are alone on the range?
Note: Remember, we are assuming a centered strike, because a toe hit can create a similar spin axis.
- Build a practice station with sticks on the ground along your feet and your target line so you “know” you are lined up the way you feel best works for your game.
- Place a target ball in front of and in-line with your golf ball and the target as shown in this photo.
- Hit the ball and ask yourself a few questions:
Where did the ball begin relative to my target ball that I put down? What did the ball do at the apex of its flight?
- If your ball begins left of the target ball, your club face was pointed left of the target at impact.
- If your ball begins right of the target ball, your club face was pointed to the right of the target at impact
After you determine your starting direction, look at the curvature of the ball and ask yourself the following questions.
- Did the ball curve right of where the ball started? If so, your path was left of your ball’s starting direction.
- Did the ball curve left of where the ball started? If so, your path was right of the ball’s starting direction.
When you know the answer to these questions, you have determined where your ball started and how it curved. Thus, you have backed into the impact alignments between your path and face at impact. We know this is not an exact science and Gear Effect can alter these curvatures, but this is a great way to at least get started understanding the new ball flight laws.
Have some fun at the range today!
The LPGA Tour is kicking off its 2026 season this week at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, and the pros are dealing with something most Florida golfers rarely face: freezing temperatures.
“It’s colder here than in the UK at the minute, which is a first,” said England’s Charley Hull during Wednesday’s media day at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Even Lydia Ko, who lives at Lake Nona, seemed surprised by the cold snap. “We’re pretty much getting to below zero in celsius here, which maybe in other parts of the country they would be thankful, but when you’re in Florida it is a little bit of a surprise,” she said.
If the world’s best players are adjusting their games for cold weather, recreational golfers should, too. Here’s how to play smart when the mercury drops.
Understand What Cold Does to Your Game
Before you change anything, you need to know what you’re fighting against. Cold air is denser than warm air, which means your ball won’t fly as far. Period.
Hull noticed this immediately during practice rounds at Lake Nona. She mentioned hitting a gap wedge into the 18th hole during a previous win but needing a 4-iron during Tuesday’s practice round. That’s a difference of four or five clubs for the same shot.
Action item: Expect to lose 5-10 yards on every club in your bag when temperatures dip below 50 degrees. Plan accordingly and don’t be stubborn about club selection.
Layer Up Without Restricting Your Swing
Hull admitted she wore three pairs of pants during practice. While that might be extreme for most of us, staying warm is critical to playing well in cold conditions.
Your muscles need warmth to function properly. When you’re cold, your body tightens up and your swing gets shorter and faster. Neither of those things help you hit good golf shots.
Action item: Wear multiple thin layers instead of one bulky jacket. Look for golf-specific cold weather gear that stretches with your swing. Keep hand warmers in your pockets between shots. And don’t forget a good hat because you lose significant body heat through your head.
Take More Club Than You Think You Need
This is where ego gets in the way of good scores. When it’s cold, the ball doesn’t compress as well off the clubface. Combined with denser air, you’re looking at serious distance loss.
The pros at Lake Nona are dealing with a course that measures 6,642 yards but plays much longer this week. If they’re adjusting, you should too.
Action item: Take at least one extra club on every approach shot. In temperatures below 40 degrees, consider taking two extra clubs. It’s better to fly the ball to the back of the green than to come up short in a bunker.
Adjust Your Expectations on the Greens
Cold weather affects putting in ways most golfers don’t consider. The ball is harder and doesn’t roll as smoothly. Your hands are cold, making it harder to feel the putter. And if there’s any moisture on the greens, they’ll be slower than normal.
Ko mentioned that she still sometimes reads the greens wrong at Lake Nona despite being a member for years. Cold weather makes that challenge even tougher.
Action item: Hit putts more firmly than usual. The ball needs extra speed to hold its line on cold greens. Take a few extra practice strokes to get a feel for the speed before you putt.
Embrace the Mental Challenge
Hull said something interesting about cold weather golf: “I like the mental toughness of it.”
That’s the right attitude. Everyone on the course is dealing with the same conditions. The player who stays patient and doesn’t get frustrated by the extra difficulty will come out ahead.
Action item: Lower your expectations by a few strokes. If you normally shoot 85, accept that 90 might be a good score in 40-degree weather. Focus on solid contact and smart decisions rather than perfect shots.
Warm Up Longer and Smarter
This might be the most important tip of all. Cold muscles are tight muscles, and tight muscles get injured easily.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul revealed she’s been protecting a wrist injury that bothered her late last season. Cold weather makes those kinds of injuries more likely if you don’t prepare properly.
Action item: Spend at least 20 minutes warming up before your round. Start with stretching, then hit easy wedge shots before working up to your driver. Keep moving between shots on the course to maintain body heat and flexibility.
The pros at Lake Nona this week will adapt and compete at the highest level despite the cold. You can do the same at your local course by following these tips and keeping a positive attitude.
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 “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, 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!
Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour, and whether you love him or hate him, the guy knows how to win when it matters. After his LIV Golf stint, the five-time major champion returns this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.
What makes Koepka fascinating? He doesn’t fit the mold. His swing isn’t textbook. He doesn’t obsess over mechanics. Yet he’s won three PGA Championships and two U.S. Opens, regularly making it look easier than guys with prettier swings.
So, what can average golfers learn from someone who treats the game so differently? Quite a bit.
Stop Overthinking Every Shot
Koepka describes his approach as “reactionary” rather than mechanical. While most tour pros grind over swing thoughts, Brooks sees the target and hits it. No mental checklist.
This might be the most valuable lesson for weekend golfers who’ve watched too many YouTube swing videos.
How to actually do this:
On the range, hit five balls where you stare at the target for three seconds prior to addressing the ball. Don’t think about grip or stance. Just burn that target into your brain. You’ll be shocked at how pure you hit it when your brain focuses on where the ball is going instead of how you’re swinging.
Next time you play, give yourself a rule: Once you pull the club, you’ve got 15 seconds to hit. Koepka is one of the fastest players on tour because he doesn’t give his brain time to sabotage him.
If you feel tension in your hands at address, you’re trying to control too much. Koepka’s grip pressure is famously light. Loosen up until the club almost feels like it might slip, then add just enough pressure to hold on. That’s your swing thought: soft hands, see the target.
This approach works better under pressure. When you’re standing over that shot with water left and OB right, the last thing you need is a mental checklist. See it, feel it, hit it.
Play to Your Strengths (Even If They’re Not Pretty)
Koepka uses a strong grip that wouldn’t pass muster in some teaching circles. But he’s built his game around what works for him, elite driving distance and recovery skills. He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not.
Here’s how to build your game like Brooks:
Look at your last five rounds and figure out where you’re actually gaining strokes. Bombing it off the tee, but can’t hit greens? Lean into it. Play courses where distance matters more than precision. On tight holes, grip down on your 3-wood instead of trying to thread a driver through a keyhole you’ll miss seven times out of ten.
Koepka knows he can scramble, so he’s not afraid to miss greens. If you’re deadly from 50 to 75 yards, start leaving yourself those distances on the par 5’s instead of going for them in two every time.
Know when to take your medicine. Koepka in the trees at the PGA? He’s punching out to 100 yards, not trying to bend a 6-iron around three oaks. You’re in the rough with a flyer lie and water short? Hit your 8-iron to the middle and move on. That’s not playing scared, that’s playing smart.
Save Your Best for When It Counts
Here’s a wild stat: Koepka’s putting average in majors is often more than a full stroke better per round than in regular events. He elevates when pressure is highest.
How does an amateur tap into that gear? It’s not about trying harder, it’s about caring differently.
Here’s what actually works:
Decide which rounds matter to you. Club championship? Member-guest? That annual trip with college buddies? Circle those dates and treat them differently. Koepka doesn’t care much about regular tour events, but majors? That’s when he locks in.
Two weeks before your big round, change your practice. Stop beating balls mindlessly. Play nine holes in which every shot has consequences. Miss the fairway? Hit from the rough on the next hole too. Three-putt? Twenty push-ups. Koepka’s practice intensity ramps up before majors because he’s rehearsing pressure, not just swings.
Develop a between-shot routine that resets your brain. Koepka is famous for his blank expression after bad shots. Try this: After any shot, take three deep breaths while walking, then find something specific to notice, a tree, a cloud, someone’s shirt. That’s your reset button. By the time you reach your ball, the last shot is gone.
The Bottom Line
Brooks Koepka’s return reminds us there’s no single path to success in golf. His “substance over style” approach proves that results matter more than looking good.
You don’t need a perfect swing; you need a reliable one that holds up under pressure. You don’t need to hit every shot in the book; you need the shots you can count on. And you don’t need to play great every time; you need to play great when it matters.
Welcome back, Brooks. Thanks for the reminder that golf is ultimately about getting the ball in the hole, not winning style points.
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 “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, 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!
Blades Brown made a big impression last week in the California desert, and not just because he’s only 18. He put up numbers that would catch any weekend golfer’s attention. Most of us won’t hit 317-yard drives or find 86% of our greens in regulation, but there’s a lot to learn from how Brown managed his game at The American Express.
Here are three practical lessons from his performance that you can use on your own course this weekend.
Step 1: Give Priority to Accuracy Over Distance Off The Tee
Brown’s driving stats are impressive. He averaged almost 318 yards off the tee, ranking 12th in the field. More importantly, he hit 76.79% of his fairways, tying for fourth place in the tournament.
Think about that ratio for a second. Brown could have swung harder, chased more distance and tried to overpower the course. Instead, he played smart golf and kept his ball in play.
Your Action Item: Next time you’re on the tee box, ask yourself a simple question before pulling the driver. Do you need maximum distance here, or do you need to be in the fairway? If there’s trouble lurking or the hole doesn’t demand every yard you can muster, take something off your swing. Grip down an inch. Make a three-quarter swing. Do whatever it takes to find the short grass. Brown’s approach illustrates that fairways lead to greens, and greens lead to birdies. He made 22 of them last week, along with an eagle.
The math is simple. When you’re hitting three out of every four fairways like Brown did, you’re giving yourself legitimate looks at the green with your approach shots. That’s when scoring happens.
Step 2: Commit To Hitting More Greens
This is where Brown really separated himself. He hit 62 of 72 greens in regulation, an 86.11% clip that tied for first in the entire field. Read that again. An 18-year-old kid tied for the lead in one of the most important ball-striking statistics in professional golf.
How did he do it? By keeping his ball in the fairway (see Step 1) and giving himself clean looks with mid-irons and wedges.
Your Action Item: Start tracking your greens in regulation. You don’t need a fancy app or a statistics degree. Just mark down whether you hit the green in the regulation number of strokes. Par 3s in one shot. Par 4s in two shots. Par 5s in three shots.
Once you know your baseline, set a goal to improve it by 10%. If you’re currently hitting five greens per round, aim for six. The beauty of this approach is that it forces you to think strategically about club selection and shot shape. Brown’s strokes gained approach number was positive (0.179), meaning he was better than the field average. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be on the dance floor more often.
When you hit more greens, you eliminate the need for heroic short game shots. Brown only had to scramble 10 times all week, and he got up and down 70% of the time. That’s solid, but the real story is that he rarely put himself in scrambling situations to begin with.
Step 3: Minimize Mistakes And Stay Patient
Here’s the stat that jumps off the page: Brown made only three bogeys all week. Three. In four rounds of professional golf against the best players in the world.
He also made just one double bogey. That kind of clean card doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you play within yourself, avoid the big miss and trust that pars are never bad scores.
Your Action Item: Before your next round, decide that you’re going to play boring golf. No hero shots over water. No driver on tight holes just because you can. No aggressive pins when there’s a safe side of the green.
Brown’s performance shows us that consistency beats flash every single time. He didn’t lead the field in any single strokes gained category, but he was solid across the board. That’s how you post numbers and cash checks.
Give these three steps a try. Your scorecard will thank you.
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” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, 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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Dave
Jul 3, 2024 at 10:25 pm
This is very misleading. In the real world the “old way” is what still holds true. I have even seen robots hit balls and the “old way” proves correct every single time. Swing path determines where the ball starts and face angle the direction the ball curves…I have also hit countless shots around trees myself and everytime the ball starts put on my swing path and curves due to where the face is pointing. Ive also worked with hundreds of players and seen the same thing with my own eyes. At least I can see the swing path and when I adjust their clubface the desired result occures. So every real world example of the “old way” works…What are you trying to do here? Is this some marketing ploy to get you students or sell a book or system? I mean what sort of real world application does all this doppler data have,really? I mean the only time face angle has any effect on the first few feet of ball direction is on really soft shots or chips. Everything else in the real world is the way we have known it for 400 years.
Sorry man…this is all BS.
Olle Eriksson
Jul 1, 2023 at 4:29 pm
I can’t seem to find any references anywhere to the studies the new ball flight laws are coming from. Do you have any information on who conducted these studies and where I can find them?
Mark C
May 5, 2016 at 3:49 pm
Tom,
I am very late coming to this party, but for over 20 years I’ve been an old school thinker. Wow, this article does open my eyes. According to the monitors I swing 1-2 degrees out to in and 1-2 degrees with an open face, which produces a nice little fade that starts just left of the target. But I really struggle trying to draw the ball when I have to. I just close the club face at address which in hindsight, makes the ball start way left. Based upon this model, what should I be doing to try and draw the ball, open the face a little and swing more in to out?
Mark C
May 9, 2016 at 9:08 am
Update: I opened the face and swung out to the right resulting in the prettiest high draws that I have ever seen. For over 20 years I believed I couldn’t hit the that shot because I was making adjustments based upon the wrong “rules”. Thanks Tom, you’re the best!!!
Pat
Nov 16, 2014 at 12:05 pm
My mishits are usually a push or hook. I do try to practice a slightly in to out swing. My good shots are usually a push draw. I’ve been taught that having a slightly in to out swing ever since I was 8 years old will always be better than a out to in swing. More distance, more ball speed and it’s a better player’s miss. Only hacks swing out to in therefore hitting weak banana slices or dead pulls that go nowhere. My divots usually are dead straight or slightly pointed right. When they start pointing left is when I know my swing is way off(over the top and not initiating enough hip rotation on the down swing) and that I need to practice more and incorporate the proper drills to get my swing path back on track.
B-Haf
Nov 7, 2014 at 3:08 pm
read this article just recently and went to the range to work on my driver. hitting the ball straight never seemed so easy. i could previously hit target, but always with a curve and some extra spin than needed. now it’s closer to point and shoot. amazed at how i’ve not figured out these laws on my own. thanks for sharing.
tom stickney
Nov 7, 2014 at 4:49 pm
We were all fooled…glad to hear! Thanks for the note
James
Nov 6, 2014 at 6:00 pm
I was told even back in the 1960s as a kid that the way you hit a draw is swing slightly inside to out and the face has to be square to just barely closed. Not sure how this was known without a launch monitor. I have always been told the face angle determines the initial direction.
Tom Stickney
Nov 6, 2014 at 10:15 pm
Square or closed to what? The path…or the target? That’s the misconception.
Andrew Cooper
Nov 6, 2014 at 12:50 pm
Agreed the divot, usually, happens after impact so angle of attack will influence direction. But the big out to in path swing will still produce very leftward divots, especially if we add in excessive steepness- angle of attack and path will result in divots that are reflective of what was happening at impact-divots are not randomly created. Wouldn’t a golfer with a steep, over the top, out to in move see shallower and less leftward divots as they improve their swing to a shallower and less out to in move?
Tom Stickney
Nov 6, 2014 at 3:49 pm
Sure. Extremes are easy to correlate.
privateclubpro
Nov 6, 2014 at 10:06 am
The old flight laws are still possible though, aren’t they Tom? I think that they are just a very conservative approach. They highlight 9 possible ball flights, where the possibilities are actually endless. If someone had a +4 path with a +3 face angle, that would create the push draw/hook, no? A +4 path with a +5 face would create the push fade/slice, no? Those 9 flights we used to rely on, but I think your data shows that they are just a starting point, when described properly. A 0 face and a +4 path wont create the push draw as we perhaps used to think…?
tom stickney
Nov 6, 2014 at 12:13 pm
The only point I was trying to get across was that under the old laws we assumed the ball began on the line of the path, not the face as we know now
privateclubpro
Nov 6, 2014 at 1:37 pm
I agree, bit it’s not the face exclusively…it’s the combination that gets you a launch direction. Face will account for more than we gave credit for perhaps, but the LD (which is what is being discussed) will neither start on the path nor the line, unless those two numbers are exactly the same.
Tom Stickney
Nov 7, 2014 at 4:50 am
Never said it was one or the other…launches mostly in the direction of the face.
privateclubpro
Nov 7, 2014 at 9:58 am
Really appreciate your work online, your articles, videos and instruction – thanks for the time taken to respond to everyone! Fun discussion!
Tom Stickney
Nov 8, 2014 at 2:19 am
Pri- all my pleasure!! Thx sir.
Larry Armatage
Nov 6, 2014 at 9:10 am
Hi Tom; Great article, thank you. My only reaction is the statement that the “old Ball Flight Laws stated that club path determined the starting direction of the golf ball and that face controlled the curvature”….. and that your conclusion is that the ‘old’ Ball Flight Laws are invalid.
A great friend, and great teacher, Dr. Gary Wiren wrote the ‘old invalid’ laws…. Gary was the author of “The PGA Teaching Manual” written in 1999.
Here’s what it says, on Page 34, second paragraph, EXACT WORDS; “Face position has a greater potential to influence the flight of the ball than swing path; although the path of the swing does influence the ball’s starting direction, it is of lesser influence than the face. The ball’s starting path will always fall in between the face and path direction, favouring the face angle.”
It seems to me that your article agrees with these old invalid ball flight laws, and differs only with statements that were never presented by Gary. To have this knowledge (of a lot years ago) validated by the very latest in diagnostic equipment is testament to the power of observation and careful thought on the subject by Wiren. I don’t think it’s reasonable to present statements that were never made by Gary.
Thanks for the article…. my only question is could you please elaborate on the alignment station,’ as shown in this photo’. My computer doesn’t show this photo very well.
Best regards,
Larry Armatage, PGA of Canada
tom stickney
Nov 6, 2014 at 12:15 pm
Thanks for the note. Gary’s description was lost in translation…the only thing most people heard was path controlling the starting direction as it pertained to the masses
Andrew Cooper
Nov 6, 2014 at 9:02 am
Thanks for the article Tom. Regarding divots being “virtually worthless” when determining what happens at impact-wouldn’t a right hander with an out to in swing path not create leftward divots? Wouldn’t steep or shallow divots, or divots before or after the ball not give an indication of angle of attack and low point? or toe/ heel deep divots not suggest a swing/lie angle issue?
Also when can we stop calling these the “new” ball flight laws? The ball essentially responds to the club exactly the same way now as it did 500 years ago-equipment aside.
tom stickney
Nov 6, 2014 at 12:16 pm
I can have a leftward divot and a rightward path due to the path being shifted by the downward angle of attack.
Andrew Cooper
Nov 6, 2014 at 1:18 pm
Thanks for the reply.
Tom Stickney
Nov 8, 2014 at 2:19 am
My pleasure
marcel
Nov 5, 2014 at 10:53 pm
radar can do a fair bit to simulate your swing. but i did not have the same results on course than on radar… i can shape ball fairly well left and right where the radar was always biasing me to draw… i am working on my swing with AAA+ coach and that is way better to improve than radar… pass the swing speed and smash factor i dont think its any good.
tom stickney
Nov 6, 2014 at 12:18 pm
It could be an alignment issue on the golf course…take the trackman on the course with you to see why it happens that way. That’s what I do with all my students with the same problem
snowman
Nov 5, 2014 at 2:00 pm
I am Over 25; a reasonably competent player and never played with a lot of intentional curve on my shots, but until I understood these ‘new laws’ that came out a couple of years ago, I always struggled when trying to hit a recovery shot that had to curve around a tree (I always hit the tree because I aimed the face at the tree and trusted the path of the swing to determine the starting line of the shot…duh-“old ball flight laws” didn’t work).
Tom Stickney
Nov 5, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Thx snow. We’ve all done the same thing. 🙂
Tin Whistle
Nov 5, 2014 at 11:20 am
this made my limited amount of hair hurt
Tom Stickney
Nov 5, 2014 at 4:01 pm
Then it’s not for you tin
Mike T
Nov 5, 2014 at 11:13 am
Baffled by this article. You have a beautiful chart on ball flight that is wrong, but not one that shows the correct ball flight laws. You mention gear effect, but no explanation on how it effects ball flight. I’m old school, but I have instinctively known that the ball is going to start in the direction the club face is pointed and the swing path will determine if the ball curves left or right. Please take this article back to the drawing board.
Tom Stickney
Nov 5, 2014 at 4:01 pm
Mike– this article can’t do everything. My other articles have covered great effect.
Dan Sueltz
Nov 4, 2014 at 8:13 pm
And the impact of the shaft on the face angle can be pretty huge based upon our testing. Too soft or stiff and face angle at impact can change by up to 2 degrees. Can also change attack angle and spin axis. Have you seen this?
Tom Stickney
Nov 4, 2014 at 8:42 pm
100%
Kevin
Nov 5, 2014 at 10:00 am
What numbers are relevant to lefties here? Which ones do we think the opposite or are all these the same?
Tom Stickney
Nov 5, 2014 at 10:19 am
Sorry Kevin. This was written for the righty
Lam.b
Nov 4, 2014 at 10:22 am
well, they are all wrong, my bad
Lam.b
Nov 4, 2014 at 10:20 am
The push hook is wrong in the image. Cant push it with a closed to the target face.
Knobbywood
Nov 4, 2014 at 12:44 pm
Lol reading comprehension my friend… Mr stickney clearly states that that image is incorrect
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Todd
Nov 4, 2014 at 8:52 am
The golf research book, “Search For the Perfect Swing” showed that that the ball starts closer to the face than the path way back in 1968. This book was required reading for PGA apprentices for many years.
Tom Stickney
Nov 4, 2014 at 9:06 am
Great book.
birly-shirly
Nov 4, 2014 at 7:13 am
Tom – in the absence of measured club/ball data, how do you feel about the strategy of first dealing with clubface alignment relative to the path to get generally straight, albeit pushed or pulled, shots. And then tackling the issue of swing direction?
Tom Stickney
Nov 4, 2014 at 9:07 am
Depends on the player and the severity of their misses.
darrell
Nov 3, 2014 at 9:05 pm
Many PGA teachers have known this information for years…….we just couldn’t prove it. I have a question for you: Based on this information, many of the top putting guru’s promote a “stroke” that is directly opposite of this data. Specifically, a curved putting stroke, while opening and closing the putter face. This has to be the worst way to square the putter face. A straight back and through stroke should be the easiest way to start the ball on the intended line. Your thoughts?
tom stickney
Nov 4, 2014 at 12:10 am
S t S strokes require an artificial manipulation of the lead forearm to hold the putterface square to the line on the backswing and vice versa on the way back through from a biomechanical standpoint. However, if you feel that a StS stroke works better for you then go for it..
Pudder
Nov 4, 2014 at 2:58 am
The difference between the irons/woods versus putter is….. SPEED & LIFT.
Physically, you’re not imparting enough speed in putting to make it spin enough, and there is also not enough off the ground as the ball strikes the ground immediately (as compared to an iron or wood), that the friction of the green and the grass will also effect the roll of the ball. Mostly, and I say again – mostly – if you can square up the putter face at moment of impact in the direction you’re intending to roll the ball with the right amount of speed in that direction – the flatness of the impact should be your primary focus of attention, not how you take it back or push it through.
Tom Stickney
Nov 4, 2014 at 9:08 am
Face accounts for 87% of the ball’s starting direction in putting.
Mostly
Nov 4, 2014 at 10:05 pm
87% is MOSTLY. lol
Stretch
Nov 5, 2014 at 11:57 am
As usual a great post on ball flight laws.
As for putting a curved putting stroke does not have opening or closing unless there is supination and pronation or extension and flexion. Nor does a S t S stroke need an artificial manipulation of the lead forearm.
A straight back and through stroke is easy if the shaft is vertical. Steve Stricker a great example. High hands give a near vertical shaft and thus more square to the line through out the stroke. As a putter gets flatter the stroke will curve more off the line in both the back swing and forward swing. Ben Crenshaw a good example of the curving stroke. In both cases neither player had supination/pronation or flexion/extension.
The ball roll laws to give a putting stroke the most accuracy are; face square at impact,3-4 degrees of loft at impact, the ball struck at the bottom of the putting stroke arc and least important is having the putter going down the line at impact.
jon
Nov 10, 2014 at 7:07 pm
straight back and thru is manipulative and an arched path is more natural in my opinion.
nikky d
Nov 3, 2014 at 6:10 pm
I tell you what tom, I find it ironic you wrote this article. the posts on the new ball flight laws that were coming out this summer, really helped my game a lot. there is no guessing involved anymore when my ball isn’t flying the way I intended it. now I know what I did wrong almost instantly. im glad you mentioned spin axis too. all too often does Michael Breed say stuff about having 3,000 rpms of backspin and 2,300 rpms of sidespin (or something like that) well guess what? you cannot have both! unless your golf ball is built like a gyroscope!
tom stickney
Nov 4, 2014 at 12:11 am
Thank you….many people don’t realize you only tilt the ball’s spin axis to curve it as you said
Blake Barrilleaux
Nov 4, 2014 at 6:59 pm
Tom, I’ve always wondered if ball speed could overcome ball curvature. I saw a video of Tiger, maybe 8 yrs ago doing demonstrations on hooks and slices. His hook looked as if it went straight really fast then started to really curve left farther out. I’ve tried to hit similar shots, but the ball starts curving waaayy earlier, maybe 20 yards out. I think the vid was on the golf channel for a military group outing Tiger was doing.Do you recall the vid and what do the monitors say? ( Could have been camera angle that gave the impression of straight to left flight.)Thanks
Tom Stickney
Nov 4, 2014 at 11:26 pm
Blake– not sure sorry.
Kurt
Nov 5, 2014 at 3:31 pm
@Blake: I’m definitely no expert or physicist, buy it makes sense that the faster a ball is hit, it would curve less in the beginning stages of flight. The launch ball speed is definitely NOT the same speed the ball is going at the half-way point in flight. Friction from air slows the ball considerably as the ball flight progresses. So at the beginning part of the flight while the ball is going faster, it will curve less because the air hasn’t “grabbed” it yet to impart forces on it.
Since I have improved my swing speed and ball striking, I have definitely noticed that the majority of curvature happens during the last 2/3 of ball flight.
Kurt
Nov 5, 2014 at 3:43 pm
Just to add in case I was difficult to understand: this is much the same principal as how a putt that is hit harder along the same line will break less.
Brian
Nov 3, 2014 at 6:04 pm
Thank you Tom for this. Believe it or not this was timely. I have an old Lee Trevino book that has been my guide in this area for a long time. Almost exactly the same as the poster you showed. I have not been golfing as much latey and also have struggled really controlling the ball when it came time. I normally do not work the ball so figured my lack of accuracy and execution was due to lack of practice. This gave me something to work on!
Secondly, I admire your resolve. The more technical of an article you write, the more “experts” chime in in the comments. I am not talking about this one per say, this is just my first comment on any of your articles. Some of the commenters frustrate me and it isn’t even my work, time, research, and editing. I understand they are trying to make sure there is accuracy but there is no courteousy. Thanks for pressing on.
tom stickney
Nov 4, 2014 at 12:12 am
Appreciate it sir…good luck. People often criticize things they don’t fully understand…I’m not always 100% right but I try as best as I can.
Large chris
Nov 4, 2014 at 8:00 am
I’m sure you are not referring to my post Brian, which is a perfectly fair technical comment on a technical article. I do appreciate the effort Tom puts into this sort of instruction.
Tom Stickney
Nov 4, 2014 at 9:09 am
Thx chris
Dave S
Nov 3, 2014 at 5:00 pm
The ball flight laws have changed, but somehow players still knew how to shape shots prior to this Doppler radar revolution…
tom stickney
Nov 3, 2014 at 5:53 pm
Many understood how to curve it but did not truly understand how they curved it; thus when things went off they spent time working on the incorrect things…
Daniel
Nov 3, 2014 at 4:29 pm
Hi Tom, what is the best method to draw and fade the ball without changing swing path? Thnx
tom stickney
Nov 3, 2014 at 5:53 pm
Hard to do without changing path…easiest way to change your path is to alter your aim
Brian
Nov 3, 2014 at 6:07 pm
Do you mean instead of swinging in to out, just aim right (along the path you want to swing)?
tom stickney
Nov 4, 2014 at 12:14 am
The more you aim right or left the more you will skew your swing’s direction in that manner…TOO A POINT…but be careful too much or anything is a bad thing. If you want to move the ball left to right then the face must be right of the path at impact. If you wan to move the ball left then the face must be left of the path at impact. With centered contact that is….
SoConfussed
Nov 3, 2014 at 4:03 pm
I think the majority of golfers that swing over the top with the club face open and hit a slice…
they already know “ball flight laws”.
tom stickney
Nov 3, 2014 at 4:08 pm
You’d be surprised…
other paul
Nov 3, 2014 at 8:59 pm
Agreed. Most people don’t know them. I fixed a friends slice in 3 minutes at the range and he couldn’t understand why. And he is a smart athlete.
tom stickney
Nov 4, 2014 at 12:15 am
golf is tough to understand…very counterintuitive
Alex
Nov 3, 2014 at 11:23 pm
Nearly 99% of them don’t.
Most think they need to rotate the face harder to get it to stop…all the while they’re staying it 10* left of the target line.
When they hit pull hooks they think they’re doing it worse instead of realizing they’re starting to make progress by changing the path.
Just yesterday I heard a father telling his daughter to stop coming over the top when she was starting the ball straight and hooking it.
It’s bad.
tom stickney
Nov 4, 2014 at 12:15 am
Welcome to my world….
Largechris
Nov 3, 2014 at 2:33 pm
I do wonder a little bit about Doppler radar alone proving this, I was under the impression only systems like GC2 HMT with dots on the club head could see and measure face angle.
I’m surmising that Trackman etc. have algorithms based on their own previous R+D using high speed cameras etc. that are then used to calculate all the face numbers shown.
wineyax
Nov 3, 2014 at 2:44 pm
I wondered the same thing…. how much is actual captured date and how much is calculated.
i believe a hybrid system with basically both a GC2-HMT + Trackman in 1 system would be the most accurate system.
tom stickney
Nov 3, 2014 at 4:10 pm
Gears Golf has merged the trackman coupled with vertical and horizontal impact points
Saevel25
Nov 3, 2014 at 3:07 pm
Doppler radar measures the movement of mass. Basically once the clubhead enters the field of influence of the radar it is being tracked. Does it create a plane to measure face angle, no. Trackman can measure swing path, angle of attack, and other swing characteristics. Radar does track movement in all 3 dimensions.
Given that, Trackman states they are able to figure out face angle to half a degree accuracy that is repeatable 95% of the time.
I don’t know about you, but I think that is good enough. Really, I don’t think anyone will be able to visually tell the difference a half a degree has in ball flight by visually looking at the ball travel down range.
tom stickney
Nov 3, 2014 at 4:09 pm
A question for Trackman…
tom stickney
Nov 3, 2014 at 4:11 pm
I’m still not convinced that the GC2 is 100% accurate with their impact point measurements but at least it’s a start.