Instruction
Stickney: A dangerous trend is developing for top players
As a teacher, I obviously have my own particular biases as it pertains to the different stroke patterns I teach to the random levels of golfers I see, however, one thing remains the same they ALL want a predictable ball flight in the end.
To me, it doesn’t matter if you swing it upright like Wolff or flatter like Kucher because they both work, as do all the swings in the middle IF they produce a consistent result under pressure. What we now understand with the advent of GEARS and Trackman is that everyone has their own individual motion and sure there are certain fundamentals that everyone great possesses but end the end we are all left to “find what works best” for us. And over time, the great players have gravitated towards the best and most desirable way that they swing the club without worrying what it looks like only what it produces.
However, I have been noticing a trend amongst the highest level of players that is disturbing…and this trend that we’ll be discussing in a second is beginning to filter down to the kids whom have ready access to launch monitors in high school and just entering into. This trend is the culprit of a two-way miss, albeit a very small one, but a two-way miss nonetheless all in efforts to try and hit the ball too straight.
First, let’s show you examples of some of the best players I have seen personally at the top amateur levels. Every one of these players shown below are proven winners and are ranked very highly nationally on the amateur and Division I college circuits.
I asked each player above what their normal ball flight was day-to-day and each replied, “mostly straight, but if I miss it then it tends to go X, but very, very slightly.” (For those Trackman users, these swings are “normalized,” which takes out the wind etc. for a touch more reality regardless of the conditions outside at the time.)
Now look in the left frame of each player’s swing, and you will see a blue line, and if you look closer, you will see that it is laying directly on top of a white line. The white line is the player’s target line—where they were trying to hit the ball. And the blue line is the PATH of the club for the particular swing shown.
What you will see is that the path of the club is basically “zeroed” out where the path and the target line are moving directly in the same direction. While this might seem like a great idea, in fact no one can play from this position because it’s impossible to zero out the path and clubface at the same time. No teacher in history has seen this consistently. We have seen very small face to path relationships but never 0 for the path, 0 for the face, 0 for the face to path, and 0 for the spin axis. We’re talking trying to manage a degree which is basically 1/6 to of a click of your second hand on your watch dial!
If you could play from a zero path and zero face, then this is what it would look like on Trackman. I have only seen 0 path and a 0 face just once in ALL the shots I have seen with Trackman, and the shot I am talking about curved way offline due to the fact that it was a longer club coupled with a faulty impact position (gear effect).
Now here is the key for people who desire a ball flight that curves as little as possible and zeroing out the path is not the answer! The key is to play with a face to path ratio that is very, very low which helps to lower the ball’s spin axis and thus the ball would curve slightly. If you have the path sitting a couple of degrees left or right of the path then you will be able to have some predictability of your curvature which will give you freedom when you don’t have our “A” swing working that day.
NOTE: Think about pro bowlers, how many do you see that roll the ball directly at the head pin?! Zero. They curve the ball to some degree for more predictability.
As we know, in order to hit the ball where we want, we need to have some consistent curvature and when the path is on top of the target-line a slight twist of the face right or left causes baby pulls or baby pushes.
The goal of ballstriking efficiency is to eliminate ONE side of the course.
Secondly, we know that the ball begins mostly in the direction of the face at impact and will curve away from the path with a centered hit. Therefore, regardless of the curvature left to right or right to left you must work in this order- PATH then the FACE then the Target (as shown below) if not then you will hit pushes and pulls, slices and hooks!
Let’s examine this player above, who moves the ball left to right. We see a path that is leftward at basically -3.0 degrees and the face is almost -2.0 degrees left of the target but only 1.0 degree RIGHT of the path thus the ball curved gently left to right. For players desiring a mostly “straight” ball without the danger of missing it both ways, then the path has to be just far enough left or right of the target line so that the face can fit between the path and the target so you can begin the ball in the correct direction before it begins to curve. This reduction in the face-to-path relationship is the forgotten fundamental of the straight ball hitters!
As you can see, this player has a path that is slightly leftward and the face is only 1 degree rightward of this causing a very low face-to-path, and from this point, he has a spin axis of 0.3 meaning the ball barely moved rightward. This is the key to hitting the ball straighter…not zeroing out the path but reducing the FACE-to-PATH relationship! This cannot be mastered with a zeroed-out path because the face won’t consistently have room to fit between your path and target line as discussed. Thus you will hit micro-pulls or micro-pushes giving you the dreaded two-way miss…all because you have the path working too much down the line!
Path, face, and target…in that order will help you reduce your face to path difference and this will help you to lower your ball’s spin axis and straighter but MORE PREDICTABLE ball flights will ensue. Anything else spells disaster for the people who desire a “straight” ball flight!
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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TIM
Oct 29, 2019 at 5:17 am
Great example of why golf instruction fails almost 100% of the time.
Waaaaay too much technical information for the average player (99.999% of the golfers alive).
Homer
Oct 29, 2019 at 5:21 am
Totally agree. The more technology we see in golf, the worse instruction has become. Can you imagine Harvey saying “let’s look at the data…”?
Do you know anyone who, a year after lessons, has improved?
Steve Wozeniak
Oct 11, 2019 at 12:02 pm
Man,
This guy got absolutely crushed!!!!! His next article will be on grip….
Steve Wozeniak PGA
kenny
Oct 8, 2019 at 1:15 am
I don’t understand this logic.
Let’s say my “stock, goal shot” is dead straight. And I have a 2 way miss either 10 yards right or 10 yards left.
How is this any different from someone who has a “stock, goal shot” of a 15 yard fade? Their miss would be a 5 yard fade or a 25 yard fade.
In both scenarios, the ball is ending up 10 yards left or right from the desired target. Just because one was only fades, how exactly is that any better?
Chris
Oct 3, 2019 at 4:43 pm
If you’re able to get so close to 0-0-0 that your 2-way misses are small that’s awesome (I hope to get there someday), then this may be a “garbage” article for you and that might be on the author for the way he set up the premise. But if you’ve fought an old slice down to just a fade over the years this had some good info. Find a natural/repeatable club head path to reduce your swing thoughts down to just getting the face angle in between that path and the target line.
Drop Stickney
Sep 29, 2019 at 6:07 pm
I don’t understand why GolfWRX still gives Stickney a platform. He’s been wrong on many occasions… search his history, and it’s littered with articles that are just what he thinks is right, but passing it off as gospel.
Mr Cranky
Sep 26, 2019 at 3:31 pm
What the heck did I just read? I have a headache.
joro
Sep 30, 2019 at 1:58 pm
Mr. Cranky,,,, You read about what we have known for years. Take your normal swing and whack it. All the majority of these teaching “GURUS” just confuse and ruin people. Don’t try to build a swing that does not work with your body and your strengths. We all have it and the bottom line is that some can and some can’t so enjoy yourself and swing naturally. Enjoy the game at whatever level.
GMR
Sep 25, 2019 at 9:44 am
I can honestly say that is unequivocally the worst golf instruction article I have ever read, in any medium. There is really not much else to say other than that this is “advice” is just generally utter hogwash of the highest order. I’m not going to go into debasing the “logic” behind this article, as it should be self-evident. However, I will say that my opinions of both Mr. Stickney II and of GolfWRX as a platform have diminished as a result of my having read this. This should never have been written, and it should never have been allowed to be published.
Agree Completely
Sep 25, 2019 at 7:25 pm
+1
TrackMan
Sep 22, 2019 at 7:25 pm
This is absolutely absurd. Straighter is longer, and longer means easier second shots. The stats don’t lie. The days of swinging fades over tree lines as a ‘stock shot’ are over.
Reibs
Sep 21, 2019 at 9:50 pm
If you think a 0-0-0 can’t be done you might want to check out Moe Norman and how he could hit it dead straight every time. He was a rare ball striking genious but he is an example that it can be done! For average humans a controlled draw or fade is a more lilkely possibility as Tom eliquently described.
geohogan
Sep 23, 2019 at 4:17 pm
https://www.youtube….IBmX7eR8#t=1733
Moe kept his trail hand under his lead hand through impact.
ie no release, simply let turn square clubface; creating an ellipse with a much longer flat spot for impact
Release the trail hand and golfers create an arc(circle) with a single flat spot for impact.
geohogan
Sep 23, 2019 at 4:26 pm
https://forums.golfwrx.com/discussion/1093545/anybody-here-just-swing-the-arms/p3
#70 Moe Normans swing from above
33:00-
KB
Sep 24, 2019 at 11:40 am
just because the ball appears to fly straight does not mean the path/path is zeroed out. everyone talks about how great a ball striker Moe was, fact is Jim Furyk would destroy Moe in ball striking clinic without even putting his shoes on. Jim was measured as the most consistent iron player on trackman. from a physics stand point, the most efficient way to strike an iron with the ball lying on the ground is a pull/fade, with the ball hitting slightly towards the heel of the club from the sweet spot, this will produce the most optimum ball flight and spin. conversely hitting driver off of a tee, slightly high and towards the toe.
myron miller
Sep 21, 2019 at 4:04 pm
Tom, I’d suggest you stick to teaching Golf and not bowling. As the other bowlers pointed out, almost every top bowler can thru the ball super straight and hit a given mark. Think of shooting spares, especially such as leaving a 10 pin or the 3-10 for a right handed bowler. He wants the straightest ball possible for this type of shot. And movement can cause the ball to miss the pins on that side. But a bowling ball with a ton of side spin that travels at a respectable speed will knock down more pins than a straight ball which almost always has zero or very little side spin. That side spin causes the pins to lay down and jump around and the more bouncing around the more chances they will bounce into other pins. It yields more action which helps on knocking down pins. Old saying: “Hit them thin and watch them spin”. Speed of the ball hitting the pins is critical. Too hard and the pins jump straight back or up and don’t have chance to jump right or left and unless exact correct angle was used, pins can jump out of the way and it’s easy to leave a 8 or 9 pin or 10 pin. Too slow and the ball side spin will take over and it becomes hard to hit the 1/3 pocket (1/2 for lefties). The amount of curve is directly proportional to the amount of spin and the speed of the bowling ball. More spin needs more speed or more curve happens and potentially too much curve which isn’t controllable. So all bowlers try to throw at a speed with the amount of curve(speed) that they can control for the amount of side spin they use. Lots of other factors such as slickness of lanes, etc had to be factored in as well. super slick needed more spin/slow needed less and made it super hard to control the amount of curve But the amount of side spin allowed an increase in ease of knocking down pins so all top bowlers tried to have as much as they could control. So as mentioned by earlier commentors all top bowlers find it easy to throw straight ball and can strike with on but that doesn’t increase their strike percentage and spin does. Back in the old days, the bowlers didn’t have trackman, but super slow motion cameras were used a lot and frame by frame shots were analyzed and spin analyzed extensively
Quite different from what you stated about bowling.
Bob Jones
Sep 21, 2019 at 2:01 pm
I’ve worked to make my shots go straight, and if one doesn’t, I find it and play my next shot. As for hitting into greens, my rule is to aim no closer to the pin than halfway to it from the center from about 150 in. From farther than that, 160+, my target is the green itself. I’m not good enough to play with a degree or two in my swing parameters.
Edward L LeBeau
Sep 21, 2019 at 1:21 pm
Too often the perfection of achieving a “0-0-0” is used for justification to intentionally curve the ball. However, achieving a “3-3-3” is no less difficult. A straight drive goes further and has both sides of the fairway to use for slight micro pulls or pushes. Tom, you might want to re-think this one.
Tom
Sep 21, 2019 at 1:18 pm
As others have said, I can’t see why it is any easier to get your path and face precisely off-line than it is to get them precisely on zero. Here’s a link with some Trackman numbers that addresses this same “straight shot” issue: https://blog.trackmangolf.com/zeroing-hurting-scorecard/. It shows that shot dispersion is about the same if your face angle is off by say 2 degrees whether your path is zero or not.
Bob Pegram
Sep 21, 2019 at 1:16 pm
Something that seems to be overlooked in a lot of the comments is that, when trying to zero out path, etc., it doesn’t take much change in spin rates to affect the outcome by quite a bit. On the other hand, when purposely hitting a fade or a draw consistently, it takes a lot bigger change in the spin rate to change the curvature of the ball. There is more room for error without getting into trouble. There is a bigger range of spin rates that stay in play than with a swing where the player is trying to zero out everything.
Bob Pegram
Sep 21, 2019 at 12:58 pm
When playing under high pressure knowing which way the ball will go is a big help and reduces the pressure. If a very small mistake could make the ball go either way that increases uncertainty which makes things worse. For example, I hit a fade. I can aim down the left side of the fairway knowing I have the entire width of the fairway as a safe space. Same thing at the green – I can aim at the left edge of the green without worrying the ball will go left. Obviously, depending on the pin position compared to traps and other hazards, I may shoot at the pin, but I still know the ball won’t go left.
joro
Sep 21, 2019 at 12:46 pm
Every player has a swing that usually fits his body. I do hot believe you can change that unless they are new and just don[t know. As a good teacher we must find that ?normal” swing and enhance it, not just to change it but to make it better and more comfortable. How many have been successful on Tour and after winning go to some “GURU” who changes what the brought and it doesn’t take long and they are gone. Enhance what you have, that is what a good teacher does.
Calvin
Sep 21, 2019 at 9:26 am
Correct me if I’m wrong, but pro bowlers don’t curve the ball because of predictability. They do so because the angle at which it hits the head and side pin increases chance of contact. I don’t think it has anything with them being worried about not being able to throw it straight…
Skip
Sep 21, 2019 at 12:42 pm
I was gonna comment (I bowl competitively). Correct, we don’t curve it for predictability. There’s actually the old adage “straighter is greater”. Curving the ball the right amount has a better ability to knock pins down, if throwing it straight was the best way to do it, we would.
Shouldn’t use analogies when you don’t understand.
Skip
Sep 21, 2019 at 12:46 pm
I was gonna comment (I bowl competitively). We don’t curve the ball for accuracy, we do it because it has a better ability to knock down pins. There’s an old adage “straighter is greater” but if throwing it dead straight worked, we would.
Don’t use analogies that you don’t understand.
JP
Sep 21, 2019 at 9:14 am
Isn’t a small miss trying to go 0-0-0-0-0 about the same as an intentional slight draw or fade intentionally hit? Both are slightly off from dead straight, only the intentional slight draw or fade is a little more predictable?
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However, if the intentional fade/draw is missed a bit, it to can be as unpredictable as a dead straight miss. So do whatever works for you and is the most repeatable.
JB
Sep 21, 2019 at 8:10 am
This makes no sense. A micro 2 way miss is desirable. The reason golf pros talk about eliminating one side of the golf course is because they have a big miss (like a hook). You make the point that the key to a good swing is to have a small difference between the face and path. Here is some math: zero minus zero is zero = straight shot. Think of it this way if you play a golf shot with a predictable shape then there will be some curve…let’s say 10 yards for example…on a bad shot let’s say you you hit it the ball 10 yards left/right of your intended landing spot. If your a player who has “eliminated” one side of the course that miss will usually be right/left of the target in a predictable location. Example when drawing the ball a desirable miss will be out to the right (eleiminating a left miss). However if you have a micro zero/zero path type swing your 10 yard miss would be 5 yards on with side….which is better a 5 yard or 10 yard miss? Now here is the other thing to consider how does wind factor into a a curving versus non curving shot? The best players are trying to have a zeroed our shot because they want to remain the best.
geohogan
Oct 3, 2019 at 9:23 am
The reason golf pros talk about eliminating one side of the golf course is because they have a big miss (like a hook).
This is true. How often do we see golfers, including pros under pressure Pull and Pull /Hook.
When swing path is such that we sweep the inside quadrant of the ball, not the back of the ball,
the Pull and Pull /hood are eliminated.
Johnny Penso
Sep 20, 2019 at 11:06 pm
If I mishit a ball enough to move it 20 feet right or 20 feet left on approach and aim straight at the flag, doesn’t that put me within 20 feet of the flag each time?
KK
Sep 25, 2019 at 8:11 am
Maybe if flags were positioned with 20′ of green on either side all the time? Even then the slope of the green probably changes that spread significantly if you are playing different courses on a regular basis.
Ryan K
Sep 20, 2019 at 10:18 pm
Thank you Tom, makes perfect sense. Clearly above the intellectual ability of the other commenters who were unable to conceptualize the whole point of the article.
gdb99
Sep 21, 2019 at 9:15 am
Exactly!
Douglas
Sep 20, 2019 at 9:33 pm
“The goal of ballstriking efficiency is to eliminate ONE side of the course.”
You need more Scott Fawcett in your research. Even people who “always” hit a fade have a center of their shot pattern. Half the time they’re left of it, half the time they’re right, and it just matters where they aim. If you had data that showed that players playing a draw or fade had a tighter left/right distribution with any club your hypothesis would have some weight, but it doesn’t really pass the smell test. Overcooking a fade or double-crossing would seem to be more problematic than being a degree off from zero.
Eliminating one side of the course is a myth.
Brandon
Sep 21, 2019 at 1:29 pm
You’re correct with the shot pattern comment, but Scott also dislikes hitting it dead straight. He advocates the same thing Tom is talking about in the article, having a predictable curvature and eliminating 2 way miss.
234
Sep 20, 2019 at 8:16 pm
+/-1′ Left, center, right is all just +/-1′ of the average flight.
Tom F. Stickney II
Sep 20, 2019 at 6:03 pm
Mark—
Each player described a two way miss…if you want more ball-flight predictability then you need to eliminate one side of the course. Not everyone has these players’ level of talent thus the masses need more of a “cushion”
Rickey Di Dio
Sep 21, 2019 at 11:29 pm
Everyone on the PGA Tour has a two way miss. With the exception of 2-3 players, not exaggerating (Martin Laird, Robert Streb, and Billy Hurley), even the most “1 sided” players still miss to the opposite side 40% of the time. I’ll repeat… everyone has a two way miss. Shotlink data backs this up.
This is the best and most consistent players in the world. Why would a 15 handicap who plays 2 times a month fair any better?
Bye, Stickney
Sep 29, 2019 at 6:09 pm
Pffft. Data. This is Tom F. Stickney the second we’re talking to here. He doesn’t need your datas.
Ripper859
Sep 20, 2019 at 5:39 pm
What a retard. Garbage article. It’s been proven the best/straightest drivers move the ball the least. Every article on here continues to get worse.
bw
Sep 20, 2019 at 5:16 pm
If you’re trying to go 0-0-0 and miss slightly (either way) then wouldn’t it be a straight ball just slightly moving either left or right? What’s wrong with that?
mark
Sep 20, 2019 at 3:14 pm
So you are telling me to do the OPPOSITE of what these top 6 am players do? … Ya makes a lot of sense …