Instruction
Understanding the “NEW” ball flight laws
Over the last several years, golf instruction has gone through a unique transformation. The advent of 3D motion analysis, video, and ball/club flight launch monitors have proven to golf instructors that some of the “fundamentals” we were taught by our mentors were incorrect.
With the advent of Trackman and Flightscope, advanced Doppler radar launch monitors that cost upward of $10,000, we are now able to understand what actually happens during the impact interval. This has made golf instruction much simpler as a result.
Students are now learning improved fundamental motions in their own way, while instructors are not so much focused on the complex mechanics of the swing itself. For the facilities that have a Doppler radar launch monitors, such as Promontory, our students are learning under the guise of the “in my own way,” not “ in this way” type of golf instruction.
Trackman and Flightscope provide video-based instruction coupled with the data of club and ball interaction, thus correlating exactly what is going on during the swing. Think of this new technology as providing your instructor with a MRI of your current fundamentals so you both can focus on facts, not opinions.
One of the most important things Doppler launch monitors have given us are the “new” ball flight laws. In the past, golfers were taught that the ball begins in the direction of a club’s path, and the curvature of the ball was due to the face angle at impact. Now, we know that this line of thinking is 100 percent INCORRECT.
In fact, the face angle at impact determines 75 percent or more of the ball’s starting direction, and at slower ball speeds it creeps up to almost 100 percent. This has made curving the ball much easier to understand for my students, and below are examples of this fact all backed up by the data that the my Trackman system shows for each shot.
Example 1: Hitting a Fade
In Example 1, I am hitting the ball left to right, or fading the ball for a right-handed player.
- The solid white line represents my target-line (directly at the flag in the distance).
- The blue line shows the path of the club (negative numbers are out to in).
- The red line determines the direction that my club face was pointing during impact (negative numbers mean a closed face).
You can see by the purple line that this ball began slightly left of my target (3.5 degrees left of my target-line) and faded 34.9 feet to the right of my intended target. This proves that when the path is left of the face angle (provide a centered hit on the club face), you will hit the ball left to right. Thus, if you want to move the ball left to right (for the right-handed player), you MUST have your face open to the club’s path.
NOTE: I said that the club face must be pointing to the right of the club’s path in order to hit a fade, not open to the target line.
My path was 6.6 degrees from out to in (Example 1), my face was 2.6-degrees closed and the ball moved from left to right. Yes, it moved left to right WITH A CLOSED FACE! If my club face had been open 2.6 degrees, then the ball would have curved exaggeratedly to the right. But in this case, there was only a 4 degree path to face differential — the lower that number the less the curvature. That’s why the ball only faded a small amount to the right.
Example 2: Hitting a Draw
In Example 2, I am hitting the ball right to left, or drawing the ball for a right-handed player.
- The solid white line represents my target-line (directly at the flag in the distance).
- The blue line shows the path of the club (positive numbers denote from inside to the outside).
- The red line determines the direction that my club face was pointing during impact (negative numbers mean a closed face).
You can see by the purple line that this ball began down the target line (launch direction is 0), while my face was 1-degree closed. These conditions started the ball at my target, and moved it right to left 55.4 feet.
As you can see in Example 2, when the path is right of the face angle at impact, you will hit the ball right to left (provide a centered hit). The ball flight began very close to the face angle as described above. Thus, if you want to move the ball right to left (for the right-handed player) you MUST have your face closed to the club’s path.
NOTE: I said closed to the relative path, NOT closed to the target line. That brings me to my next point about the shot in Example 2.
You can see that my face-to-path ratio was -6.4 degrees, which means that my club face was 6.4 degrees closed relative to my path’s direction. This is why my ball started at the target and then moved left of it instead of starting right of my target and drawing back to the target.
There is a huge misconception that you must have a closed face to draw the golf ball, when in fact all you need to do is have your club face pointed left of your path. So in Example 2, if my face was more open at impact (let’s so 1 to 3 degrees), then you would have seen the ball start to the right and curve to the target — not to the left of the target as mine did in this example.
The golf swings thoughts above might seem complex due to the numbers involved, but the bottom line for you at home is to do the following:
To Hit a Fade
In order to move the ball left to right, you will need a path that is more left than the face is pointing. So if you keep the club face pointing right of the path it will curve from left to right
To Hit a Draw
Understand that in order to move the ball right to left, you must have a path that is more “in to out” than where your club face points at impact. Another way to think of it is to have the face pointing left of your club’s path — this will allow the ball to move right to left
Read More Tom Stickney II : What Flightscope and Trackman can tell you (and me)
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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Alec Ordway
Dec 24, 2017 at 9:15 am
This info is as John Jacobs describe for years and years. You’re just proving him right. Swing left go left, swing right go right, swing square go square. Then face angle RELATIVE TO PATH determines ball flight. And all this info has same purpose, control the ball and learn fundamentals to do so. Geesh, same old same old, but now we have new tech to see what our body did as we swung.
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Ian
Aug 3, 2015 at 1:43 pm
“My path was 6.6 degrees from out to in (Example 1), my face was 2.6-degrees closed and the ball moved from left to right. Yes, it moved left to right WITH A CLOSED FACE!” – Closed relative to the target line or closed relative to the swing path? – I know this article is old, but really hope you reply.
Kelly
Aug 11, 2015 at 8:31 am
I’m just another poster, but I am sure he means closed relative to the target line. The face is 4 degrees open to the swing path, but 2.6 degrees closed to the target line.
Chris Howell
May 5, 2015 at 2:49 pm
Way too much confusion on target line and path. I was taught over 20 years ago that club face has to be closed relative to path for the ball to move right to left (right handed golfer) the clubface must be open relative to path for the ball to move right to left (right handed player). This really isn’t new information just that new technology makes it easier to see. As long as your club face is square to your path you will hit the ball straight, but it could be straight left or straight right.
corey
Mar 7, 2014 at 5:39 pm
so much confusion comes from people not having the same definition of a draw and fade. some say a draw or fade starts on the target line and then (for a rh player) will draw to the right of the line or fade to the left of it. others say the ball should start right of the target line and draw back to the line or start left of the target line and fade back onto it. the second example i think should be considered a pull fade or push draw, this is what sean foley teaches. a lot of it comes down to what you are more comfortable using as your target line.
Adrian
Feb 28, 2014 at 2:36 am
I am glad that articles like this continue to be written as there are still a great deal of people who still either have not been exposed to the correct information or have not quite grasped it fully yet. It is so important for this information to be understood.
Jakub Budaj
Feb 22, 2014 at 9:00 am
Clubface starts the ball, path curves the ball.
Michael
Oct 19, 2013 at 11:14 pm
Guys, does anyone know an official link (e.g. PGA) where above is stated ? I realised most teachers cite the older books where it says the path determines the direction and the face the curve. It’s very hard to come by unless you have something official..
DK
Jun 19, 2013 at 11:36 pm
The ball generally starts down your path and finishes where the face is pointed. Your path should be parallel with your stance/line of your toes. Align your toes with where you want the ball to start and adjust the face to where you want the ball to finish. Take your normal swing. Simple (in general).
Damon
Jun 20, 2013 at 5:07 pm
that’s actually incorrect. The ball starts, depending on iron or driver, 80% or more in the direction that the face angle is pointing at impact, not the path. The ball curves away from the path relative to the face.
Jack
Sep 2, 2013 at 1:50 am
That’s how I used to think. I think I’ll have to go prove this out on the range again.
OJ
Jun 18, 2013 at 1:30 pm
To hit a draw you must have the club open to the target and closed to the path. A draw must start right of the target and finish on it, this is not possible without the club face being open to the intended target
Jcjmw
Jun 17, 2013 at 11:00 pm
Great article! And, the article is understandable.
Nick
Jun 17, 2013 at 4:07 pm
Great article. When I learne this golf became much easier, though I can’t say it ever got “easy”.
Deaus7
Jun 15, 2013 at 6:30 pm
Great Stuff. Very informative article leaving out all the subjective crap, Johnny Miller and other idiots on TV need to read stuff like this. Not saying he was not a good golfer, but some of the stuff that spews from his mouth regarding the swing is Madness.
Blanco
Jun 14, 2013 at 5:52 pm
I think a big issue in this teaching divide is the semantics– that is, the definition of “draw” and “fade.” Most on this site get that both shots are designed to fall onto the desired target (positive end result) as a result of curvature from either side.
However… I can cite many written and verbal examples of teachers/players, usually older, who will describe a draw as beginning at target and bending left and a fade being the direct opposite (so essentially a pull hook or block fade). They’re usually the guys who will tell me: “jeez, if you hit it where you were aiming (the line of my stance) you’d be into those houses way over yonder…”
Rob
Jun 13, 2013 at 4:54 pm
Almost forgot…. the easiest and quickest way to explain the ball flight: the ball starts generally at the direction the face is pointing at impact, and curves away from the path.
Rob
Jun 13, 2013 at 4:43 pm
Quote: “There is a huge misconception that you must have a closed face to draw the golf ball, when in fact all you need to do is have your club face pointed left of your path.”
I think the problem here is that people either confuse or mix up ‘path’ and ‘target line’, as in the face open/closed to the path, or face open/closed to the target line. The ball only knows the path, it has no idea of where the target is.
So with that, club face left of the path would be closed in reference to the path, and I think people confuse that with the idea that they need the face closed to the target line.
All of which likely explains why slicers think they need to aim farther left, and in turn end up slicing the ball even harder. The mind has a hard time wrapping itself around this crazy game of opposites where if you want to keep the ball from going right, you must set up to the right.
Bill Hughes
Jun 13, 2013 at 3:11 pm
As a recent Golf Academy of America graduate I am opening my own club fitting, repair and teaching facility. With retail goods as well. My question is, “What is the best teaching software/simulator on the market for the least amount of money?” I will be putting in a full size simulator but I want to get spot on readings to help my students with.
Thanks for your help, Bill
DS
Jun 18, 2013 at 4:29 pm
Your two best systems are Flightscope and Trackman. Flightscope is cheaper.
neal
Jun 13, 2013 at 2:58 pm
Could you post a picture of how the club face should look like at impact?