| We all try to hit the ball straight, but that's probably | | | | carefully, we won't be confused about the cause. |
| golf's most difficult skill. Try as we might, the ball | | | | Say the ball takes off left of the target and curves |
| careens away from our intended line too often. Even | | | | right. This is the right-hander's slice. What happened? |
| touring pros don't always know where the ball will go. | | | | The ball started left because the club path was to |
| A few principles of basic physics tell us why the ball | | | | the left, and curved to the right because the |
| goes off line and give us clues how to fix it. | | | | clubface was open to the path of the club. Traditional |
| The ideal geometry at impact is for the clubface to | | | | analysis would stop there. |
| be facing squarely at the target, and for the club to | | | | Digging deeper, we would look at how much the ball |
| be traveling directly toward the target. | | | | started off to the left, and how much the ball curved |
| The ball doesn't go straight when the club deviates | | | | to the right. If both the deviation from the intended |
| from this geometry in some way. For example, if you | | | | line and the curve are fairly small, this is a fade. |
| want to hit the ball north, but the club is traveling | | | | Congratulations, because you can play with this shot |
| northeast, that's where the ball will go. A ball going | | | | all day and shoot good scores. |
| straight but in the wrong direction is fairly easy to fix. | | | | If the deviation is large but the curve is small, it's a |
| A ball that goes straight right (straight left, for | | | | swing path problem. The club face is near square to |
| left-handers) is a push. The probable cause is that | | | | the path and contributes little to direction. If the |
| your hips are swaying forward on the downswing | | | | deviation is small, but the curve is large, traditional |
| instead of turning. Your upper body is blocked and | | | | analysis might have you correct just clubface angle, |
| can only swing from inside to out instead of inside to | | | | but both path and angle need to be corrected. This is |
| down the line. | | | | because the large curvature indicates a large clubface |
| Balls that go straight left (straight right for | | | | angle, which is also counteracting a large path |
| left-handers) are pulls. These shots feel solid, but | | | | deviation. Correct only the angle and you'll end up |
| that's the only nice thing about them. Odds are | | | | with a major pull. |
| you're trying to hit the ball with your hands from the | | | | There are almost too many reasons to count why |
| moment you start the club down from the top of | | | | clubface angle gets off. Get lessons, investigate the |
| your backswing. Hold off with your hands until your | | | | matter on your own. Once you have this problem |
| body has turned into the ball, then let them go. | | | | fixed, if it is a problem for you, straightening out club |
| Other causes are in your setup. It could be that | | | | path is easy. |
| you're making perfect contact, but you set yourself | | | | Don't think that out-of-square geometry is always a |
| up so you were aimed to the right or to the left of | | | | bad thing. It can help you on occasion. Say the ball is |
| the target. Ball position counts, too. You'll tend to | | | | near the green but you have to chip over a bunker |
| push a ball that is too far back, and pull a ball that is | | | | to a pin that is close to the edge. To pull this shot |
| too far forward in your stance. | | | | off, you have to get the ball in the air quickly and |
| It is rare that we hit a shot that goes dead straight. | | | | stop it quickly. |
| It almost always curves one way or another. The ball | | | | Open the clubface. This will get the ball up. Now open |
| curves because the clubface is not square to the line | | | | your stance, that is, turn it in the opposite direction |
| on which the clubhead is traveling. If the clubface is | | | | that you opened the clubface, so the clubface now |
| turned a bit toward you, the face is closed, and the | | | | points at where you want the ball to land. Why? If |
| ball will acquire sidespin so it curves in the direction of | | | | you don't adjust your stance, the ball will not head |
| your pull. A clubface that is turned a bit away from | | | | toward the target, but rather to where the clubface |
| you is open, and will curve in the direction of your | | | | is pointing. You have to move your stance around so |
| push. | | | | your swing path compensates directionally for the |
| Most people, even teaching pros, will say that club | | | | open clubface. |
| path determines direction and clubface angle | | | | To hit the shot, swing down your body line, not at |
| determines curve, and stop there. There's more to it | | | | the target, and the ball will head where you want it |
| than that. Clubface angle also contributes to the ball's | | | | to go. You might want to open your stance even a |
| direction, and to a greater degree than the path of | | | | little more, because the slice spin applied by the open |
| the club does. | | | | clubface will make the ball curve while it's in the air, |
| Say the club path is 5 degrees right of the intended | | | | and roll sideways, not straight, when it lands. |
| line, but the clubface is angled 5 degrees left of the | | | | Or, say you want to hit a shot from the fairway that |
| path. Most people would say the ball will start five | | | | curves right on purpose. Open the clubface so it |
| degrees right and curve to the left thereafter. | | | | faces the target, but aim your stance by more than |
| Wrong! The ball will start about one degree right and | | | | that to the left since the clubface will add rightward |
| curve left thereafter. | | | | direction along with supplying curve. If you were to |
| This clubface effect, and its magnitude, have been | | | | set up according to traditional analysis, you would |
| borne out by careful laboratory research. | | | | open your stance by the same amount you opened |
| Though the matter is a bit more complicated now, | | | | the clubface. The shot would miss to the right |
| because we have one factor affecting spin, but two | | | | because you didn't take into account the directional |
| factors that affect direction, if we read ball flight | | | | component of clubface angle. |