There are five impact factors that determine the direction, curvature and distance a golf ball travels. They are club face, club path, angle of attack, center face contact and clubhead speed. Obviously club head speed is important, but in my experience most players have the physical ability to create sufficient clubhead speed. I believe the most important impact factor is your clubface position.
Today’s modern launch monitors have disproved the old ball flight laws that I was taught during my PGA Apprenticeship. We previously thought the initial direction of the ball was influenced more by club path than by clubface. We now know that clubface is responsible for 85 percent of direction while club path is only responsible for 15 percent.
The clubface is controlled primarily by the way you grip your club. I cannot emphasize enough that you must find a grip that allows you to square the clubface at impact. This means not every player will grip the club the same. Often a player will need a stronger grip ( hands turned farther to the right) in order to square the clubface. In some instances a player may need a weaker grip ( hands turned farther to the left) to square the clubface. Ask the average player why they slice the ball and they’ll say it’s because they have an outside in swing path. An open clubface is the reason they slice the ball – the faulty swing path is their attempt to keep the ball in play. Once the player has squared the clubface there is no reason to swing left of the target because the ball is no longer curving right .
Finding an instructor that uses either a Foresight Sports CG-3, Trackman or similar technology is important because it accurately shows clubface and club path. This data is extremely helpful and removes any guessing or speculation as to what’s actually occurring at impact between the clubface and the ball. At Kirkpatrick Golf we use the Foresight Sports CG-3 launch monitor and software. If you would like to schedule a lesson call the shop at 615 760-5810.