Week Six: Direction
Students will be able to:
learn about the swing path
learn how to practice effectively
review full swing
learn about penalty areas
define confidence
Week 6 Notes:
Chapter 4: When you can’t play the ball as it lies
a. Regular Penalty Areas - Water
In the middle of the fairway
Marked by yellow stakes
1 stroke penalty if you choose not to play it as it lies
Options (3)
Play it as it lies
Stroke and distance (rehit previous shot)
Drop a ball along a line created by the following two points: the flag and the point of entry
b. Lateral Penalty Areas - Water
On the side of the fairway
Marked by red stakes
1 stroke penalty if you choose not to play it as it lies
Options (4)
Same three as regular hazard
Drop the ball two club lengths from point of entry
Lesson: Direction Ball Flight Laws
The next two weeks we will discuss the five ball flight laws. These laws explain distance and direction in full swing. This week, we will talk about the two ball flight laws regarding direction: swing path and clubface
Recall the 2D’s. The first one is direction: where the ball goes. Besides our stance, two other things determine direction: clubface and swing path. Clubface is the primary determinant of direction, and accounts for 85% of the ball’s direction. Wherever the clubface is positioned at impact is the primary determinant of direction- where the ball curves. Clubface also creates sidespin, which causes the ball to curve in one direction, instead of simply going straight in that direction. An open clubface makes the ball curve right, and a closed clubface makes the ball curve left. A square clubface creates no sidespin so the ball will go straight.b
Swing path is the secondary determinant of direction - and accounts for the remaining 15% of direction. We must first find your swing plane. See the image below. The swing plane is the plane created by your arms and club. When you swing, you want your arms to follow your swing plane. Your arms can come inside or go outside your swing plane. If your arms come inside your swing plane in the backswing and then go outside the swing plane in the follow through, you have an in-to-out swing. If your arms go outside your swing plane in the backswing and then come inside the swing plane in the follow through, you have an out-to-in swing. For right handed players, and in-to-out swing (cutting across the ball) causes the ball to go right, and an out-to-in swing (coming over the top of the ball) causes the ball to go left. Your goal is to have an on-to-on swing, where your arms stay on the swing plane. Note that swing path creates no sidespin (so no curve) - it is the direction the clubhead is swinging through the impact position. It causes the ball to go straight in one direction.
Now put the two determinants together.
Square clubface
In-out: straight right (push)
Out-in: straight left (pull)
On-on swing path
Open clubface: curve right (slice)
Closed clubface: curve left (hook)
Mixed
Slice: open clubface, out-in swing path (push slice)
Hook: closed clubface, in-out swing path (pull hook)
Note the clubface overpowers the swing path. If the clubface is open at impact, the ball will curve right, regardless of the swing path. However, if you have an out-in swing path with an open clubface, the two factors work together, and the combination together creates more rightward sidespin, creating a slice. This is counterintuitive, since an out-in swing path with a square clubface (no sidespin) will cause the ball to go left.
We will cover all 9 ball flight possibilities in level 3. For now, be familiar with the push, pull, slice, and hook.
