Week Six: Ball Flight Possibilities

Core Value: Confidence

Rule of the Day: AGC, Dangerous Animals, Embedded Ball (Rule 16)

Lesson: Full Swing: 9 ball flight possibilities, review clubface and swing path relationship

Practice: Full Swing: applying ball flight possibilities

Application: Golf Course (Focus: pace of play)

Homework: Quiz 6

Quiz 6 + Ball Flight Possibilities

Extra Resources:

1. Rule - AGC, Dangerous Animals, Embedded Ball, Environmentally Sensitive Areas - refer to rule 16 in your rules book

   1. Dangerous animals

   2. Embedded balls

   3. Notes

2. Ball Flight Laws Review

3. Best article for Swing Path/Clubface relationship

4. Notes on Clubface and Swing Path

   1. The clubface (open, square, closed) determines which direction the ball will curve, due to the sidespin created by an open or closed clubface. If your clubface is closed, the ball will curve left, resulting in a hook. If your clubface is open, the ball will curve right, resulting in a slice.

   2. The swing path (out-in, in-out, on-on) determines which direction the ball will go straight. There is no sidespin if the clubface is square but the swing path is out-in or in-out. If the swing path is in-out, you are swinging right through impact, resulting in a push. If the swing path is out-in, you are swinging left through impact, resulting in a pull.

   3. Now we need to put the two laws together. They can either be working in the same direction (open clubface/in-out swing path, closed clubface/out-in swing path) or the opposite direction (open clubface/out-in swing path, closed clubface/in-out swing path). This is the tricky part, so please remember the following statement: if the two laws are working in opposite directions, the direction of the clubface will overpower that of the swing path and create even more sidespin in the direction of the clubface. We will examine this more below:

   4. Working against each other: if the two laws are working in opposite directions (open clubface/out-in swing path, closed clubface/in-out swing path), the ball flight will curve more in the direction of the clubface than it would if the laws were working together. For example, if you have an open clubface (causes rightward curve) and out-in swing path, the ball will curve even more to right, resulting in a push slice. This curves more than a regular slice (open clubface, on-on swing path) because more sidespin is created as the open clubface and out-in swing path interact. If you have a closed clubface (causes leftward curve) and an in-out swing path, the ball will curve even more to the left, resulting in a pull hook.

   5. Working together: if the two laws are working in the same direction, the ball flight begins in the direction of the swing path and curves back towards the direction of the clubface. A draw occurs with an in-out swing (the ball begins straight right) and closed clubface (the ball curves back to the left). A fade occurs with an out-in swing (the ball begins straight left) and open clubface (the ball curves back to the right).