Ball flight laws

Too many golfers come to the driving range and try to hit every ball straight. Any shots that curve a particular direction other than reasonably straight seem to frustrate them, as they continually pound away at golf balls in search of the 'dead arrow' ball (one that flies directly at their intended target with little or no deviance from the target line). What they don't realize is that, in order to hit a ball fairly straight, you first have to understand why it does not go straight. Through this understanding of the physics of ball flight comes awareness and control.

First of all, it's impossible for a ball to go 100% 'straight'. In an indoor driving range where there is no wind and the ball is caught perfectly square at impact, that ball might fly very close to straight, but still, not completely straight. Whether the ball moves one millimeter or 100 yards to the left or the right in the air, it always curves from one direction to the other in varying extremes. So, it stands to reason that the more we understand what makes a ball move from one direction to the other, the more control we gain over our ball flight.

Also, once we start noticing our 'ball flight tendencies', we can start accounting for this out on the course. This helps take trouble out of the way and again, gives us more control over our game. For instance, if you begin to notice that you have a tendency to hit a ball that curves anywhere from 10 - 20 yards from left to right, then you simply aim about 15 yards left of your intended target to give yourself the best odds.

As the club head travels down and through the impact zone (I consider this to be approximately the foot behind the ball and the foot ahead of the ball), there are three possible swing paths. Inside-to-outside of the target line, outside-to-inside of the target line, and perfectly square to the target line.

Of these three possible swing paths, there are three possible club head angles for each path. Closed, open, or perfectly square to the swing path. There are varying degrees of how open or closed the club head is, but generally speaking, these are the three possible club head angles.

So, three swing paths times three club head angles equates to nine possible ball flight directions:

1. Inside to outside swing path with an open faced club head = push slice (or 'double cross' right)
2. Inside to outside swing path with club head square to path = push
3. Inside to outside swing path with closed faced club head = draw

4. Square swing path with open faced club head = slice
5. Square swing path with club head square to path = straight
6. Square swing path with closed faced club head = hook

7. Outside to inside swing path with open faced club head = fade
8: Outside to inside swing path with club head square to path = pull
9. Outside to inside swing path with closed faced club head = pull hook (or 'double cross' left)

Obviously, number 3 (draw), number 5 (straight) and number 7 (fade) are the most desirable ball flights. But since a ball never flies 'perfectly' straight, we should always plan for at least a slight fade or draw. Of course, if you are hitting around a dogleg or trying to avoid trouble, a slice or hook may actually be the intended ball flight.

To put it in different terms, if the club head 'swipes' across the ball from the right side to the left side, clockwise (slice) spin is put on the ball. The more it 'swipes' across the ball in this fashion, the more slice spin is imparted on the ball and the more the ball will curve from left to right.

Adversely, if the club head 'swipes' across the ball from the left side to the right side, counter-clockwise (hook) spin is put on the ball. The more it 'swipes' across the ball in this fashion, the more hook spin is imparted on the ball and the more the ball will curve from right to left.

The easiest way to hit a draw or a fade is to keep your club head square to your intended target, open your stance for a fade, or close your stance for a draw, and swing the club on a path parallel to your stance (or 'foot line'). The foot line can be determined by laying a club on the ground touching the front of your shoes, then looking at which direction the club is pointing. If properly executed, this will start the ball to the left (for a fade) or right (for a draw) and curve it back towards the intended target. The more you open or close your stance, the more dramatically the club head will swipe across the ball, and the more your ball will curve away from and back towards the target, due to increased spin.

I always tell my students to 'practice in extremes'. That is, practice hitting giant hooks and giant slices just to get the feeling down. Also, you never know when you might actually want to hit a shot like that on the course. Once they really get the feeling of 'a lot of curve' down I have them scale it back a little and try more subtle draws and fades.

To set up for a 'giant hook', I have a very strong grip, a very closed stance and a moderately closed club face. I assure that I make a complete coiling motion on the way back. I make sure I brush my right elbow by my right pocket on the down swing to assure I am approaching the inside half of the ball with the club on a flat plane. I am also very conscious of the right hand rolling over the left hand as the club head releases and travels through the impact zone. Then, I make sure to follow through with the club rotating fully around the back of my body.

To set up for a 'giant slice', I have a very weak grip, a very open stance and a moderately open club face. I do not make as big of a shoulder and hip turn on the way back. I let the right elbow separate from the body on the downswing to assure I am approaching the outside half of the ball with the club on a steep plane. I 'hold on' through the impact zone, not allowing my right hand to roll over the left. I 'chicken wing' my left elbow a bit a (separating it from the body) after impact to 'hold on' even longer and delay the release of the club head. Then, I stop short of a full follow through by finishing with the club in front of me rather than fully rotated around the back of my body.

Once these 'extreme' shots are learned and the feel is established it's easy enough to tone things down and hit shots that don't curve as excessively. Consequently, when the golfer goes back to trying to hit fairly straight shots, they will find that success comes easier due to the understanding of the ball flight laws. However, I think every golfer should always aim slightly left or slightly right based on their tendencies or the shot they are trying to accomplish.

Teaching the chip shot to beginners

"So, what would you like to get out of these golf lessons? What are some of your 'golfing goals'?" The instructor asks the new student.

"Um, I don't know!" The student replies without much thought.

"Are you sure? Nothing comes to mind?" The instructor persists.

"Well, uh.. I guess to hit it far and to learn how to hit my driver better?"

We've all heard this one before. It's a fairly common theme.

The student may not have wanted to admit it because they know, even at their skill level, that learning how to hit it far and how to hit the driver well are bi-products of learning smaller shots with more lofted irons first, and building towards the 'Big Dog'. However, patience is a virtue that not all of us possess (guilty as charged, your honor), and it's just human nature to want to hit it far.

Convincing the beginner student that the best way to learn the game is from the green backwards is usually not too challenging, as the student places quite a bit of trust in the instructor before the two even meet. Therefore, the instructor should take the student to the practice green for the first one or even the first two lessons and get a good short game foundation established.

If the student is signed up for a series of lessons - the first lesson should be spent entirely on putting. The drills practiced should encompass primarily 'distance control' exercises (such as putting to the fringe from different areas on the green to get a feel for 'how hard a ball needs to be hit to get it to stop at a certain area'). As we all know, distance control trumps 'reading the line well' in terms of putting success, especially for the beginner. After a good amount of distance control drills have been completed, the instructor should then introduce 'reading a putt' and show how the student how to line up to hit a putt to the apex of the break (the spot where the ball stops moving one way and starts moving towards the other). This is a good time to mention the importance of aim/ alignment.

At the end of the first lesson, the instructor should mention that the next lesson will be devoted to the chip shot. First the instructor needs to define what that shot is, then give a demonstration with a pitching wedge, mentioning how similar the chipping motion is to the putting stroke (rock the shoulders, light grip, keep the rest of the body still, keep the eyes down until after contact, don't break the wrists, and focus on distance control). Playing the ball back in the stance should be encouraged as well.

Bringing up things like 'having an open stance, accelerating through impact, hitting the ball on a descending blow, lagging the club head behind the hands through impact, leading with the left arm, and opening the club face for more loft', should not yet be introduced to the beginner. This will cause sensory overload and tension. Give them a chance to try a couple of shots before the first lesson is over.

For the second lesson, give a quick verbal refresher on the putting stroke, then transition back into the chip shot by again mentioning the similarities between the two shots. Then tell the student that the chip shot is an incredibly important shot to practice (in my opinion it is the most important shot for beginners to practice and feel comfortable with before moving on).

Reasons why the chip shot is so important for beginners to learn and practice diligently include:

-The motion mimics the putting motion, thereby reinforcing a good putting stroke.

-The golfer establishes a good feel for contact through repetition. The more this action is repeated the better.

-The golfer is unknowingly practicing hitting the ball on a descending blow, setting a great foundation for the full swing.

-The golfer is also unknowingly practicing a slightly delayed release of the hands, again setting an excellent foundation for later.

-The golfer is practicing the most important small section of the full swing, the contact point.

-The golfer is practicing the 'one-piece-takeaway' that is the start of a good back swing.

-When the golfer practices the chip shot with different lofts (and this is where it gets exciting), they are not only practicing chipping with different trajectories (which is a good idea in my opinion - I am an advocate of using as little loft as it takes to get the ball on the green and rolling over as much green as possible), but they are practicing how 'club-to-ball' contact feels with different clubs. I believe that if this is introduced on the practice green, the golfer will transition from lofted to less lofted clubs easier on the driving range.

Whichever loft they are using for chipping, make sure the student picks a specific target spot where they want the ball to land on the green in order for it to roll towards the hole (laying down a golf towel as the target spot works well for this) rather than thinking of the hole as their target spot. Be very encouraging and tell them that just getting it on the green is a success as a beginning golfer.

When the student is finally taken to the range, have them practice some chipping strokes without a ball at first, relaying the importance of 'brushing the ground' with every stroke. Encourage 'the club head thumping the ground every time' and introduce the concept of hitting down on the ball with more lofted clubs. Then, have them practice hitting chip shots with a pitching wedge and transition to the pitch shot and towards the full swing.

The more a golfer practices chipping, the better their entire game gets. What's so great is that practicing the short game is always free at the practice green, in the park, or in the living room at home (just make sure to use practice balls in the living room - I learned this one the hard way).