Golf Ball Flight 101

Let’s talk about golf ball flight. For almost all full swings, the golf ball is going to have some amount of curve. It’s impossible to hit the ball dead straight, with no curve, on every single shot. The best players in the world all rely on shaping the ball. Some players shape it exclusively one direction. Some players shape it both ways. The bottom line is that great players have mastered their ball flight. 

So what causes the golf ball to curve? In the simplest of terms, the face-to-path relationship is responsible for golf ball curvature. The face-to-path relationship calculation is: face angle minus club path. Face angle is the direction the club face is pointed (right or left) at impact. Club path is the direction the club head is moving (right or left) at impact. For the golf ball to be hit with no curve, face angle and club path have to be equal. As mentioned earlier, it’s impossible to try to achieve the dead straight ball flight on every single shot. For a video representation of face to path relationship, click on the link: TrackMan Face-to-Path Video 

Now let’s talk about how to build a reliable ball flight.

Club Face Control:

Face control is the most important skill for controlling ball flight. Consistently starting the golf ball on your intended line is the first step in building a repeatable ball flight. If you want to hit a gentle draw, your face, at impact, needs to be pointed right of your target (somewhere between one and two degrees). For people who want to fade the ball, the face needs to be pointed, at impact, left of your target. To get the desired amount of curve, we need to be able to dial in our club path relative to the face angle.

Club Path Control:

Once you are able to consistently control your face angle at impact, you need to match it up with club path. The general rule of thumb for face to path is a 1:2 ratio. If your face angle is positive 1 degree at impact, a club path of positive 2 degrees will produce a slight draw (given that the ball was struck in the center of the club face). Achieving a desired club path requires proper sequencing in the downswing in order to build an out-to-in or in-to-out path pattern. 

If you’re wondering how you can measure metrics like face angle and club path, you’ll need to hit on a launch monitor. The industry leader in launch monitor technology is a company called TrackMan. For more information about Trackman, click on the link: TrackMan Introduction 

Whether you’re a beginner, expert, feel-based, or analytical golfer, it is imperative to understand the science behind why the golf ball does what it does. Take advantage of modern technology in order to better understand your golf swing, and what it takes to build a repeatable ball flight.