Strange ball flight...

[Saks]

Have developed a strange ball flight with my short irons (6-9) Trying to hit a draw, Starting just right of the target, the ball starts drawing ok to start with, then when it looks like its going to draw too much, the ball has been inexplicably then fading back onto target again??? Im not complaining, I'm certainly getting some close to the pin now but its hard to allow for a ball thats going both ways!

It was dead calm as well tonight when this was happening! So not a wind issue.

For interests sake, the rest of my clubs: 5 iron - draw, 4 iron - fade and driver a mix of push, high fade or high draw. Any ideas? I also hit the ball quite high as well.

Cheers

[JaY_B]

There are a number of reasons for this to happen, my assumption based on what you have said would either be:

1) your hitting the ball from a steep angle of attack, with a less than perfect strike which could result in the ball leaving the club face in the desired direction (right of the target as your playing for a draw), with spin that can take the ball offline.

2) you had a cracked ball, which as a result caused the ball to move in the air.

3) It's not fading at all, it's just your brains interpretation of what it's seeing, the ball could of simply stopped drawing, and started falling straight to the ground, giving you the impression that the ball is fading towards the target.

[RogueGolfer]

Sounds to me like a bit of a pull with a fade spin on the ball, I have done that a few times. Or I like number 3 on the previous post, it never seems like the ball is where you thought it landed.

[jcrew]

see if my description matches your swing at all... which i think can cause a flight like that.

starting from the top of your swing. you start to come across it a little/around you (as you would for a fade/slice) and pull your arms but then you compensate and try to bring your club back into the slot and manage to hit straight out instead of around you

[Bignose]

see if my description matches your swing at all... which i think can cause a flight like that.

Unless there is a very strong crosswind, there is no way a club hitting a good ball (no cracks or bits peeling/peeled off) can put both fade and draw spin on a ball. It just doesn't work that way. The spin during the flight does decay, but it doesn't turn over to start spinning the other way. Unless, like I said, there are some massively strong crosswinds.

It is much more reasonable to assume that it was some observation errors. Like previous posters have suggested, maybe it was a pull fade. It's not impossible that it was a small local wind, either. Wind sometimes just finds very localized corridors to blow down -- there are a few stretches driving along the Interstate where you will get zero visibility for about 50 feet from the blowing snow. And, it is always in the same spot, so there is obviously some feature in the land that directs the wind to blow right along that particular spot. But, an undamaged ball cannot start drawing then fade without some outside forces acting on it. It is impossible.

[marpr]

were you at a range?

this sometimes happens when you hit range balls. as they are often bare and their dimples are GONE!

its it due to uneven surface of the dimples pulling against the air.

[Saks]

Ok. I wasnt at a range. And it was on two different holes in different directions. It also did it on a third hole on another occasion. Dont know enough about my swing to see if it matches jcrews description above. What is a pull?

Im thinking that as its starting out right and drawing back fine, it is a bit of an illusion as it stops drawing and keeps going up (like i said I hit it real high) making it look like its coming back...

Any other theories?

[RogueGolfer]

A pull is when the ball starts out to the left(if your a right handed golfer). A push is when you start it out to the right(once again if your a right handed golfer).

[Big_M]

Unless there is a very strong crosswind, there is no way a club hitting a good ball (no cracks or bits peeling/peeled off) can put both fade and draw spin on a ball. It just doesn't work that way. The spin during the flight does decay, but it doesn't turn over to start spinning the other way. Unless, like I said, there are some massively strong crosswinds.

I agree

[choran]

It sounds to me like you are pulling the ball, but hitting a fade...it is impossible for a ball to have draw spin, and then fade spin in the same flight (even with terrible winds this should not happen...a ball is to aerodynamic).

[Crafty]

I've got to believe that you eye is playing tricks on you. The ball could very stop drawing for the most part, but your eye is used to watching the draw and then tricks itself into believing that it is fading when the ball stops drawing.