Why do "Tour" clubs have open faces?

[azflying]

I understand the Pros don't fight a slice, but what is the advantage to having an open face?

[Kcas77]

The open face on on tour club is because most pros play a draw so the open face helps them so they dont over draw their drives

[Laxplayer201092]

Moreover, an open face is much easier to work the ball with. Since the average tour player probobly draws the ball, an open face simply straightens that draw a little, but allows them to fade or draw at will without having to adjust for the closed face.

[r7 425]

The Open face allows highly skilled professionals to square up the face at higher swing speeds producing maximum workability.

[jcrob902]

I understand the Pros don't fight a slice, but what is the advantage to having an open face?

An open face helps if you fight a hook which alot of better players especially tour pro's have a problem with, it's kind of the same with the draw driver's most are set up 1* or more closed to help fight the slice so the companies make clubs that help all levels of play, or more accurate to help with all kinds of problems most high handicappers fight a slice some low handicappers fight a hook, so basically the advantage is to help you hit fairways no matter which way you spray the ball.

[iacas]

The open face on on tour club is because most pros play a draw so the open face helps them so they dont over draw their drives

Moreover, an open face is much easier to work the ball with. Since the average tour player probobly draws the ball, an open face simply straightens that draw a little, but allows them to fade or draw at will without having to adjust for the closed face.

Most Tour players play a fade. The open face lets them square the clubhead up without fear of hitting a draw (or a "quick draw" aka snap hook).

The shorter hitters might play a draw, as do some of the stack-and-tilt guys, but most of the guys play a cut, and their clubs are built to help them with that. As Lee Trevino once said...

[RC]

Look at it this way... a closed face is death for a high speed swinger, a square to slightly open face is much easier to handle when your swing path is not outside-in or over the top. Tour fades are not generally created by outside-in swing paths, they are more of a push fade from an open stance and a left alignment. There is a huge difference between a slice, and a straight ball that finds a way to drop a yard or two to the right. The best looking shots and the shot I would personally want as the gold standard is a straight ball that in the last 1/3 of the flight drifts a couple of yards to the right -- that is ultimate of control, in my opinion.

A driver that sits square to slightly open gives you all the options.

[Laxplayer201092]

Really? I guess you learn something everyday.

[uttexas]

Some of my friends are really good golfers and have open faced drivers. I borrow their drivers every now and then. I have actually found that looking down at the ball with the slightly open driver face builds confidence. It looks like a mini in-out swing path at address. Subconsciously, I make better swings and usually hit my best drive of the round when I borrow their driver for those one or two holes.

[RC]

Note to Laxplayer201092 -- Apology if I came across as a know it all. I reread my post, and I certainly don't want to suggest I have the last word on the shot shape of choice. What I should have said is if I had my wish, my gold standard would be a straight shot with a hint of a fade. Surely there are great players who play right to left almost every shot. The baby draw is likely the predominate shot of better players. Personally, I draw the ball most of the time, and find the one or two yard fade the most demanding shot to hit. Nothing hurts my game more than when the slight draw turns into a true hook -- I hate hitting those, even the ones that are push hooks that find their way back to the target. The ball action on the green is more unpredictable on those (in my case.) When I can hit approaches with a slight hint of a fade (others tell me it is straight, btw) getting it close seems much easier. What I am talking about is a shot that takes a bounce slightly right and sticks. But I am mixing driver comments with iron comments and that is a bit off topic.

[ks8829]

My misses on the driver are draws or hooks and the open face help me keep it in the fairways. Even with my current square face driver, I sometimes open the club face at address to eliminate the unwanted draw dreaded hook shots.

my next driver will have a 2 degree open face.

[Titleist Man]

An open face helps if you fight a hook which alot of better players especially tour pro's have a problem with, it's kind of the same with the draw driver's most are set up 1* or more closed to help fight the slice so the companies make clubs that help all levels of play, or more accurate to help with all kinds of problems most high handicappers fight a slice some low handicappers fight a hook, so basically the advantage is to help you hit fairways no matter which way you spray the ball.

Also their hooks are worse than ours because of their high SS, which magnifies every little mistake they make.

[Sir Hack a-lot]

This is amazing, this is the first time I have ever heard of anything like this....

[Laxplayer201092]

This is amazing, this is the first time I have ever heard of anything like this....

How so?

........

[st0wgolf08]

How so?

Hah i guess he just thought tour was eskimo for fade or something. Hah idk

[uttexas]

Also their hooks are worse than ours because of their high SS, which magnifies every little mistake they make.

Makes sense, If you impart some draw/hook spin on a ball, the faster the SS, the more the spin.

[RC]

In Tiger's own words, he admits his normal shot is a slight draw... but, when you watch him cranking up the scoring touch, he hits a lot of little hold off fades. At his second Augusta win, from 145 yards out on a downhill shot to 11 he hit his little cut 8 iron. No. 11 is death for a hooking approach shot most of the time. On number, 13 two holes later, he hit the same 8 iron into the par five from about 181 yards out. It is a matter of control and what the hole dictates. On 13, the last thing you want is a fade into the green because a miss a little right is in the steep little creek. Maybe Couples could reliably line up to the left side and drop it in there a little right, but the odds are not with you doing that from a sidehill lie above your feet.

Most low handicap or pro golfers have no issue at all hitting a little draw, but for many, the difference between good and great is how well they can hit the little cut. I always thought Jack Nicklaus' big advantage over Palmer was that Nicklaus hit mostly high fades. On a tight course with killer slick greens, this provides the best opportunity to keep the ball close to the flag -- I don't think many would disagree with that. Of course there are always exceptions to any such statements.

[iacas]

In Tiger's own words, he admits his normal shot is a slight draw...

That's pretty outdated information as far as I know. The fade's been his go-to shot for a long time (roughly since he switched to Haney).

I've seen Tiger say the same thing, but it was a number of years ago. And even if that's still his "natural" shot, it's not the one he plays with the most frequency.