Ball Flight Laws Video

[iacas]

Uh, yeah.

FWIW, I'm one-take Barzeski. The pull-hook is easy. The push slice was Dave. Tougher shot for me, but he couldn't do the pull-hook, so we're even.

600 FPS, btw. These were good, hard swings. We didn't chip these babies.

[Leftygolfer]

Those were pretty extreme shots. Good stuff. I don't think you can beat this in enough. People need to know. I had trouble with the sound, maybe it was my PC.

[Zeph]

If someone was not convinced before, there is no way one can deny that video. It is what you can call indisputable facts. Very good stuff. Spread the video far and wide, let it be known that the gospel of Faldo and a whole bunch of PGA Certified Professionals is wrong.

High Speed Camera - 1 Nick Faldo - 0

I had trouble with the sound, maybe it was my PC.

There is no sound. The "listen to Faldo" just means, "read what he said". The camera used does not record audio at 600FPS.

[bunkerputt]

Great job Erik. This knowledge has really improved my striking considerably since the myth was dispelled. Now when I hit those push draws, I understand the face was open instead of closed. When people ask how to hit them I tell them make sure your face is open and swing a bit from the inside. The don't believe me and just go on about their business! It's so weird being in the know...

[nevets88]

Thanks for the vid. This will be great for my friends who didn't believe me. The first swing, I thought, oh no, shank!

[jamo]

Great video, perfect illustration of what you have been saying for so long. Now I finally fully believe it.

[saevel25]

True, but i can see were most teaching professionals got it wrong. A basic assumption would be, you line up square your club fact is square and your swing path matches the target line, it should go straight. So if you change your swing path then the ball should go in that direction. But with the interaction between a ball and the clubface, it would make sense for it to be the club fact angle that dictates the initial flight direction of the golf ball..

Thank about other sports, Tennis for example, you rotate your body. When you hit the ball your body is facing forward, the location of the ball is not dictated by your shoulder or hip alignment, but the angle in which your racket is pointing. Actually thats the best example i could think of, and why others haven't seen that while watching tennis and correlated it to golf is besides me. It makes much more sense now

[jamo]

Just want to add in that this really shows the 85% thing, because it is not perfectly perpendicular to the clubface.

[david_wedzik]

Thanks for the vid. This will be great for my friends who didn't believe me. The first swing, I thought, oh no, shank!

I did "semi-shank" one in trying to get this right btw! Very odd trying to hit a ball with face and path that much at odds.

Dave

[saevel25]

I was at a demo day the other day. I think the guy from Nike was saying that the ball would fly were the face pointed at. It caught my attention because of the conversations here. So he was selling clubs on the basis of the fact the ball travels mostly due to the face of the club not were your aiming.

[Titleist_ProV1x]

Excellent footage, and extremely useful information, thanks iacas

[Jay-Bird]

I just read in your bio that you turned pro to teach! That's awesome. Congratulations! Serioulsy cool achievement! What did it involve - the "turning pro"? Is there a blog/post/story already posted?

[CoupleOfFew]

Sorry, I'm new here but can I get a cliffs notes version of what this is proving and what the "myth" is? Thanks!

[Zeph]

Sorry, I'm new here but can I get a cliffs notes version of what this is proving and what the "myth" is? Thanks!

The "old" laws, having been used and told forever, almost : The initial direction of the ball is dictated by the swing path. Aim your body where you want the ball to start and aim the club face where you want it to land. The "new" laws, based on laws of physics and high speed video evidence: The initial direction of the ball is dictated 85-100% by the club face angle at impact. If the club face angle and swing path angle are identical, the ball will start 100% along the club face angle. If the club face angle is angled differently than the swing path angle, the ball will start at somewhere between 100% and 85% towards the club face angle. The swing path will cause the ball to not follow the direct angle of the club face, but no more than 15% off. Aim your club face where you want the ball to start and your body farther outside the club face angle, it is usually adviced to take the same amount as you want the ball to move in the air. Trackman has used their high speed equipment to analyze the PGA Tour pros. This showed clearly that the ball started 85-100% along the angle of the club face. The video posted by Erik demonstrates the same.

[TheGeekGolfer]

The swing path will cause the ball to not follow the direct angle of the club face, but no more than 15% off.

What do you mean by 'no more than 15% off'? 15% of what? 15% of 360* (54*)? Please clarify.

[iacas]

What do you mean by 'no more than 15% off'? 15% of what? 15% of 360* (54*)? Please clarify.

Up to about 15% of the ball's initial flight is due to the swing path.

[gogolfing]

Enjoyed watching this; I have read the forum chatter on this in other threads, but seeing it visually really cleared it up for me.

Thanks

[Dr. Strangeclub]

Bravo, iacas! Great video! I'm on the other "New Ball Flight Laws" discussion, and was wondering where this terminology came from. Your demonstration agrees precisely with Jorgenson's "The Physics of Golf". I guess your "New" comes from disagreement with the "Golfing arisocracy", just as Columbus was arguing about the Earth being round with Queen Isabella (Faldo) and the Pope (Woods). People had known the Earth was round from the time of the Ancient Greeks, even its circumference being fairly accurately estimated 2500 years ago. Many sailors of the time of Columbus and earlier also knew the world was round. It was the landlubbers who thought that ships could sail off the edge.

[b]Trackman has used their high speed equipment to analyze the PGA Tour pros. This showed clearly that the ball started 85-100% along the angle of the club face. The video posted by Erik demonstrates the same.

I'd have to see a 15 degree deflection to believe it. I certainly don't see anything remotely in that vicinity in this video.