Ball Flight Laws (How to)

[brgolf]

I did not want to hijack Iacas' topic where he provided the link below because what I want to discuss is more particularly what alterations you make in practice to achieve ball flights a-i.

http://thesandtrap.com/playing_tips/ball_flight_laws

Swing E is the clearly the default for golf instruction so the mechanics of achieving it are well illustrated. But now suppose I want to hit shot G. It is a push draw requiring in theory an open club face and an in-to-out swing path. We know the theory, we know what an in to out swing path is.

But the instruction is more than just 'do it'/'swing in to out'. How? What are the mechanics, the check points, the feelings that a key to achieving these shots.

And please, feel free to explain any of the shots and how you accomplish them.

[James_Black]

I think it is "just do it".
and open means "open to the target line" the clubface doesn't have to be open.

[brgolf]

I think it is "just do it".

Yea I see what you mean by that now. It took a minute for it to click. Makes sense. So it is more achieving the out to in, in to out swing paths that I need to figure out.

[sean_miller]

Yea I see what you mean by that now. It took a minute for it to click. Makes sense. So it is more achieving the out to in, in to out swing paths that I need to figure out.

"Open to the target for a draw" would seem off to me if I didn't remind myself that "open to the target" doesn't mean open to the swing path. I tend to consider the starting line of the ball my target. po-tay-to / po-tah-to.

[iacas]

Yea I see what you mean by that now. It took a minute for it to click. Makes sense. So it is more achieving the out to in, in to out swing paths that I need to figure out.

Things that help you to hit the ball from the inside:

1) weight forward (I can hit high draws that start 30° right of the target line with the ball behind my rear foot. Shallow divot too.). 2) hands in (They can't approach from the inside if they never GET to the inside).

[brgolf]

Thanks for the responses.

One other thing that is confusing me here is the difference in application between shots D and G. I note how they are achieved but do I need both in my armory or can I just take shot D, aim right of my target and achieve the same ball flight and outcome as G?

[James_Black]

Thanks for the responses.

I think it's down to how much you take it on the inside/how much you close the clubface.

[iacas]

One other thing that is confusing me here is the difference in application between shots D and G. I note how they are achieved but do I need both in my armory or can I just take shot D, aim right of my target and achieve the same ball flight and outcome as G?

Can we please use the names? D is a straight draw and G is a push draw.

A straight draw is the clubface square to the target and the path in to out relative to the target. A push draw is the clubface open to the target, the path in to out relative to the target AND in to out relative to the clubface. As for whether you can just aim right, sure, but the ball will be a tad lower and people who aim right tend to come across the ball to try to pull the ball back to the left, and I'd worry that pattern would creep into your swing. Better to hit a push-draw, IMHO.

[Cornbread]

Something that is always overlooked when speaking about draws, fades, mishits, pulls, pushes, etc... is that the face of Golf Woods are curved to assist in straightening out mis-hits my adding spin to the ball. (toe hits create draw spin, heel hits create fade spin).
Irons on the other hand are flat faced... therefore ball flights are different between the two club types when mis-hitting the ball on the clubface in the same position.
Bottom line... mis-hit iron shots don't correct themselves in flight.

[iacas]

Bottom line... mis-hit iron shots don't correct themselves in flight.

They still can a little bit. Less so than with woods, yes, but these ball flight laws apply to shots hit near the center of gravity. That's assumed.

[brgolf]

A straight draw is the clubface square to the target and the path in to out relative to the target.

Great. Next time I get to the range I'll report back on how I get on with these shots. Several of the shots outlined I have consistently produced at one time or another without really knowing why. Others have been more problematic like the pull hook so at least if I do that on the course, I will know what has gone wrong.

[Shanks A Million]

They still can a little bit. Less so than with woods, yes, but these ball flight laws apply to shots hit near the center of gravity. That's assumed.

Yeah, but even irons correct more than most people realize. Gear effect is something out of the scope of the whole ballflight laws discussion, granted, but there is something to be said for it. Gear effect comes in to play much more in the lower lofts, where the relative spin of the off center hit is higher. A look at two hybrids shows that as the loft gets greater, the bulge and roll becomes less prominent.