Club Face Angle At Address

[ijaz429]

hey all,

my first post so thank you for reading.

wanted your opinion on something.

i am currently using mizuno mx850 irons (5-SW) and recently added taylormade SLDR driver, 5 wood and hybrid. when i first added the SLDR woods, my miss with the woods was a "straight slice" where the ball starts straight or slightly right and curved further right. at that time, i was hitting my irons mostly straight.

i recently "fixed" my miss with the woods but now i am hitting a "straight hook" with my irons! man this is a cruel game.

ive spent time on a trackman like system and know my path is mostly straight so my misses are due to face angle.

so basically fixing my face angle for my woods has negatively affected my face angle when hitting irons/wedges.

here are my questions....

1. i notice when i look down at address my woods look fairly perpindicular to the target while my irons all seem to point left. i can manipulate the irons to point straight with a forward press but is that really a good solution?

2. is this difference at address because the mx-850s are game improvement and the SLDR are for a more advanced player?

3. IF this difference in face angle at address is the cause of the issue, would it be possible to have the irons bent to a straighter face angle at address?

looking forward to your response and being part of the community.

[DrvFrShow]

Hi, and welcome.

I've only been playing for a couple of years. I've made it my goal to have a 5 handicap in three more years so it's gotten pretty intense for me. There are a number of different things that could be going on. I do forward press to start my backswing, but there are other fundamentals that should be in place.

Drivers and woods are more difficult to hit because they are longer and the woods show swing faults more readily.

What I would do is take your cell phone and take a video of your swing. You can edit it in Movie Maker - I'd do it at regular speed and copy and paste it and then select that section and make that section 1/8 or 1/4 speed so that it is easier to see what is going on.

Then upload your video to Youtube and post the swing in this thread:

http://thesandtrap.com/f/4180/member-swings

Read the instructions at the top of the link before posting.

Again, welcome to the site.

Julia

PS - you'll get a signature after about 10 posts or a week or so IIRC. It sort of works like that.

[dkolo]

Hi, and welcome. I've only been playing for a couple of years. I've made it my goal to have a 5 handicap in three more years so it's gotten pretty intense for me. There are a number of different things that could be going on. I do forward press to start my backswing, but there are other fundamentals that should be in place. Drivers and woods are more difficult to hit because they are longer and the woods show swing faults more readily. What I would do is take your cell phone and take a video of your swing. You can edit it in Movie Maker - I'd do it at regular speed and copy and paste it and then select that section and make that section 1/8 or 1/4 speed so that it is easier to see what is going on. Then upload your video to Youtube and post the swing in this thread: [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/f/4180/member-swings]http://thesandtrap.com/f/4180/member-swings[/URL] Read the instructions at the top of the link before posting. Again, welcome to the site. Julia PS - you'll get a signature after about 10 posts or a week or so IIRC. It sort of works like that.

This is very sound advice, and I'd add that you should also make sure that you get some clear shots of your grip in whatever swing thread you choose to make so people can help you check it. There are a couple of great threads on grip on this site and all over the Internet. It might be worth examining as a first priority just to make sure it's OK and fix it if it's not. Some of these club alignment issues could be chalked up to that.

[trickyputt]

hey all, my first post so thank you for reading. wanted your opinion on something. i am currently using mizuno mx850 irons (5-SW) and recently added taylormade SLDR driver, 5 wood and hybrid. when i first added the SLDR woods, my miss with the woods was a "straight slice" where the ball starts straight or slightly right and curved further right. at that time, i was hitting my irons mostly straight. i recently "fixed" my miss with the woods but now i am hitting a "straight hook" with my irons! man this is a cruel game. ive spent time on a trackman like system and know my path is mostly straight so my misses are due to face angle. so basically fixing my face angle for my woods has negatively affected my face angle when hitting irons/wedges. here are my questions.... 1. i notice when i look down at address my woods look fairly perpindicular to the target while my irons all seem to point left. i can manipulate the irons to point straight with a forward press but is that really a good solution? 2. is this difference at address because the mx-850s are game improvement and the SLDR are for a more advanced player? 3. IF this difference in face angle at address is the cause of the issue, would it be possible to have the irons bent to a straighter face angle at address? looking forward to your response and being part of the community.

So you have discovered that longer sticks close the face to square later compared to the average length of your clubs and that the shorter clubs in your bag close the face sooner, Without being aware of this reality you inquire as to why the clubs are not the same for ball position and setup and the answer is that the shorter clubs close faster and if the setup is the same you can leave the long ones open and slice. The 50" driver a long drive champ would use is the latest closure I can think of to really demonstrate the phenomenon. Opening the stance to alleviate the quick closer of a lob wedge is the other end of the set. If your hands are not in the same place when you swing, because of different lie and lengths, it can be very challenging to get used to the subtle differences between clubs.

[ijaz429]

thank you for the replies.

having your swing reviewed is always a great idea. however, in this instance, my concern is that correcting the hook i am experiencing with my irons is only going to bring me back to my original issue of sending everything right with the woods.

i would think one would want a consistent swing and not have to make adjustments based upon the club being used?

[trickyputt]

thank you for the replies. having your swing reviewed is always a great idea. however, in this instance, my concern is that correcting the hook i am experiencing with my irons is only going to bring me back to my original issue of sending everything right with the woods. i would think one would want a consistent swing and not have to make adjustments based upon the club being used?

If your clubs make your hands set up in different places like traditional designs you will find that as they become longer and more powerful the hands float up and out a few inches. It is not a large adjustment and offers playability, but for beginners it is challenging to become comfortable. So swing away in practice. The alternative is a design where the vertical height doesnt change, but the heads change lie and shafts change length to make the correct triangle. I do not believe this design is used much on tour, but may offer a training basis for newcomers to the game.

[DrvFrShow]

thank you for the replies.

having your swing reviewed is always a great idea. however, in this instance, my concern is that correcting the hook i am experiencing with my irons is only going to bring me back to my original issue of sending everything right with the woods.

i would think one would want a consistent swing and not have to make adjustments based upon the club being used?

Without seeing your swing is difficult to know exactly what you're doing, but if I were to guess, having been in this boat is that you're not extending through impact toward your target with your hands after impact, but instead wrapping your arms around with your woods - that will lead to cutting across the ball and with a long club that side spin that leads to the slice. Look at their extension after impact:

Still take a video of yourself at the driving range next time you go, and post it. Mike will probably chime in with some excellent advice straight away. Don't forget to participate in other discussions, too! We want to get to know you.

[ijaz429]

"that will lead to cutting across the ball and with a long club that side spin that leads to the slice."

sorry if i wasnt clear in my original posting, i am hitting my woods/driver perfectly. i am hooking my irons.

[14ledo81]

A possible simple solution would be to open your clubface at address a bit (with your irons) and then grip it.  Should start the ball further right.

[JonMA1]

"that will lead to cutting across the ball and with a long club that side spin that leads to the slice."

sorry if i wasnt clear in my original posting, i am hitting my woods/driver perfectly. i am hooking my irons.

I'm working on a similar problems with my irons as well. Not terrible hooks, just start straight and curve just a bit off the target line. I don't have a fix but I'll share what seems to be showing some progress...

A possible simple solution would be to open your clubface at address a bit (with your irons) and then grip it.  Should start the ball further right.

This - open just a little bit - combined with making sure I'm coming in to out, and making sure I'm making center contact on the club face. I will say when I start opening the face, I'm just as likely to get side spin going the other way. For me, it has to be a very minor adjustment.

Please let us know if you get it figured out and welcome to the forum.

[golfbarefoot]

I play a draw. My club face is 'very slightly' open at address. Just my preference I guess.

[Tat14]

I play a draw. My club face is 'very slightly' open at address. Just my preference I guess.

I too hit a draw, naturally and with blind conviction.

Trying to change that... would you agree that a very slightly open face & an in-to-out path creates that push draw? That's what I've understood the ball flight laws and related threads to mean.

Thanks.

[Hammer 4]

1 question, how's your grip with the irons..? Also, is your grip the same with your woods..?

I play a draw with my irons, my stance is very slightly open, my grip is neutral. Unless I goof up, and every so often block one to the right, even my pw is a draw.

Driver and woods/hybrids, I really have to concentrate on making sure my left hand faces the target at impact, or I hit a highish, fade/slice..

I would check your grip at address, make a practice swing, and check it again, do this with all your clubs.

BTW, I have a bad back, and a slightly open stance gives me the best swing path, or I should say it's more comfy for me, although I can't make as big of a hip turn vs a square, or slightly closed stance. Also, make sure your swinging in to out, and not flipping your hands, I had a BIG issue flipping my hands not long ago. A flat left wrist will cure any flipping.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.