One vs. Two Plane Swing

[jay-jay]

"Does anyone actually think this analytically when setting up to swing?"

When playing golf, of course not.
When on the range, working on swing mechanics, all the time.

The point is, if you are trying to fix a swing problem, you need to know what causes the
particular ball flight you are seeing.

If your cause/effect is incorrect, you can spend a lot of time chasing after fixes that will
never work.

In the case of clubhead path/clubface angle/ball flight interactions, the conventional view
that "clubhead path determines initial direction" is simply wrong.

Go here to see why, and what's really going on:

http://www.tutelman.com/golf/clubs/ballflight.php?ref=

[iacas]

This statement could only be true if you were trying to draw or cut the ball, but it doesn’t hold true when you are trying to hit the ball straight, because to hit a straight shot, the target must be in line with the tangent.

I didn't mean it in a confined case. I meant it only to refute Leek's assertion that the clubface must be "closed" if the path is "square" to the target. That's obviously not true at all - it can be closed, open, or square, too.

Not for a hook, of course - just in general.

In the diagram which iacas provided only impact position ‘B’ is square to the swingpath.

Yes.

Given the round arc (swing path) and positions that iacas has set for us, position ‘A’ would indicate a pull-slice and position ‘C’ a snap-hook.

Or a fade and a draw, depending on the severity, but yes, you've interpreted the drawing correctly.

This holds true because of the amount of loft of the club. When pitching, one usually uses a club 46°-56° wedge. The high loft nullifies the idea that “club path is the primary determinant in initial ball direction”…(to quote iacas) Don’t try that with a 3-iron.

Yes, what's "primary" becomes less and less of an issue as you increase the loft. Somewhere around a 7-iron or so (I've not sat on a range and tested this, of course - just going from general memory) the clubface angle seems to matter more (i.e. become the primary factor).

Does anyone actually think this analytically when setting up to swing? I think we all have an intuitive feel. As our swings improve than are adjustments that give us positive results are ingrained.

Not when setting up, no, but in analyzing why a shot came off the way it did after the fact - definitely.

I've said before and I'll say again: I used to believe it was the clubface position that determined initial path. Now that I know "better" my handicap has dropped 4 points in the past two years and I'm much better able to make in-round corrections now that I know what used to be the fault of the club PATH is actually the fault of the club FACE and vice versa.