Club Face or Path?

[jester]

A little background. At the end last season, I was losing a lot of shots to the right. On a trackman, I noticed my path was continually around -2 and my face was open to the path

 

So this winter I have been doing drills to help with controlling the club face. I have gone to a simulator a couple times the last few weeks and my club face is now always a few degrees closed to the path...so I made the improvement I was hoping for.

 

On the simulator, my path is usually -2 to 2 but I have to make a conscious effort to get a positive club path...but when I swing "normal" it's -1 to -2. This isn't causing big hooks, but the ball is now starting left and drawing left.

 

Do I continue to work on making my club path in to out...or play my "normal" -2 swing path and work on opening the face a little more so that I don't hit pull draws? Is one of them an easier address than the other?

 

I'd rather not play a pull draw on the course but if I can hit it consistently, is it really that big of an issue?

[dap]

Most recreational players come out to in because they lack flexibility. They can learn to swing in to out but it's an effort and usually don't hold up under pressure on the course.

 

The danger with playing for a pull draw is that it's rather uncontrollable.It's very easy to over pull draw it and the result is almost always a lost ball. Yes you can play for the fade with an open face but you will be giving up 20 yards.I would try to add a deg or two to the path which shouldn't be too difficult. Just feel your shoulders a little more closed at impact and play your normal swing. If you find that your face is open and you hit blocks then just strengthen your grip a touch.

[BrianMcG]

I would keep the clubface square and play a nice little butter cut.

[PutterKilledTheDream]

I’d try to forget about the ‘minus’ ‘plus’ component to your swing path. You gotta realize that Trackman measures against a target line and golf on a real course gives you a much larger funnel/ landing area you’re trying to place the ball in. So what are you really ‘-2 or +2’ against?

 

-2 in the big scheme of things is still basically swinging down the line and the only thing you need to accomplish to make the shot playable is to make sure the face doesn’t get closed to your path. Unless you want to be uncomfortably hugging the left side of the course all day. You’re not going to give up big yardage and you’re definitely not wiping across it if your path is -2.

 

It’s really just about managing the face and path relationship. You do that effectively and the numbers don’t matter too much on the course.

[OakLawnGolfPro]

I think you just answered your own question sort of. If you can hit a controllable pull fade that's not costing you on the distance end, then why not? Lots of good players do it.

 

If you're set on the draw, it can be done and I think you did a good job so far, just need to really push the path and see some shots that start right first and have the leftward curve, then you can dial in the path.

[corynorrod]

Do you mind sharing what drills you did to correct your club face? I have the same problem. Thanks

[jester]

I think you just answered your own question sort of. If you can hit a controllable pull fade that's not costing you on the distance end, then why not? Lots of good players do it.

 

If you're set on the draw, it can be done and I think you did a good job so far, just need to really push the path and see some shots that start right first and have the leftward curve, then you can dial in the path.

 

I do feel more comfortable playing a fade and seeing that shot shape but it always seems that my face get's too open to the path. That's why I worked on closing the club path...and I feel good good about the progress i made the last few months. Now I just need to take the next step of making the final adjustments.

[jester]

Do you mind sharing what drills you did to correct your club face? I have the same problem. Thanks

 

It was really just two things. Making sure the face more more closed at the top and thinking about my knuckles pointing to the ground. I played baseball up through college so it's just a different feel than I'm used to. Lots of slow and controlled swings focusing on those changes.

[mikpga]

Path numbers are decent...

 

Learn to match the face to obtain your desired ball flight...

[OTT]

I could have wrote the very same post.

I've posted something similar,

I'm also just slightly negative now as well. And like you I'm struggling to consistently get into plus figures all the time. I'm having a lot of trouble with face control..

I'm always in the minus with the driver so I may have come to the conclusion that it might be a better question for me to get better face control for the -2 swing path thater than pushing into the + and not being able to trust it... At -2 and -4 angle of attack I think it's perfect numbers for a fade.