Ball flight chart

[rthrbgolfing]

Does anyone have a ball flight chart?  I am trying to change my path and want to be able to determine my ball flight based on path and face. I understand the relationship but still get perplexed at times.  Thanks

[slprince67]

google ball flight chart..... i did..... it's all right there

[iacas]

Ball flight laws aren't all that complicated: ball starts mostly where the face is pointing and curves "away" from the path.

 

That assumes relatively centered contact.

[GungHoGolf]

[iacas]

1 hour ago, GungHoGolf said:

 

That bottom one is the one I created (with some modifications to remove info):

 

 

The "pull" and "push" is relative to stance/alignment. Lee Trevino played a push-fade, for example.

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, GungHoGolf said:

Alex, I would like to buy a vowel. Can I have an "E" please. LOL.

[MelloYello]

Deleted

Edited July 31, 2023 by MelloYello

[PracticeSwinger]

Well, the face sends it and the path bends it - new laws.

[Primo1868]

1 hour ago, MelloYello said:

 

 

@rthrbgolfing FYI, the entire chart can be summed up really simply:

 

1) Club Path determines your starting line: push, pull or straight.

 

2) The face-path relationship determines your curvature (probably more important for most Ams). 

 

 

A couple other tips: 

 

1 - People can usually learn to square up the face without much direct effort. Getting the path under control is more about understanding your swing and what it naturally wants to do. Your brain will naturally learn to square up the face to that path with enough reps. Also, ball position is really important in affecting club path. Often times, people try to change the swing when all they need is a tweak to the ball position. 

 

2 - You want the face-to-path to be as closely aligned as possible so your stock shot is as non-curving as possible. A slight pull, slight push or overall straight ball are all very playable in golf. Draws and fades get harder to play with increasing SS and tend to create problems when your swing is "off." Try to work towards being as non-curving as you can. That's usually one of the signs of a low handicap player. 

 

.

 

you have this backwards (this is the old theory that was disproved)

 

1) face angle at impact determines start line

2) club path determines curvature. 

 

Easy way to remember is: "Face sends it, path bends it"

[MelloYello]

56 minutes ago, Primo1868 said:

you have this backwards (this is the old theory that was disproved)

 

1) face angle at impact determines start line

2) club path determines curvature. 

 

Easy way to remember is: "Face sends it, path bends it"

 

You're right. I'm an idiot. 

 

Although club path doesn't determine curvature, of course. It's the spin which is a function of the face-to-path relationship as I had described. When that's not in alignment you get spin axis tilt which creates curvature. 

 

I was wrong in my first point but correct in my second but I just deleted it. 

 

Freakin' Mondays. 

[i*windows]

as an additional request, does anyone have any knowledge on how the ball flies, what causes a knuckleball, what causes the ball to spin too much, how about the flight which looks like a straight line to the apex, or a parabola?

[tcbringhurst]

10 hours ago, i*windows said:

as an additional request, does anyone have any knowledge on how the ball flies, what causes a knuckleball, what causes the ball to spin too much, how about the flight which looks like a straight line to the apex, or a parabola?

Knuckleball is too little spin. That can either be caused by hitting it so low on the face that it is almost topped or really high on the face. It can also be from hitting out of thick rough. It can also be caused by having almost zero spin loft, but that’s not going to happen unless your driver loft is super low. 
 

Lots of factors can generate excess spin, but they all have something in common: the spin loft is higher than desired. Spin loft is the difference in angle of attack and dynamic loft. Dynamic loft is the vertical angle of the face as delivered to the ball in the swing. If your iron is 35 degrees as measured by a club fitter but your swing delivers it stronger by 2 degrees, then the dynamic loft is 33 degrees. Also, the vertical path or angle of attack of the club as it hits the ball also needs to be taken into account. A negative angle of attack means the club path is traveling downward through the ball, and a positive angle of attack means it’s traveling upwards. Positive AOA is only seen when the ball is teed up; if you hit it from a bare lie with the club going up, you either thinned it or chunked it. 
 

Spin loft is the dynamic loft minus the angle of attack. So with the 35 degree iron example, if you hit it with 4 degrees of negative angle of attack and deliver the club with 33 degrees of dynamic loft, the spin loft is 37 degrees (33 - (-4) = 37)
 

Given equal dynamic lofts, a steeper negative angle of attack will have more spin loft than a shallow angle of attack. 
 

Reducing spin loft either requires reducing club loft, shallowing a negative angle of attack, steepening a positive angle of attack, or a combination of both. Keep in mind that changing shaft characteristics can change these factors as well. 
 

If the ball has enough spin and velocity, it will “rise” until drag makes it slow enough to start descending. 
 

Trackman has a free course where you learn ball flight laws and how to interpret launch monitor data if you want to learn more. 

Edited August 2, 2023 by tcbringhurst
Math is hard