Today I was practicing taking the club back straight (outside the plane) and swinging left. With the ball teed low, my three wood shots were low liners starting left and then breaking off sharply back to the right. Driver was higher but with a pretty good left to right snap at the end which was controllable by aiming well left. Any thoughts on reducing the severity of the "fade?"
Snappy NHA2.0
- Thread starter Scottgas2
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Were you a hooker?
NHA is a pattern designed to de-hook even the worst hooker. If you are using NHA and hitting a slice (that's what you describe above), then I have to wonder whether you should be using it in the first place.
If you are a hooker, then fixing the slice shouldn't be a problem. If you aren't a hooker to begin with, then I'd recommend looking at NSA and SD, much better patterns for someone who doesn't already have good clubface control and an inside-out path.
Shot Limit
New
Sounds like a club face control issue, swinging left and leaving the face open.
As mentioned above, you can swing less left. Or you can have the face point more left. The ball curves a lot because of the difference between path and face - so you have to narrow the gap between the two one way or the other. As someone who doesn't hit many fades with a driver, I am always surprised how "left" that face seems to feel for me to hit just a soft fade (and not a slice), but I may need to swing a little more right with the driver myself.
softconsult
New
I keep seeing these threads about changing to NSA or NHA. The poster sort of implies an expectation that they should be able to just switch and have it working in no time. I think this is not reality. This is difficult even if you are a fairly good, seasoned golfer.
This clubface control aspect is also interesting. I don't see much being said about hitting different shots. Back in the days of wound balls you had to know how to control the face in order to hit the shots. Now the balls don't curve as much so things are easier.
So when I read, as in this thread, about a pattern being attempted with bad ball flight results, a couple of thoughts come to mind. Why would you launch off on a new pattern and use a 3 wood and a Driver? These are to difficult. In my opinion, you should pick say a 7 iron to practice a new pattern. I also think that it is important to experiment and try to learn to hit a big draw and then a big fade. This can start to give an idea about clubface control.
Finally, I think that you need a knowledgeable observer. We can't see ourselves swinging a golf club (video excluded) and what we feel is often not what we are actually doing.
This clubface control aspect is also interesting. I don't see much being said about hitting different shots. Back in the days of wound balls you had to know how to control the face in order to hit the shots. Now the balls don't curve as much so things are easier.
So when I read, as in this thread, about a pattern being attempted with bad ball flight results, a couple of thoughts come to mind. Why would you launch off on a new pattern and use a 3 wood and a Driver? These are to difficult. In my opinion, you should pick say a 7 iron to practice a new pattern. I also think that it is important to experiment and try to learn to hit a big draw and then a big fade. This can start to give an idea about clubface control.
Finally, I think that you need a knowledgeable observer. We can't see ourselves swinging a golf club (video excluded) and what we feel is often not what we are actually doing.
Shot Limit
New
This question should be answered first. Steve makes a good point though, you need to confirm that you are actually doing what you intend...feel vs. reel.
Thanks all. Yes I have definitely become a hooker once I learned not to squeeze the club so tightly. I would have liked Brian's 2c about club face alignment at address and how it can be used to fine tune NHA or NSA for that matter. Hooking was mostly a problem on tee shots so that is where I am trying to work things out. I can draw and fade a seven iron most of the time keeping the shots on the planet.
birdie_man
New
If I use NHA these days I miss right a lot.
vjsinger
New
I agree with most of this, however, I think switching between patterns is not fully what most people on this site believe. I think the seasoned veterans on this site and the ones that have been here a little bit that put in the time, know better. The beauty of Brians work is, one "pattern" does not fit all, it's why I say I have a "hybrid" pattern. It's hard to find someone who is true SD or true NHA or NSA etc., it just doesn't happen. Most, if not all, good players are hybrids and cannot be classified. This is esentially what people MUST understand..it's why Brian's research on the D-plane is "the shit" in golf. It's why he says it's the boss.
Are you sure you were a hooker, and not a flipper?
I don't see how grip pressure should have had an effect on your swing path, effectively making you swing more inside out, creating a path problem and a hook. Instead, I see how switching to a light grip, especially on a driver teed up high, would let you learn to flip it, and this would get the ball going left.
But a flip hook and a path hook are TOTALLY different animals. The person with the in to out path needs NHA. The person who flips it needs COFF and NSA.
I'm still thinking you are going to the wrong pattern.
Jim Kobylinski
Super Moderator
Some people who are flip hookers flip it because they are too inside/out, it depends really.
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