D-plane out of the bunker?

[bryan@nobackswing.com]

does anyone have any idea if clubface determines the same 85% initial starting direction on a greenside bunker blast (with no direct ball-face contact) as it would on a normal shot? i see some guys with very open clubfaces and outside-in swingpaths hit shots that fly pretty well toward their target.

also, why is it that a sand shot (in which there is sand between the ball and club) will spin a lot and a flyer out of the rough (in which there is grass between the ball and the club) will spin very little?

 

[softconsult]

Friction. Sand a lot. Squishy Grass, not so much.

 

[Todd Dugan]

Right, and clubface is less than 85% rsponsible for start direction with the higher spinloft of a sand/lob iron. TrackMan is still studying this, but it can easily dip below 60% with good friction.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

i see some guys with very open clubfaces and outside-in swingpaths hit shots that fly pretty well toward their target.

They are aligning their body well left to allow for that.

 

[bryan@nobackswing.com]

makes sense, thanks for the replies, especially Todd. it's cool that TrackMan technology opens the door for some of these questions to be answered.

all other things equal, do you guys think you'd get more spin if you clipped a ball clean from a bunker (no sand between ball and clubface) or if you took just a tiny bit of sand to get the friction effect?

i may put some skateboard grip tape on the face of an old wedge and hit some balls just to see what happens.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

makes sense, thanks for the replies, especially Todd. it's cool that TrackMan technology opens the door for some of these questions to be answered.

all other things equal, do you guys think you'd get more spin if you clipped a ball clean from a bunker (no sand between ball and clubface) or if you took just a tiny bit of sand to get the friction effect?

i may put some skateboard grip tape on the face of an old wedge and hit some balls just to see what happens.

Friction is the #1, repeat #1, determinant of spin. There is actually a measure of roughness rule (something to that effect) in the USGA when it comes to wedges. That is why the Pure Spin diamond face wedge is illegal and also why you can spin it back off of blacktop lol.

 

[Virtuoso]

Friction is the #1, repeat #1, determinant of spin. There is actually a measure of roughness rule (something to that effect) in the USGA when it comes to wedges. That is why the Pure Spin diamond face wedge is illegal and also why you can spin it back off of blacktop lol.

...and it has a huge effect on launch angle: as energy is converted to spin because of friction, less energy is left available for vertical velocity....so the launch angle comes down.