Is hitting the ball STRAIGHT the goal?

[Brian Manzella]

Straight Shots vs. Non-Straight Shots

In my last tournament, my first multi-round event in 8 years, I hit 13 fairways in the last round in 20-30 mph winds.

Average path? 3-4° outside-in.

Why?

Well, so many it would fill a book. But really, it amounts to not being taught properly when I was younger, and then being taught a pattern that would make a straight ball impossible.

That's basically the stories you are going to hear on here.

It play better with a draw, a push-fade, a slight cut.

Great.

But I can teach you to hit it straight, and for you, that may be best.

Who ever could in golf history?

 

[wulsy]

Who ever could in golf history?

Damn few, and they're a' deid!. You got some Scots blood in ye?

Wha’s Like Us – Damn Few And They’re A’ Deid

The average Englishman, in the home he calls his castle, slips into his national
costume, a shabby raincoat, patented by chemist Charles Macintosh from Glasgow, Scotland.

En route to his office he strides along the English lane, surfaced by John Macadam of Ayr, Scotland.

He drives an English car fitted with tyres invented by John Boyd Dunlop of Dreghorn, Scotland.

At the train station he boards a train, the forerunner of which was a steam engine, invented by James Watt of Greenock, Scotland.

He then pours himself a cup of coffee from a thermos flask, the latter invented by James Dewar, a Scotsman from Kincardine-on-Forth.

At the office he receives the mail bearing adhesive stamps invented by James Chalmers of Dundee, Scotland.

During the day he uses the telephone invented by Alexander Graham Bell, born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

At home in the evening his daughter pedals her bicycle invented by Kirkpatrick Macmillan, blacksmith of Dumfries, Scotland.

He watches the news on his television, an invention of John Logie Baird of Helensburgh, Scotland,

And an item about the U.S. Navy, founded by John Paul Jones of Kirkbean, Scotland.

He has by now been reminded too much of Scotland and in desperation he picks up the Bible only to find that the first man mentioned in the good book is a Scot, King James VI, who authorised its translation.

Nowhere can an Englishman turn to escape the ingenuity of the Scots.

He could take to drink, but the Scots make the best in the world.

He could take a rifle and end it all but the breech-loading rifle was invented by Captain Patrick Ferguson of Pitfours, Scotland.

If he escapes death, he might then find himself on an operating table injected with penicillin, which was discovered by Alexander Fleming of Darvel, Scotland.

Or under anaesthetic, which was discovered by Sir James Young Simpson of Bathgate, Scotland.

Out of the anaesthetic, he would find no comfort in learning he was as safe as the Bank of England founded by William Paterson of Dumfries, Scotland.

Perhaps his only remaining hope would be to get a transfusion of guid Scottish blood which would entitle him to ask “Wha’s Like Us”.

 

[peterjthomps]

I have been making use of the push-fade lately, now that I know I am allowed to!
l.

Great post Scott. I feel the same way. I feel most natural hitting a push fade but over the years thought the draw was supposed to be the right way to play.

 

[wulsy]

Just for clarity: Is the definition of a perfect push fade to target (in light of the d-plane concepts) a ball which starts to the right of the HSP but left of target line with the right amount of curvature to land on target?

Assuming no downward strike, how open to path would the face need to be for say a 25 yard curvature on a 250yd shot?

 

[GolfHappy]

But I can teach you to hit it straight, and for you, that may be best.

I tend to agree, the straighter the better. I'd like to keep my dispersion as tight as possible and would like to limit my bad shot to one side or the other (somehow). Smaller shapes seem to avoid more trouble than big shapes (overhanging branches etc), I'd like to see how Bubba Watson would fare around some of the tight tree-lined courses I play locally!!

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

i find that everyone should LEARN to hit the ball straight at some point in their golfing career.

THEN

adjust the swing to either be a tad more draw/fade oriented based on YOUR tendencies.

 

[ScottRob]

This might stir things up a bit, but do you think that as far as consitency goes doesn't a power-fade (inside out cut shot if you will) "better" than a draw?

One of my friends (as a teen)Dad was a pretty handy pro back in the late 50s and early 60s (won a couple of events in europe and played in the Masters, as well as with with Snead and Hogan) begged me to hit a fade, instead of a draw that would sometimes hook off the planet. I was never comfortable with it because my idea of a fade was really a pull-cut, and could never convince myself to work the head that far left (having a sizeable in to out path going.)

I am still very much in the "range stage" but my stock shot now is what he was looking for me to do way back then.

Nicklaus, Hogan, Trevino, Demeret - faders?
Player, Palmer, Snead - drawers?
Nelson - straight?

My push-fade goes higher and further. which is a bit of a laugh because I started hitting a draw to pick up some easy yards.

 

[softconsult]

Brian, I had this thought after reading your post.

You essentially explained that you were taught wrong and
can't seem to shake it. You have Trackman and the knowledge
of what to do, but ingrained swing tendencies prevented you from
changing. Maybe just that this was a tournament, with pressure?

So if you haven't been able change to a straight ball, what
does that mean for us average joe golfers? Is there some
point in terms of age or golfing years, where a player really
can't change enough to achieve a straight ball pattern.

Really asking, if you can't pull it off, how can we?

 

[ZAP]

Brian, I had this thought after reading your post.

You essentially explained that you were taught wrong and
can't seem to shake it. You have Trackman and the knowledge
of what to do, but ingrained swing tendencies prevented you from
changing. Maybe just that this was a tournament, with pressure?

So if you haven't been able change to a straight ball, what
does that mean for us average joe golfers? Is there some
point in terms of age or golfing years, where a player really
can't change enough to achieve a straight ball pattern.

Really asking, if you can't pull it off, how can we?

In some ways we are all working towards straight. Only a machine would put up zeros every time. Knowing your tendency would be the key IMHO>

 

[Brian Manzella]

Really asking, if you can't pull it off, how can we?

If I practice for two days, I can put all sorts of zeros up with every club in the bag.

But the driver is harder for me....

It is a geometry issue.

Man 68.5" vs. Club 45"

 

[softconsult]

Understood.

We tend to forget that your plate is full.

 

[SteveT]

The shape of your shot trajectory is also a function of your clubs, particularly your irons.

I have several club sets, and the Ping Zing2's with their extreme perimeter weighting are very conducive to straight shots.

I can more easily work the ball with the forged compact blades, for obvious reasons.

Of course the lower lofted clubs are more susceptible to errant shot shapes due to the tighter D-plane components.

What clubs do you play with?