Swing Path

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Other than using Trackman, which most of us normal people don't have access to, what is the best way to make sure that your swing path is correct?
 

natep

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If you're hitting it far and straight, then you can be confident that you're pretty close.

Someone pointed out that when the second hand on a clock moves one tick, that's 6 degrees.

I dont think any of us have can accurately estimate our own numbers on a given swing, but someone who uses trackman regularly with students can probably make a good estimate based on ball flight.
 
The reason I am asking is because my typical ball flight is straight (for a while) then the spin takes over and it goes left or sometimes way left with the driver (I am left-handed).
 

natep

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That means your face is relatively square to your target but your path is to the right of your target.
 
I understand that.... But I want a reliable checkpoint so that I know when I am or am not swinging on the right path. I don't get to go out golfing a lot, but I do work on my swing almost every day at home (including short game). It is hard to check path when you can't make a full swing so I just wanted to know if anyone knew a reliable method for checking swing path without a ball or trackman.
 

ZAP

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Not really any reliable way I know of. If you pay close attention to what the ball is doing you will be able to tell somewhat. Find a trackman and try it out. I was shocked at how a minimal difference in swing feel can change the numbers drastically. If for some reason I do not get to see Brian this winter in NO I will find a trackman somewhere and rent time.
 
Divots are not a bad start. Your divot has to go left in order to square up the path. If it's going straight at the target, then your path is going to go out to the right.

Ball flight is good as well, but if you slightly mis-hit it you may not even feel like you mis-hit it...and that can cause the ball to curve differently than it should for that given face-to-path relationship.





3JACK
 

ZAP

New
And remember lefties need to read stuff backwards. As a fellow lefty I know to read left as right. Make sure you read carefully though.
 
And remember lefties need to read stuff backwards. As a fellow lefty I know to read left as right. Make sure you read carefully though.

As a lefty I am ingrained to read "right" as "left" and vice versa. The only thing that throws me off is when a lefty writes in left-handed terms :D
 
I understand that.... But I want a reliable checkpoint so that I know when I am or am not swinging on the right path. I don't get to go out golfing a lot, but I do work on my swing almost every day at home (including short game). It is hard to check path when you can't make a full swing so I just wanted to know if anyone knew a reliable method for checking swing path without a ball or trackman.

imo, even with a full swing, most people cannot accurately conclude weather the path or the face or both are at fault, unless the ball flight is so grossly flawed allowing our naked eyes to have a good guess on it. the more experienced, the better the guess. i think this is where tech like trackman comes in handy.

i believe most amateurs or students have a combination of problems with path and face and it is not necessarily a consistent trend in terms of which is which. it may go from club to club, day to day or week to week, etc. for instance, how you hit your driver vs your wedge may reveal a very different set of flaws. you may hit your driver with an out to in path and a closed face, grooved over time, and immediately afterwards, you may hit your wedge with an in to out and an open face, simply something you have get used to do.

therefore, i think if one is serious about learning the game, since tech is available and instructors like brian are out there, the only way to get better is to have a comprehensive and accurate diagnosis and hopefully the right management plan based on the data.
 
As a lefty I am ingrained to read "right" as "left" and vice versa. The only thing that throws me off is when a lefty writes in left-handed terms :D

Yeah same exact thing with me... Sometimes I wonder if I should just never mention the fact that I am left-handed! :D
 

Ducky

New
Divots are not a bad start. Your divot has to go left in order to square up the path. If it's going straight at the target, then your path is going to go out to the right.
So (for a right-hander) the divot should be pointing slightly left of the target? Hence, any effort to produce straight divots is going to result in a path that is excessively in-to-out?
 
Divots are not a bad start. Your divot has to go left in order to square up the path. If it's going straight at the target, then your path is going to go out to the right.

Ball flight is good as well, but if you slightly mis-hit it you may not even feel like you mis-hit it...and that can cause the ball to curve differently than it should for that given face-to-path relationship.
3JACK

Yeah I am sort of wondering about divots as well. If you are hitting a divot that means that you are hitting down on the ball and therefore hitting it before the bottom of your arc. Wouldn't that mean that the divot would point slightly right or maybe even straight (for a righty) because the divot would end or just past the bottom of the arc. Could you please explain this.
 

natep

New
Yeah I am sort of wondering about divots as well. If you are hitting a divot that means that you are hitting down on the ball and therefore hitting it before the bottom of your arc. Wouldn't that mean that the divot would point slightly right or maybe even straight (for a righty) because the divot would end or just past the bottom of the arc. Could you please explain this.

Your divot should occur after impact. Therefore the path of the divot would not perfectly match the path of the club at impact since its an arc not a straight line.
 
S

SteveT

Guest
Everybody assumes that the direction of the divot indicates the direction of the clubhead .. but does it?!

Let's assume the iron sole is level at Impact with the shaft tip droop that lowers the toe.

After Impact, the toe springs up and the heel of the iron enters the ground to start the divot.

Then, the club heel starts slowing down while the toe is now spinning around the shaft axis (not the sweet spot axis). This causes the club to veer inward as it plows through the divot ... suggesting an inside club path.

Ya think ..??!!!! :confused:
 
S

SteveT

Guest
Your divot should occur after impact. Therefore the path of the divot would not perfectly match the path of the club at impact since its an arc not a straight line.

natep ... but the swing radius is so large, a 6" travel of the clubhead on it's path is virtually straight.

Looking at some divots, they appear to be veering inwards too much compared to the long, flattish arc path of the clubhead.

You must appreciate the geometric proportions of the clubhead swing path on a very large swing radius when comparing it to divot shapes .. and then things just don't add up from simplistic observations.

p.s. See my above posting .... ;)
 
Just curious. Since any alignment of the face of the club is also the alignment of the back of the club, what does trackman track to determine path? In other words, given a 4 degree inside out path reading what is trackman saying is moving along that path?
 
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