zeroed out driver. heel hit. what happens?

[bryan@nobackswing.com]

let's say you make a good driver swing with a zeroed out path and clubface. if you hit this shot center clubface, it will go dead straight. but you don't. you hit it halfway between the sweet spot and the heel. what happens? what are the major variables involved? say 100 MPH clubhead speed and +3* AoA.

if i'm correct, the ball will start left with fade spin. but would the fade spin ever overtake the initial leftward launch and move the ball right of the target line? would the severity of the heel hit affect where this ball ends up directionally? is clubhead speed a major factor in figuring out where this ball will end up? does it depend on the dynamic loft of the club? would an identical toe hit produce the exact opposite results?

gear affect would be more severe with an impact that's further off-center. but it would be counteracted by the more leftward starting direction of a heel hit. does one always win out?

 

[mjstrong]

My take...

I'll take a stab at most of these...

let's say you make a good driver swing with a zeroed out path and clubface. if you hit this shot center clubface, it will go dead straight. but you don't. you hit it halfway between the sweet spot and the heel. what happens? what are the major variables involved? say 100 MPH clubhead speed and +3* AoA.

The ball will start left with fade spin.

if i'm correct, the ball will start left with fade spin. but would the fade spin ever overtake the initial leftward launch and move the ball right of the target line?

Yes. This is why bulge and roll were incorporated into clubs - to start the initial launch of the ball more outside the target line, because the amount that it would have spun right would be more than the left-ward launch.

would the severity of the heel hit affect where this ball ends up directionally?

I would think so. The more severe mishits will probably see such a drastic loss in ball speed, combined with more left-ward launch, so they liwouldn't make it back to the target line

is clubhead speed a major factor in figuring out where this ball will end up?

Yeah. All else being equal, I'd imagine that faster swing speeds would see more of a lateral effect from the tilted spin axis since the ball would be in the air much longer.

does it depend on the dynamic loft of the club?

I think there "it" would be different throughout the set, but likely due to different COG locations, MOI, etc.

would an identical toe hit produce the exact opposite results?

Well, the toe of the club is moving faster than the heel, so the resulting ball speeds (and their effects) would still be higher given identical mishits.