Tag: start line

Start Line and Curve

Bryan Pate

Lets talk about start line and curve. The club face accounts for roughly 75% of the balls starting direction and the path curves it. In the featured image above is a great setup station. 10′ of rope starting a foot out in front of the ball with an alignment rod sticking up out the other end. The rope is lined up with the target and standing behind the ball the alignment rod is right in front of the target. Now from here you can get a visual of where the ball is starting and going. Here are the ball flights that could come out with a solid struck ball:

1. Ball starting left and craving left : Face closed to target and path more toward target.
2. Ball starting left and going straight : Face closed to target and path matching face start line.
3. Ball starting left and curving right towards or past the target : Face closed to path and swing direction left of the face.
3. Ball starting at the stick and curving left : Face square and swing more to the right.
4. Ball starting at the stick and curving right : Face square and swing more to the left.
5. Ball starting straight and going straight : Face and path straight. I call this the UNICORN.. Will discuss below.
6. Ball starting right and curving left : Face is open to the target and path is moving more right.
7. Ball starting right and going straight : Face is open to the target and path is going the same direction.
8. Ball starting right and curving right : Face is open to the target and path is moving more left than the face is open.

It is good to understand these ball flights when diagnosing your swing. That way when you are working on corrections you are not doing something that is going to make it move the same direction but worse. An example is a ball that starts left and curves right. You see that so figure lets aim more left. That just moves the path more left making more curve. The larger the difference is where the face was pointing at impact and the direction the club was traveling the bigger the curve.

Best training tool to add to your golf bag is a can of Dr. Scholls “POWDER” foot spray.  Why is this?  Because miss hits can change those above impact perimeters.  A club that is open to the target, swing direction slightly right of that (draw shape), and is hit in the heel of the club will not curve back but if it is hit in the toe the ball with over draw.  Same with the opposite club delivery of a cut.  Club face more left of the target at the strike point starting the ball left with a swing shape slightly more left of that but if you hit it in the heel the ball will over cut and if you catch it more on the toe the ball will fly straighter.  Also lower strikes launch lower and spin more and higher strikes launch higher and spin less.
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Use the above ball flights and strike info to figure out how to change your curve, reduce the curve. or know why your curve does what it does.  Remember I mentioned the UNICORN above which is a dead straight shot.  That is the hardest shot in golf because the face can be straight but the path slightly right or left and you get different curves.  We want some room for error built in the swing and a ball that is moving back towards the target.  Let’s take a draw as an example:  The photo below I am holding my club on the ball line or target line.   The furthest alignment rod to your right (my left) would be the club path at impact.  A good number would be 3-4* to the right.  That would give me room to fit my club face into that area and have a face from 1-3*.  On a swing direction of 3* right having my club face at 1* right would start right and slightly over draw just a little, a 2 would start right and finish close to the target line, a 3 would start right and go straight with the swing direction.  All very manageable shots with not much curve.  If my face was a 1 but swing was an 8 one way or another the ball would start close to the target then curve a lot past the target and work away from it as it landed.

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For more info and to see the YouTube clip on this subject CLICK HERE, select the above image, or go here: https://youtu.be/4JQLOgGJipo

Elbow Plane Line

Bryan Pate

Let’s talk about the Elbow Plane Line (Click for YouTube Video).  This line is not the fix all line but is a good reference point.  If you are looking for exact you will need to line up your camera in the correct spot where the camera is hand height and perpendicular to the target line.  I use it as a good enough line because my preference is to film at chest high just in front of the toe line.

Let’s take a look how I add the line.  You can see in the above photo how I take the swing to impact then draw a line up form the hosel and out the back of the shaft.  The reason for impact shaft line is the shaft rises from setup and the dynamic movements of the swing.  When taken back to setup the line roughly goes through the right elbow (7iron pictured).  I tend to have low hands at setup and always working on getting them higher and when focusing on it feel like they are on this line.  Looks like I need to work on some setup pieces.

Screen Shot 2019-01-15 at 6.48.27 PM.pngThis is a general reference line that we can use to see if the club from the top is working towards the line or away form the line.  Below photo I added a dot to where the club head was at the top of the swing then where it went to in transition.  The left photo moved towards the line and down where the right moved away and across the ball. screen shot 2019-01-15 at 6.29.22 pm

Here they are at at P6 or shaft parallel.  Left going down the line and right staying above.Screen Shot 2019-01-15 at 6.44.30 PM.png

Here is just after impact you can see the club stay on the line on the left and the right where it came from above it went left and under the line.Screen Shot 2019-01-15 at 6.46.08 PM.png

A club that is traveling more along the line will usually have a stronger impact than one that is working too much form under or above.  Those clubs will be producing more of a glancing blow.

For the direct link to the YouTube channel click below:

Rotate to Balance

Bryan Pate

Balance is key in golf.  Turn on the tv and you will not see players moving all over the place, falling forward, back, and around at the finish.  The reason for this is it keeps the swing direction and impact more predictable.  If you are falling back that can move the swing direction more left and land the club too far behind the ball.  Click Here for the YouTube clip on this blog.

Here is a good drill I learned from Martin Chuck at the TourStriker Academy located at the Raven in Phoenix, AZ.  Place your club across your thigh and put some pressure into both legs.  Keep this pressure constant into the finish.  See the above photo for the start and finish.

In the below are to finishes for comparison.  The left photo we see often with the golfer finishing with too much pressure on their trail foot.  This keeps the center over the ball and the low point back too far.  What we want to see if on the right.  The golfer is standing on their left foot, 95% of their pressure is on the target side of the ball line, and there is just enough pressure on the back foot so they don’t fall over.  Can also see that the back of the rear is on the ball line.  This is a good check point to hold and assess where you are, how it feels, and how it looks.

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Start small and grow your swing.  For the YouTube video direct link click below: