Full Answer
How does the face of a golf club affect the ball?
Effects of an Open Clubface By pointing to the right of the target, an open face will direct the ball towards the right of the target, at least initially. That’s because the face of the club has the most impact on where the ball will be sent initially.
Should you open the clubface on your golf clubs?
Another effect of opening the clubface is that it increases the loft of the club, which should send the ball on a higher ball flight than what that club normally would. Finally, opening a clubface gives more prominence to the bounce of the club, which should lead a club with bounce to shoot up from the ground – or sand – rather than dig through it.
Why does my golf ball spin right when I swing?
You might think it's just an open face, but you could be slicing it with your path. If you are swinging outside in and getting the club face to square, the ball will still spin right. Put a head cover or plastic water bottle outside your ball and a few inches back when you are at the range. Avoid hitting it to attack from the inside.
Should you flip the club when hitting the ball?
Flipping the club stands in direct contrast to hitting down on the ball, where the ball is to be trapped between the face of the club and the ground. This can only occur when the lag in the clubface is kept and the hands are ahead of the club at impact. Hitting down on the ball with an iron is a critical element of a solid strike.
How do I stop hitting the ball with an open club face?
3:556:03HOW TO FIX AN OPEN CLUB FACE AT IMPACT - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIf the club shaft is behind my lead arm and the ball goes left I know that I've hit that ball leftMoreIf the club shaft is behind my lead arm and the ball goes left I know that I've hit that ball left through twisting the club shaft and that is exactly how we need you to change without face points.
Why is my club face always open?
The open club face is caused by too much lead wrist extension (cupping). Wrist extending (cupping/bending) and flexing (bowing/arching) are the motions that open and close the clubface.
How do you fix an open club face in golf?
4:355:21How to Fix an Open Club Face (Vertical Line Golf Swing) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipGet it squared up as you start your takeaway. If you do those two things that open clubface will goMoreGet it squared up as you start your takeaway. If you do those two things that open clubface will go away and more importantly you'll start hitting some better golf shots.
What happens when club face is open?
An "open face" or "open clubface" occurs when the clubface is aligned to the right of the target; that is, rather than the face pointing directly down the target line (a "square face"), an open face means the clubface is pointing to the right (for right-handers), as in the photo.
How do I close my club face?
Closing the ClubfaceUse a stronger grip. ... Check your clubface positions at key points in the backswing. ... Bow your left wrist at the start of the downswing. ... Swing the club back to the ball from inside the target line. ... Lead the club into the ball with an arched left wrist. ... Rotate your body as you swing through the ball.
How do I keep my drivers club face closed?
2:128:56GOLF: How to Square the Club Face on a Driver (DO THIS!) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipKind of find my distance from the ball. And just hit a nice smooth. Shot going to feel soft wrists.MoreKind of find my distance from the ball. And just hit a nice smooth. Shot going to feel soft wrists. And what you'll. Find. It really freezes your body to stay balanced.
Which hand controls the clubface?
The left hand (the right for southpaws), is responsible for the rotational movement of the golf club, which, in turn, controls the direction of the clubface.
Does an open club face cause a slice?
Open club face The most common cause of a slice is an open club face. This open club face will give you contact that isn't square and often feels like a “side swipe.” The most common cause of an open club face is an incorrect grip as your hand position will directly reflect in the face.
How do I keep my golf club face square at impact?
4:507:24How to Easily Square the Clubface at Impact for Straighter golf shots.YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipMake sure it's not too strong where you hold the club. Up you can see four knuckles on your leftMoreMake sure it's not too strong where you hold the club. Up you can see four knuckles on your left hand and none on your right hand so just come back to that neutral grip.
Should clubface be open or closed at top of backswing?
Here's why. With the clubface closed at the top it will encourage a more closed clubface at impact creating draw spin versus slice spin. ... One of the major reasons amateurs swing from out-to-in during the downswing is because they are compensating for an open clubface.More items...•
Should you open club face in backswing?
All full swing clubfaces open during the backswing, and once the takeaway starts, there are two ways to open the clubface: (1) body rotation, (2) forearm rotation. When your clubface starts away from the ball, it's in the process of opening (pointing to the right of target – left if you're left handed).
How should the club face hit the ball?
5:0514:00Hit The Center Of The Club Face - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIf I'm flipping at the club pushing at it now what happens is this club wants to ground out backMoreIf I'm flipping at the club pushing at it now what happens is this club wants to ground out back here behind the ball. And then it flips back up into the ball that's why it's lower on the face.
What does a closed clubface do to a golf club?
Finally, a closed clubface will restrict the bounce of the club – if any – from impacting the shot.
Why do golf clubs point to the right?
That’s because the face of the club has the most impact on where the ball will be sent initially.
How to set up a closed clubface?
The correct way to set up for a closed clubface is to grasp the club while the clubface is already pointing in the direction. This way, your usual grip strength will be maintained and crucially will not alter during the course of the swing.
What is the consequence of a closed face?
The first consequence to adopting a closed face is that the initial direction of the ball will be towards the left of the target line. Indeed, according to the new laws of ball flight, the angle of the club will impact the initial direction of the club the most.
What is a square club?
At address, a club placed on the ground in a square position is one where the line of the clubface is perpendicular to the target line. Indeed, a square clubface does not lean one way or the other and instead faces the target directly.
How do I keep my clubface square through impact?
In order to deliver a square clubface through impact, you must strike the ball with the shaft of your club slightly leaned forward. To do this, your wrists and hands must be ahead of the ball at the moment of contact. Doing this will improve compression and prevent excessive opening or closing of the clubface, hence keeping it square.
How do you control clubface angles in golf?
The best way to control clubface angles in golf is through body rotation and wrist position at impact. The best players in the world are masters of clearing their hips which gives them plenty of space to deliver a square, stable clubface with minimal flipping of the wrists.
Which hand controls the clubface in golf?
For a right-handed player, the right hand has a huge influence on controlling the clubface in golf. The palm of your right hand essentially mimics your face angle – if your palm is open to your target line at impact, the clubface will be open. If your palm is closed to your target line at impact, the clubface will be closed.
Why is my clubface wide open at impact?
If your clubface is wide open at impact, it has likely been caused by one of the following swing flaws: either a severely in-to-out or out-to-in club path; poor rotation caused by sliding of the hips or early extension, leading to a flipping of the hands; an early loss of lag angles; or not enough shaft lean as you strike the ball.
Best drills to practice clubface control
In order to get my clubface under control – which is something I desperately needed to improve when I started developing a two-way miss off the tee – my local golf instructor gave me the following drills to work on.
Final message
If you want to get good at golf, you need to have control of the clubface.
So what does the swing direction do I hear you say
So let’s say that the club face points towards the target in impact but my swing direction is 20 to 30 degrees to the right of that.
How to straighten the club face
And let’s say that you are a slicer. How can you get your club face to be straight at impact and not open? Well there are a few options:
When would I want to open the club face?
Opening the face is important, particular for bunker shots. By doing this, you'll expose the bounce on your wedge and as long as you know how to use the bounce, you'll “slide” the club face under the ball and pop it out on a cushion of sand. If you don’t do this you’ll just dig the leading edge into the sand and gently tunnel like a gopher.
Does an open club face cause a slice?
If the club face is open to the path of your swing, you will create the sidespin that causes a slice. This usually happens if your club face is cutting across the ball through impact. There could be a few reasons for this from how you grip the golf club to coming over the top at the start of the downswing.
How to get more speed in downswing?
It’s the start of a power release that automatically shoots energy to the clubhead and squares the face. 2. TILT YOUR RIGHT SIDE. As you do with your hands, drop your right shoulder toward the ground as soon as you begin your downswing. This is yet another speed-booster.
How to keep your right shoulder from moving?
Think of it as trying to decrease the distance between your right shoulder and hip as quickly as possible once you start down. 3. HANDLE DOWN, CLUBHEAD OUT.
How to keep yourself from flipping the golf club?
Keep Your Hands In Front of the Ball. A sure way to keep yourself from flipping the club is to keep your hands ahead of the clubhead at impact. Indeed, whereas scooping the ball will see your hands on top of the clubhead at impact (or even behind) hitting down on the ball will see your hands leading the way of the clubhead, which will be lagging, ...
What does flipping a golf club mean?
Flipping the club stands in direct contrast to hitting down on the ball, where the ball is to be trapped between the face of the club and the ground. This can only occur when the lag in the clubface is kept and the hands are ahead of the club at impact.
Why do you scoop the ball on the other hand?
Scooping the ball on the other hand does not trap the ball and instead can lead to thin shots or fat shots. This occurs because the bottom of the swing arc will likely be found behind the ball and so ...
Why does the bottom of the swing arc occur?
This occurs because the bottom of the swing arc will likely be found behind the ball and so the ball will be struck by the leading edge of the club as it moves up from the lowest level. Similarly, seeing the clubhead ahead of the hands at impact can also produce a fat shot.
Is flipping a golf club a mental issue?
Mental Issue. Finally, flipping the club can also be a mental issue more than anything. Again , it seems to stem from a desire – conscious or not – to help the ball get into the air. If you are suffering from this swing error you should strive to start (or go back to believing) that the loft of the club is designed to get the ball airborne and ...
How to get a golf club to fall into place?
If the clubface doesn't reach the ball, or sits beyond it, maintain your knee flex, spine angle and arm position and move your feet forward or back until the club is properly positioned.
How to fix heel hit on golf club?
Next, place a ball on the tee and try to hit it. Therefore, to fix the heel hit, place a ball on the inside tee and set up with the club behind the outside tee.
What does it mean when a golf ball shanks?
A shank occurs when the ball strikes the hosel of an iron and causes the ball to shoot off to the right (for a right handed golfer).
What does heel hit mean in golf?
Heel hits with the driver typically result in a slice and loss of distance. Coming over the top with an outside to inside swing path is probably the most common reason for a heel hit with the driver. The club head cuts across the target line during the outside to inside swing path.
How to swing without hitting the box?
Swing without hitting the cardboard box. When you can swing without hitting the cardboard box you have successfully altered the outside to inside swing path. Follow Through.
How to fix heel hit?
If you are guilty of swinging across the line try hitting with a closed stance. Simply align your body slightly to the right and attempt to hit the inside portion of the ball while swinging out to the right.
What happens when the body moves closer to the ball?
When the body moves closer that can also push the arms, hands and club closer to the golf ball. Consequently, when everything moves closer to the ball you increase the likelihood of a heel hit or shank. Without a compensation early extension can lead to heel hits.
