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when watching golf why does it look like the ball doesn'tgo straight

by Miles Heidenreich Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

The angle of the camera is deceiving making it look like all tour pros hit big hooks (even the faders). The same can be said on the camera shots that face the golfer. If the angle is off it looks like they are playing the ball either too far forward or backward.

When the ball is struck it instantly becomes influenced by two types of spin – backspin which is helping it to climb into the air to enable the ball to fly the distance required and sidespin – which is a combination of the clubface (whether it is open, closed or square) with the path or line that the club is delivered ...Aug 29, 2012

Full Answer

Is it hard to hit the golf ball straight?

Well, hitting the golf ball straight isn't just something that is hard to do – it is nearly impossible. Almost every golf shot that is hit in this game, no matter who is hitting it, is going to curve at least slightly in one direction or the other.

How does a golf club face move?

To go along with that speed, the club face is rapidly closing at it moves through the hitting area. The face is open to the line on the way down, and it quickly closes up at you near the ball, hopefully finding a square position right at the moment of impact.

Why does my golf ball curve in the rough?

The straighter your golf ball flies, the further it can go. If you tend to hit a hard banana slice into the rough, you’re probably losing distance from the golf ball curving off line. Same can be said for those who hit a duck hook that curves hard into the rough.

How to hit a fade or draw in golf?

Use your natural shot shape, be it a fade or draw, by aiming wide of targets and letting the ball turn toward them. It's both easier and more effective. Should You Try to Hit the Ball Straight?

Why is my golf ball not going straight?

In order to hit the ball straight, the club face needs to impact the ball at square every time. Failure to hit the ball with a square club face results in side spin on the ball, which in turns causes you to hit either a fade, a slice or a hook.

Why does my ball curve in golf?

The path of the club in relation to the clubface will determine the spin. If your golf ball curves from left to right, the path of your club is moving more left than where your clubface is pointing. A right-to-left curve indicates a path moving more to the right than where the face is pointing.

How do I make sure my golf ball goes straight?

4:0912:32HOW TO HIT THE GOLF BALL DEAD STRAIGHT - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipPiece from a club face perspective. And I suppose the most important place is actually down here isnMorePiece from a club face perspective. And I suppose the most important place is actually down here isn't it what we call parallel point three exactly face gets in when you're swinging down.

How do I stop my golf ball from curved?

6:4510:40STOP YOUR GOLF BALL CURVING TO THE RIGHT - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBeing in a straighter. And flatter position a nice simple visual pop that tee peg in there and it'llMoreBeing in a straighter. And flatter position a nice simple visual pop that tee peg in there and it'll really help us to start to understand this clubface and ultimately.

Are golf balls directional?

Set the ball up so that the logo or the writing on the ball (some golf balls even have lines or arrows drawn on them) points towards target 2 – the direction you want the ball to initially travel in. Moving the ball in this way is only possible on the tee or if the course is playing with preferred lies.

Why do I always hit the golf ball to the right?

Set-up: Watch out for aiming too far to the right, or having your shoulders pointing to far to the right. It sounds simple, but this basic misalignment is a common culprit. Ball Position: The ball might be too far back in your stance. This causes you to make contact when the club is still swinging to right field.

Do pro golfers hit the ball straight?

The vast majority of pros don't try to hit it straight!! (1) You can easily miss either side of straight, creating a two way miss problem. (2) Golf holes aren't all straight! (3) Flags are often cut into corners of greens, some in very tricky locations.

Where are you supposed to look when hitting a golf ball?

If you're continually hitting the ground before the ball, focus your eyes on the front edge (target side) of the ball during the swing. It may not seem like much—the diameter of the golf ball is just 1.68 inches—but shifting your sight line forward even this small amount nudges your center of gravity toward the target.

How do you drive a golf ball straight for beginners?

3:136:31HOW TO HIT THE DRIVER FOR BEGINNERS - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd use your palm as the clubface. And your hand as the club head so as I take my starting positionMoreAnd use your palm as the clubface. And your hand as the club head so as I take my starting position here my palm face is where I'm trying to go. And if I rotate back.

How do you hit the ball dead straight?

1:2617:47HITTING the GOLF BALL DEAD STRAIGHT is for LOSERS - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipTo hit the ball straight and what it actually means and certainly this is the desire to maybe takeMoreTo hit the ball straight and what it actually means and certainly this is the desire to maybe take one side of the course out of play is that.

Is a curve too major?

Assuming your curves are not too major and they happen with most shots, take some time to sit and think about how you can adjust your thinking to use them to your advantage.

Is golf a mystifying game?

“Golf is assuredly a mystifying game. It would seem that if a person has hit a golf ball correctly a thousand times, he should be able to duplicate the performance at will. But this is certainly not the case.” – Bobby Jones

What to do if you don't hit the ball straight?

It comes down to identifying the cause and taking the necessary steps to correct it. If you find something that gives you the results you’re looking for, repeat it until it becomes a natural part of your swing.

Why do you move the ball forward in your stance?

When you move the ball forward in your stance, you create a more outside-in path, which promotes a fade. This helps to counteract your natural hook tendencies and straighten out your shots.

How to avoid out-to-in swing?

Correct your address posture. Ensure that your feet and shoulders are square and parallel to the target line, and also that your ball is not too far forward in your stance. This will help you avoid making an out-to-in swing and leaving the clubface open at impact.

What is a curved shot?

Since a curved shot (slice, hook) is much more pronounced with drivers and woods than with any other club in the bag, it would be beneficial to get quality ones — preferably ones that are adjustable where you can alter the loft and alter the weight near the heel of the clubhead.

How to get a better grip on a golf club?

1a. Adopt a neutral grip from a weak grip. A neutral grip will help the clubhead catch up to your hands on the downswing and thus tend to contact the ball in a more square position. 1b. Close your clubface at address. If you discover that the face at address is slightly open, square it up.

What is the clubface at impact?

The clubface at impact is square relative to the target line. That’s really all there is to it. If the clubface is open or closed at impact relative to the target line, the ball will draw or fade, or, depending on the severity, even result in a nasty hook or a slice. Although the fundamental cause of a straight ball is simple and straightforward, ...

How fast can you hit a golf club?

The reality is that when you swing a club at an average of about 80 miles per hour, any small deviation from a square clubface position at impact is magnified many times over (particularly with longer clubs like the driver), ...

sweet adeline

whenever i watch a golf tournament, it looks like the guys are always hitting it to the right. is that some kind of camera illusion? anyone have any ideas or links to explain this?

rmgr

yeah that happens to me, I think the ball is heading towards the trees to the right, and it's always straight.

sweet adeline

i'm talking about when i watch it on television. is it some kind of optical illusion?

ericm

I suspect it has more to do with the position on the camera relative to the golfer than anything else.

sweet adeline

I suspect it has more to do with the position on the camera relative to the golfer than anything else.

907golfer12

I have been wondering the same thing all year. So finally one day I recorded part of one of the tournaments (forgot which one) and then I played it back on slow. The white thing that shoots to the right is the tee. If you have a DVR record a tournament and do what I did, you will see this if you watch carefully.

Tomboys

ericm is correct. It's the camera angle. I'm not positive where I got the information, but I think it was during a golf tournament on television. The announcers were answering viewer's questions and somebody asked the exact same question.

When you consider the difficult of hitting the ball straight in addition to the advantages that curves provide, should you be

When you consider the difficult of hitting the ball straight in addition to the advantages that curves provide, you should be able to move on from this topic without so much as a second thought. Forget about straight shots and embrace the challenge of curving the ball in toward your target on each and every swing.

Why do you put an extra club down on the ground?

If necessary, set an extra club down on the ground to help with alignment to make sure you are set up directly at that target before you swing. Since you are going to be attempting to hit the ball straight, it is important that you aim directly at the target you have picked out.

Where is the bunker on the green in golf?

The hole is cut on the left side of the green, only a few steps from the edge. That edge is guarded by a deep bunker, meaning your ball would only need to wind up a few yards to the left of the hole to find big trouble. Playing your third shot from that bunker would almost certainly result in a bogey (or worse).

Is it hard to hit a straight shot in golf?

Already, it should be pretty easy to see why it is difficult to hit a straight golf shot. To hit the ball straight, you have to be swinging directly down your target line at the moment of impact, and the club face has to be perfect square to the target.

Is 2 or 3 a good shot shape?

Chances are, either 2 or 3 is your natural shot shape. Golf is hard enough without trying to hit the ball dead straight. Doing so requires both a swing and a clubface that are precisely aligned with the target at impact, which is not only difficult to pull off, it's entirely unnecessary.

Is golf a hard game?

Golf is a hard game, and there is always going to be some degree of unpredictability to what takes place on the course. However, by playing an intentional curve, you can have a better idea of whether the ball is likely to miss to the right or left of the target you have selected.

Should you aim right or left on a golf course?

Of course, aiming right isn't a good idea if you are just as likely to miss right as you are left.

Guia

I had lazer surgery about 8 years ago because I could not see the ball past 150 yards, it helped a lot. However, it wore off about a year ago and I am now in the same boat as you. I am not going to have the surgery again and decided just to live with the problem. I am 72, just have old eyes.

WilCox

Regardless of your age, if it bothers you then go see an eye doctor. I had lasik a few years back and the results were great. Still there are some days that I can see every ball and others where I lose my own ball inflight.

rvgolfer

When I was under 55, rarely would I run into someone who had trouble tracking/seeing their ball. Now that most of my playing partners are 62+, I frequently play with players that cant track their ball and have difficulty even judging where it landed and how far.

rvgolfer

My post was based on a casual game, where many USGA rules are frequently ignored. I also am not sure partner is defined the same as a member of the foursome. In any event, he wouldnt be penalized since I dont stand directly behind him, nor do I allow anyone else to stand behind me.

rvgolfer

If I was in an important tournament and had difficulty tracking/seeing my ball, I think I would request special permission for the specific help that I wanted from the tournament official. I am thinking that this request might be granted in a local club tournament just out of fairness for a "handicap".

kevch25

The group I play with are in the 20s/30s and one of my friends, in his late 20s, has trouble tracking his shot over 180-200 yards. He'll get the general direction but can't see it down and will generally think he's short of where the actual shot ended up.

Sawgrass

Nobody has said anything about non-competing golfers here, quite on the contrary. Fellow-competitors are co-competitors and yet are allowed to stand behind another player's ball while the player is making his stroke.

Why is my golf ball not hitting the ball?

One reason you might not be hitting the ball very far is that you have too high of a spin rate with your driver and irons. An easy way to spot this is watching how high your shots go in the air. Golf shots that get hit with high back spin rates tend to climb higher into the air.

What happens when a golf club makes contact with the ball?

Every golf club in your bag has a different loft angle on the club face. As the club makes contact with the ball, it imparts spin on the golf ball.

How fast can a golfer hit a golf ball?

The number one factor that separates most golfers ability to hit the golf ball far is swing speed. PGA Tour pro’s can swing a driver 120+ mph with guys like Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson reaching 125-130 mph. Compare this to the average golfer who has a swing speed of 90 mph. Adding an extra 10 mph can make a huge difference ...

Why use wedges on golf greens?

This is why we use our wedges to chip around greens instead of 4 irons. The wedge will put more spin on the ball , giving us more control and helping the ball stop quicker on the green. But with tee shots, the goal is to hit the golf ball as far as you can down the fairway. Driver’s should ideally have lower spin rates to allow ...

How fast can a golf club swing?

You could have your club swinging super fast, producing 115-120 mph swing speed but if you don’t hit the ball very square, all that energy will be lost during the transfer. Ball speed is often judged by “smash factor” which is a metric you get access to when you swing on a simulator like the Trackman.

Why is swinging harder better?

Swinging harder isn’t always the best answer because it can lead to out of control shots. You also have to improve your ball striking contact to maximize energy transfer from the clubhead speed to the golf ball, launching it into the air with fast ball speed.

What happens if you hit a banana slice in the rough?

If you tend to hit a hard banana slice into the rough, you’re probably losing distance from the golf ball curving off line. Same can be said for those who hit a duck hook that curves hard into the rough. Once you’re able to straighten out your swing, you should notice an increase in club distances as a result.

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