Setting the clubface slightly open at address allows you to:
- Release the club fully without fear of hooking.
- Swing the club naturally with relaxed arms for maximum clubhead speed—and therefore more distance.
- Develop better feel for how the club is aligned as it swings through impact.
Full Answer
What is an open face on a golf club?
Opening the clubface is sometimes done intentionally, to bring about the desired ball flight; but an open face at impact is often a mishit that results in the ball flying out to the right or curving to the right (for a right-handed golfer) in flight.
How to fix a club face that opens up during swing?
Assuming that the club face was aligned squarely at the start, then the club face has opened more in the backswing than it has closed in the forward swing before impact. An absolutely magic fix is to reduce the amount of clockwise rotation of the left wrist during the backswing.
Which direction should my golf club face face face?
With your hands relaxed yet still holding on to the club, the clubface should not tend to veer one way or the other but should keep facing forward directly. As we know from the new golf ball flight rules, the way the clubface is positioned at impact will be the greatest factor in determining the direction the ball will initially travel.
Why do golf clubs have square faces?
While it is true that this would involve fewer moving parts, and also guarantee a square club face at impact, human anatomy dictates that club face rotation, not simply around the human, but also around the club head itself, is a complication that we, as human golfers, are compelled to produce by design.
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.
What is an open face in golf?
Problems: Ball Striking : Open Face. An Open Face refers to a clubface that is pointed to the right of a player's target for right handed players. Open Face usually refers to the club pointing to the right either at address or impact, although a players' clubface can become open at any point in the golf swing.
Why does my golf club get stuck in the sand?
When you use the bounce it will prevent digging and help you skid through the sand. If you enter the sand with the leading edge of the club head it will dig and cause your club to get stuck in the sand. The result is a ball that doesn't come out of the sand or comes out short with little backspin.
How to fade a golf ball?
To Fade the Ball Set the Face Open. Get used to seeing the face open at set up when you are trying to fade/slice. This is perhaps the most awkward part of trying to work the golf ball. Looking down and seeing a club face open or closed can really throw you off.
Why don't my arms release when I play golf?
In most cases the arms don't release simply because the golfer won't let them.
How to get your face back to square?
Remember to always open the face first and then take your grip; not the other way around. Learn to Rotate the Face Back to Square. If you are missing putts to the right chances are you are not getting the face back to square. Try over rotating the face on the backswing and learning to rotate it back to square.
What is the square on the top of the golf swing?
In golf instruction, what has historically been referred to as “square” at the top of the swing is in fact a club face alignment that is not square at all, but rather PARALLEL to the swing plane, which is 90 degrees “open,” rotated rightward. At address the club face is normally aligned vertically, square to the swing plane.
Why is it so hard to keep the club face square?
The reason why is that the human shoulder joint and wrist, unlike, say the joints of a folding ruler, are fully capable of rotating.
What is swingyde?
A Swing Guide. The “Swingyde” is an essential training aid that can be used to teach limiting club-face rotation during the backswing. It is recommended by its manufacturer to align the “arm” of the Swingyde parallel to the club face.
Is Tiger Woods' club face open?
Even Tiger Woods is exhibiting a slightly less open club face position at the top since a grip change under coach Sean Foley, turning his hands slightly more rightward on the handle at the set-up. The club face is not rotated open to the degree required to lie “flush” with the swing plane at the top.
Which golfer advised a backward break in the takeaway?
PGA professional Joe Dante advised a “backward break” of the left wrist in the take-away, the intended result being that “the club face has been kept square,” in his 1962 book, “Four Magic Moves to Winning Golf.”.
Which arm is squared at the top of a golf club?
Although many great golfers have exhibited the “traditional square” position at the top, with the club face neatly aligned with the left arm , including Nicklaus and Hogan, other greats have exhibited a club face much less open at the top.
Can you hit a ball with a swingyde?
Yes, you can hit balls with the Swingyde attached to your club. And while the manufacturer recommends that the arm bar come to rest again on the left forearm in the follow-through after impact, don’t worry too much about that yet. Allow the wrists to be, again quoting Nicklaus, “free agents,” during the forward swing.
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.
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:
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.
How does a golfer retain his wrist position?
Essentially, he retains the wrist position from the top as his body rotates and moves toward impact. So the lesson behind the explanation is for you to understand the situation of your wrists and the club-face at the top of your swing, and how to move towards a sound impact position.
Who was more cupped, or lead wrist extended, at the top of the swing?
Back to our Hogan/Morikawa comparison. The legendary Ben Hogan, who was more “cupped”, or lead wrist extended, at the top of the swing, would have to transition from that position to an extended, or bowed, and supinated situation at impact.
Is Morikawa a good golfer?
Morikawa is blessed with a beautifully reliable and repetitive golf swing. He is technically sound and exhibits elements common to many leading iron players throughout the ages. Not the most powerful guy in the game, he does compress the ball effectively, shape it comfortably, and vary the trajectory easily.
