Many players have heard that they swing out to in. They have also heard that all PGA and LPGA Tour players Swing from in to out. But what does that mean and how does it affect your shots. Swing path is a measurement of the path the club takes through the Impact Zone in relationship to the intended target line. What is also important is the face relative to the clubs path. This can also affect where the ball starts out of the impact zone. The other thing that path will affect is Swing bottom and it’s relationship to the ball. The best in the world have a Swing bottom that is four inches ahead of the center of the ball.
That means the divot will start at the center of the ball and the deepest and widest part of the divot will be for inches ahead of the starting point.
As for path we can think of the ball and which side of that ball the path is moving when it is struck. Depending on the path what is affected is the axis that the ball spins on. That axis wants to stay level to the horizon line if we want to produce straight shots. We can think of this axis as airplane wings. As long as the wings are level to the horizon line then the plane will fly straight and stay on course. As soon as the wings begin to tilt left or right the plane will then begin to turn in that direction.
Here the path is outside to inside by 6 degrees. The airplane and the ball will turn to the right. This is because the tilt of the spin is affected by where the ball was struck in relationship to the target line.
On a inside path the ball will go left same as the airplane would turn left.
Below is a video of D-Plane so you can better understand how swing path affects ball flight.
The best way to influence path is to take your hands out of the equation. Deliver the club with your core and your path will be much closer to going straight. Even if your path is a little inside out or outside in the ball will end up much closer to your target. Below are some drills that can help you fell and get more core oriented in delivering the club to impact. Weight shift and core are the two things that I have noticed affect the path more than anything else. It will also lead to a consistent ball flight that is repeatable. Both of these drills promote a delayed release and make the hands and arms more passive throughout the swing. It will also move the swing bottom forward which will lead to hitting the ball higher on the club face. This will add more compression and ball speed. The result will give better spin numbers and greater distance along with more stopping power on the green.
Take a lesson with Bernard Sheridan right from your location online. Bernard will review your swing and discuss it with you live. He will then prescribe drills that you need to work on to help you improve your impact. Email us at parbreakers@gmail.com for details and pricing.
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