The Face Sends It, the Path Bends It

The most basic principle of impact and ball flight can be summarized in a simple phrase: The face sends it; the path bends it.

The golf ball will begin in the direction the clubface is pointed at impact. It will curve when the clubface is open or closed relative to the path (the direction the club is traveling) at impact.

Understanding this relationship removes much of the guesswork from the game. The face/path relationship is not speculation—it is simply the ballistics of club-ball contact.

For example, if a right-handed player is slicing the ball, the clubface is open relative to the path of the swing. This does not always mean the face is open to the target—it means it is open to the direction the club is traveling. A hook is exactly the opposite: the face is closed relative to the path.

The next piece of the puzzle is strike location on the clubface.

One of the main reasons professionals are so consistent with their distance control is that they consistently strike the center of the face. Data from TrackMan shows just how sensitive impact can be:

• An off-center strike of only 0.05 inches can reduce distance by 10 yards.
• With the driver, a miss of 0.075 inches toward the heel can cause the ball to start 40 feet left of the intended line and lose 10–15 yards.
• On vertical misses, the greatest loss of distance occurs low on the face, where excessive spin can cost 10 yards or more.

Now consider what this means for the average golfer.

On an approach shot, the typical player may have a 10–15 yard variation in distance simply due to inconsistent strike location. A tour professional, striking the center of the face consistently, may see a variation of only a yard or two.

So what good is all this knowledge?

It gives you the science—the actual truth—of club-ball contact and the resulting ball flight. Without understanding these principles, golfers often guess at what went wrong and end up working on the wrong things.

And too much incorrect guesswork can lead you farther away from the solution.

If you would like to learn more about the science of impact, I’d be happy to provide a more detailed explanation.