The old and the new ball flight laws

For 30 years I had an idea of what created spin on the golf ball. The old ball flight laws basically said that the ball starts on the clubhead path, and then the ball would curve/spin to where the club face was aiming at impact. So, if the clubhead is swinging to the right of the target, and the club face is aiming at the target, the ball would start to the right (on the path) and then draw back to where the face was aiming.

With advancement in technology now (read Trackman), people are claiming that this is in fact not correct! The new ball flight laws state that the ball starts much closer to where the face is aiming, and then spins away from the path. So, if the face is aiming at the target, and the path is out to the right, then the ball will actually draw left of the target. The ball would start too straight and then draw left of the target. The bigger the difference between face angle and swing path, the more side spin will be put on the ball.

Old laws:

• ball starts on the path
• ball curves to where the face was aiming

New laws:

• ball starts closer to the face
• ball spins AWAY from the path
• the bigger the difference, the more spin there will be put on the ball

This introduces small but significant changes in the way that we will have to go about "shaping" shots on the golf course. And, I have to say, has been a massive change in thinking for me! If I want to hit a draw, I now want the club face aiming to the RIGHT of the target but swing a little more to the right of where the face is aiming. This will still create the draw, and curve the ball into the target. For a fade, the face will be aiming LEFT of target, with the head swinging even more left to create the spin, and the ball will start left and fade to the target. When I first heard of these laws the bells really started going off in my head, as memories of over-hooking shots, and fades that would start too straight and then fade off the target, came flooding back at me.

Equipped with my trusty Casio camera, I have realised that people either fall into one of two categories with regard to how they create spin. I call them a face shape and a path shape. Some people create spin with a club face that is either too open or closed at impact but with a good path. Then, others create spin with a swing path that is either too far from the inside or too much from the outside, and even though the face is pretty square, the ball spins away from the path and moves away from the target. Of course, you also get the group that have poor swing path and face angle.

I still think that the best thing is to know your swing, know what your tendencies are, and then practise and experiment with these new laws to see what works best for you. I also think that golfers generally have a swing pattern that favours a particular shape. Don't fight it, play with the shape that favours your swing pattern. Golfers battle when they are trying to hit shots that don't suit their swing pattern!