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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Understanding Steep vs. Shallow Paths for Better Contact

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify how the radius of your swing affects the path of the club
  • Visualize the difference between steep and shallow swings using analogies
  • Adjust your swing mechanics to achieve a more desirable club path

In this video, you'll learn how to differentiate between steep and shallow club paths and understand their impact on your golf shots. This knowledge will help you adjust your swing for improved accuracy and consistency.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.120
This concept video is defining steeps in shallows. Steep in shallow is a common

2
00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:09.760
way of looking at the path of the club as it relates to the golf ball. One of

3
00:00:09.760 --> 00:00:09.960
the

4
00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:15.040
early kind of examples that I learned was from Jim Hardy talking about landing

5
00:00:15.040 --> 00:00:15.120
a

6
00:00:15.120 --> 00:00:18.640
plane. Alright so if you imagine this is the runway you would want the plane to

7
00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:23.560
come on a gradual landing into the ground or into the runway. If it was

8
00:00:23.560 --> 00:00:26.040
coming down too steep it would have to pull up and it would kind of have a

9
00:00:26.040 --> 00:00:30.480
bouncy landing and if it was going too shallow it would miss the runway. When

10
00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:30.560
we

11
00:00:30.560 --> 00:00:34.520
apply that to golf we're going to look at the path of the club coming into the

12
00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:40.610
golf ball. There are two major influences to steep and shallow. One is how

13
00:00:40.610 --> 00:00:41.200
narrow

14
00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:45.800
is the circle or the radius and two is how horizontal is the path. I'm going to

15
00:00:45.800 --> 00:00:50.480
use a couple different circular objects to mimic that. So imagine the path of

16
00:00:50.480 --> 00:00:50.560
the

17
00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:55.520
club swinging around me in a rough circle. We're going to represent that with a

18
00:00:55.520 --> 00:01:02.200
hula hoop and with a range basket. Now I've got a piece of blue tape to help

19
00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:03.040
just

20
00:01:03.040 --> 00:01:09.120
kind of zero in on one part of the hula hoop. Now if I have both of these

21
00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:18.800
circular objects we'll do it. Oops we'll do it like so. So if I have both of

22
00:01:18.800 --> 00:01:18.960
these

23
00:01:18.960 --> 00:01:24.080
circular objects with about the same low point you can see that the smaller

24
00:01:24.080 --> 00:01:30.000
circle has a steeper path. Right you can see that the wider circle is coming in

25
00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:35.760
much more gradually or has a flatter bottom and the narrower circle has a

26
00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:42.890
more acute bottom. So that's version one. Anything that narrows my arc is going

27
00:01:42.890 --> 00:01:43.000
to

28
00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:47.400
steepen my path and anything that widens my arc is going to shallow it. That's

29
00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:51.400
part of the reason why one of the big shallowing moves is straightening the

30
00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:55.600
arms or casting or standing up because that helps a wide in the arc which helps

31
00:01:55.600 --> 00:02:01.880
shallow the path. The other option is looking at how horizontal or vertical the

32
00:02:01.880 --> 00:02:06.200
swing is. The more if I turn this upside down we'll pretend that this is the

33
00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:12.080
ground here. The more that I get this vertical you can see that there's a

34
00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:16.800
certain amount of distance between the bottom of the hula hoop back here and

35
00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:17.520
the

36
00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:21.800
bucket or the ground. Now as I start lowering and lowering and lowering and

37
00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:27.360
get this closer to horizontal that part down there comes in on a more gradual

38
00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:32.520
path. Now we're used to looking at steep and shallows from down the line and

39
00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:36.880
basically what we can see is the true definition of steep and shallow would be

40
00:02:36.880 --> 00:02:41.040
the height of the club compared to the golf ball. So if I have a golf ball

41
00:02:41.040 --> 00:02:41.320
right

42
00:02:41.320 --> 00:02:47.160
here then at any given height like on plane if I was to bring it more outside

43
00:02:47.160 --> 00:02:52.320
now there's less distance between the golf ball and the club but there's the

44
00:02:52.320 --> 00:02:55.320
same amount of height. If there's the same height and less distance it's going

45
00:02:55.320 --> 00:02:55.400
to

46
00:02:55.400 --> 00:03:00.960
decrease distance more rapidly so it's going to come in steep. If it was more

47
00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:06.320
behind me or what would look shallow or under plane then there's a greater

48
00:03:06.320 --> 00:03:10.400
distance even though it's the same height. Greater distance, same height it's

49
00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:14.280
going to be coming in on a more gradual path. So that's how we get these

50
00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:22.440
definitions of outside and steep or inside and shallow and you'll but the

51
00:03:22.440 --> 00:03:26.400
two simple ways to look at it or anything that narrows it is going to make it

52
00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:30.840
steeper anything that widens it is going to make it more shallow anything

53
00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:34.480
that makes it more vertical is going to make it steeper anything that makes it

54
00:03:34.480 --> 00:03:38.800
more horizontal is going to make it shallower. I have a lot of videos helping

55
00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:42.840
explain the different combinations of steep and shallows but it helps you

56
00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:46.840
understand general concepts and principles such as when you're in the

57
00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:52.000
rough you generally want a steeper swing. That helps minimize the amount of

58
00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:56.680
grass between the club face and the golf ball. Many golfers will either

59
00:03:56.680 --> 00:04:02.960
lunge in front which steepens it by by kind of increasing the angle of attack

60
00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:07.200
or making it work more vertically but the other thing that they'll commonly do

61
00:04:07.200 --> 00:04:11.560
is they'll choke up a bit and just by choking up it narrows the circle which

62
00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:14.960
makes it a few degrees steeper which may be enough to give you all you need in

63
00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:18.880
order to perform out of the rough. So by understanding these two definitions

64
00:04:18.880 --> 00:04:22.920
hopefully it helps you understand general concepts and troubleshoot what

65
00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:27.000
you need to do if you need to shallow out the club or if you need to steep in

66
00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:30.480
the club this helps you understand how these different options actually show

67
00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:33.040
up in the swing.

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Related topics
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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Understanding Steep vs. Shallow Paths for Better Contact

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify how the radius of your swing affects the path of the club
  • Visualize the difference between steep and shallow swings using analogies
  • Adjust your swing mechanics to achieve a more desirable club path

In this video, you'll learn how to differentiate between steep and shallow club paths and understand their impact on your golf shots. This knowledge will help you adjust your swing for improved accuracy and consistency.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.120
This concept video is defining steeps in shallows. Steep in shallow is a common

2
00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:09.760
way of looking at the path of the club as it relates to the golf ball. One of

3
00:00:09.760 --> 00:00:09.960
the

4
00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:15.040
early kind of examples that I learned was from Jim Hardy talking about landing

5
00:00:15.040 --> 00:00:15.120
a

6
00:00:15.120 --> 00:00:18.640
plane. Alright so if you imagine this is the runway you would want the plane to

7
00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:23.560
come on a gradual landing into the ground or into the runway. If it was

8
00:00:23.560 --> 00:00:26.040
coming down too steep it would have to pull up and it would kind of have a

9
00:00:26.040 --> 00:00:30.480
bouncy landing and if it was going too shallow it would miss the runway. When

10
00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:30.560
we

11
00:00:30.560 --> 00:00:34.520
apply that to golf we're going to look at the path of the club coming into the

12
00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:40.610
golf ball. There are two major influences to steep and shallow. One is how

13
00:00:40.610 --> 00:00:41.200
narrow

14
00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:45.800
is the circle or the radius and two is how horizontal is the path. I'm going to

15
00:00:45.800 --> 00:00:50.480
use a couple different circular objects to mimic that. So imagine the path of

16
00:00:50.480 --> 00:00:50.560
the

17
00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:55.520
club swinging around me in a rough circle. We're going to represent that with a

18
00:00:55.520 --> 00:01:02.200
hula hoop and with a range basket. Now I've got a piece of blue tape to help

19
00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:03.040
just

20
00:01:03.040 --> 00:01:09.120
kind of zero in on one part of the hula hoop. Now if I have both of these

21
00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:18.800
circular objects we'll do it. Oops we'll do it like so. So if I have both of

22
00:01:18.800 --> 00:01:18.960
these

23
00:01:18.960 --> 00:01:24.080
circular objects with about the same low point you can see that the smaller

24
00:01:24.080 --> 00:01:30.000
circle has a steeper path. Right you can see that the wider circle is coming in

25
00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:35.760
much more gradually or has a flatter bottom and the narrower circle has a

26
00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:42.890
more acute bottom. So that's version one. Anything that narrows my arc is going

27
00:01:42.890 --> 00:01:43.000
to

28
00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:47.400
steepen my path and anything that widens my arc is going to shallow it. That's

29
00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:51.400
part of the reason why one of the big shallowing moves is straightening the

30
00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:55.600
arms or casting or standing up because that helps a wide in the arc which helps

31
00:01:55.600 --> 00:02:01.880
shallow the path. The other option is looking at how horizontal or vertical the

32
00:02:01.880 --> 00:02:06.200
swing is. The more if I turn this upside down we'll pretend that this is the

33
00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:12.080
ground here. The more that I get this vertical you can see that there's a

34
00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:16.800
certain amount of distance between the bottom of the hula hoop back here and

35
00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:17.520
the

36
00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:21.800
bucket or the ground. Now as I start lowering and lowering and lowering and

37
00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:27.360
get this closer to horizontal that part down there comes in on a more gradual

38
00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:32.520
path. Now we're used to looking at steep and shallows from down the line and

39
00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:36.880
basically what we can see is the true definition of steep and shallow would be

40
00:02:36.880 --> 00:02:41.040
the height of the club compared to the golf ball. So if I have a golf ball

41
00:02:41.040 --> 00:02:41.320
right

42
00:02:41.320 --> 00:02:47.160
here then at any given height like on plane if I was to bring it more outside

43
00:02:47.160 --> 00:02:52.320
now there's less distance between the golf ball and the club but there's the

44
00:02:52.320 --> 00:02:55.320
same amount of height. If there's the same height and less distance it's going

45
00:02:55.320 --> 00:02:55.400
to

46
00:02:55.400 --> 00:03:00.960
decrease distance more rapidly so it's going to come in steep. If it was more

47
00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:06.320
behind me or what would look shallow or under plane then there's a greater

48
00:03:06.320 --> 00:03:10.400
distance even though it's the same height. Greater distance, same height it's

49
00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:14.280
going to be coming in on a more gradual path. So that's how we get these

50
00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:22.440
definitions of outside and steep or inside and shallow and you'll but the

51
00:03:22.440 --> 00:03:26.400
two simple ways to look at it or anything that narrows it is going to make it

52
00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:30.840
steeper anything that widens it is going to make it more shallow anything

53
00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:34.480
that makes it more vertical is going to make it steeper anything that makes it

54
00:03:34.480 --> 00:03:38.800
more horizontal is going to make it shallower. I have a lot of videos helping

55
00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:42.840
explain the different combinations of steep and shallows but it helps you

56
00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:46.840
understand general concepts and principles such as when you're in the

57
00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:52.000
rough you generally want a steeper swing. That helps minimize the amount of

58
00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:56.680
grass between the club face and the golf ball. Many golfers will either

59
00:03:56.680 --> 00:04:02.960
lunge in front which steepens it by by kind of increasing the angle of attack

60
00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:07.200
or making it work more vertically but the other thing that they'll commonly do

61
00:04:07.200 --> 00:04:11.560
is they'll choke up a bit and just by choking up it narrows the circle which

62
00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:14.960
makes it a few degrees steeper which may be enough to give you all you need in

63
00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:18.880
order to perform out of the rough. So by understanding these two definitions

64
00:04:18.880 --> 00:04:22.920
hopefully it helps you understand general concepts and troubleshoot what

65
00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:27.000
you need to do if you need to shallow out the club or if you need to steep in

66
00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:30.480
the club this helps you understand how these different options actually show

67
00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:33.040
up in the swing.

Have questions about this video?

Ask Mulligan for personalized guidance on technique, drills, or how to apply what you've learned.

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