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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.

Fix Excessive Ball Curve by Understanding Face and Path

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify when your clubface and path are misaligned, leading to unwanted ball curve.
  • Understand the impact of your swing path on ball spin and trajectory.
  • Apply a simple formula to diagnose and adjust your swing for straighter shots.

Learn how to diagnose and correct excessive ball curvature by understanding the relationship between clubface orientation and swing path. This knowledge is crucial for improving your shot accuracy and consistency on the course.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.360
This video is learning from your curve, so in this video I'm going to present a

2
00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:06.720
really

3
00:00:06.720 --> 00:00:08.660
clear formula for you.

4
00:00:08.660 --> 00:00:14.960
If the ball curves more than you want, then you have a face-to-path problem.

5
00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:17.540
There's a lot of videos on the site that will help you with reading feedback,

6
00:00:17.540 --> 00:00:19.280
whether it's

7
00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:22.160
the steepness or the shallowness of the path, whether it's the clubface

8
00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:23.000
orientation, the

9
00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:24.800
low point control.

10
00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:28.600
All of those things are critical for learning to properly read feedback.

11
00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:33.400
But for many golfers, I just give you one clear formula.

12
00:00:33.400 --> 00:00:36.950
If the ball is curving a lot, then the face and the path are in different

13
00:00:36.950 --> 00:00:37.800
directions.

14
00:00:37.800 --> 00:00:42.910
So I always use the ping-pong example, because most people are used to getting

15
00:00:42.910 --> 00:00:43.860
a ping-pong

16
00:00:43.860 --> 00:00:48.320
ball to curve, where sometimes it's hard to change the curve in golf.

17
00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:53.580
So in ping-pong, I want you to imagine that I was going to hit a shot kind of

18
00:00:53.580 --> 00:00:54.600
like this,

19
00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:56.920
or I would hit a shot like this.

20
00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:01.460
Obviously, that first one would have very little curve to it.

21
00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:05.000
We'll see if this will curve, golf balls are tough.

22
00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:08.460
You can see even as that lands, the second one is going to have a lot of curve

23
00:01:08.460 --> 00:01:08.920
to it.

24
00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:13.830
Now let's break that down so that we can see exactly what's happening, how it's

25
00:01:13.830 --> 00:01:14.560
producing

26
00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:15.720
the curve.

27
00:01:15.720 --> 00:01:21.360
So if I was to bring the ping-pong paddle through here, the paddle is pointing

28
00:01:21.360 --> 00:01:22.040
in a certain

29
00:01:22.040 --> 00:01:23.320
direction.

30
00:01:23.320 --> 00:01:27.800
It is also traveling in pretty much the same direction.

31
00:01:27.800 --> 00:01:30.640
When those two are in the same direction, you're going to have very little spin

32
00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:31.160
, imparted

33
00:01:31.160 --> 00:01:33.960
on the golf ball.

34
00:01:33.960 --> 00:01:38.520
When I come outside in, like this, the ping-pong paddle is pointed this way,

35
00:01:38.520 --> 00:01:39.480
but the path it's

36
00:01:39.480 --> 00:01:42.600
traveling on is pointing this way.

37
00:01:42.600 --> 00:01:46.670
The greater the difference between those two, roughly the more spin you're

38
00:01:46.670 --> 00:01:48.480
going to create.

39
00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:52.440
So if you're hitting a ball and it's curving 30 yards to the right, it means

40
00:01:52.440 --> 00:01:53.200
that the club

41
00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:57.520
face is significantly open to the path that it's traveling on.

42
00:01:57.520 --> 00:02:01.930
If you hit a shot and it curves way to the left, it is significantly closed to

43
00:02:01.930 --> 00:02:02.440
the path

44
00:02:02.440 --> 00:02:07.520
that it's rotating on, and you want to do something to solve that.

45
00:02:07.520 --> 00:02:12.920
Now there's two different ways you could solve a face-to-path issue.

46
00:02:12.920 --> 00:02:14.560
One is you could change your grip.

47
00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:19.400
If you can make the exact same swing, and simply if the club face is coming in

48
00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:20.680
like this,

49
00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:24.770
simply rotate the club face to the path either more closed if you're slicing it

50
00:02:24.770 --> 00:02:25.760
or more open

51
00:02:25.760 --> 00:02:30.820
if you're hooking it, then it'll tend to balance it out, and the ball will go

52
00:02:30.820 --> 00:02:31.920
straighter.

53
00:02:31.920 --> 00:02:36.860
Now oftentimes, you'll hit a shot that'll slice and then you strengthen your

54
00:02:36.860 --> 00:02:37.480
grip, and you

55
00:02:37.480 --> 00:02:42.370
hit a shot and it has about the same amount of slice because your body was

56
00:02:42.370 --> 00:02:43.520
trying to accomplish

57
00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:48.900
more a certain impact feeling or impact club position rather than just making

58
00:02:48.900 --> 00:02:49.400
the same

59
00:02:49.400 --> 00:02:50.400
swing.

60
00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:55.110
But oftentimes, you're going to have to change some of the arm movements in

61
00:02:55.110 --> 00:02:56.180
order to affect

62
00:02:56.180 --> 00:02:58.960
where the club face is pointing.

63
00:02:58.960 --> 00:03:02.920
So one good place that you can check is kind of at Schaff parallel.

64
00:03:02.920 --> 00:03:06.930
If it's wide open like this and it slices, you might want to consider

65
00:03:06.930 --> 00:03:08.120
strengthening your

66
00:03:08.120 --> 00:03:10.280
grip or looking at the wrist movement.

67
00:03:10.280 --> 00:03:14.560
If it's way closed, you might want to consider alternating or changing your

68
00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:15.320
grip, and I

69
00:03:15.320 --> 00:03:19.150
got the video on five degree grip changes to show you how I like to play around

70
00:03:19.150 --> 00:03:19.400
with

71
00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:21.280
grip strength.

72
00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:27.030
But let's say that's not the answer and I need to change the club face with my

73
00:03:27.030 --> 00:03:27.640
swing.

74
00:03:27.640 --> 00:03:31.170
There's usually different solutions, whether it's an open club face or a closed

75
00:03:31.170 --> 00:03:32.360
club face.

76
00:03:32.360 --> 00:03:36.330
Typically, if it's an open club face, then I need to work on getting the club

77
00:03:36.330 --> 00:03:36.840
face to

78
00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:42.310
either close more to the path with the flexion of the lead wrist or extension

79
00:03:42.310 --> 00:03:43.720
or the motorcycle

80
00:03:43.720 --> 00:03:50.110
movement or let it keep closing with more of the supination down at the bottom,

81
00:03:50.110 --> 00:03:50.760
or I need

82
00:03:50.760 --> 00:03:56.750
to shallow the club while I do that in order to help the club close down at the

83
00:03:56.750 --> 00:03:57.300
bottom.

84
00:03:57.300 --> 00:04:00.870
Because if the path is too much outside to end and the club face is open, I'll

85
00:04:00.870 --> 00:04:01.240
have a

86
00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:04.560
harder time getting it to close.

87
00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:07.690
If on the other hand, I'm hooking the ball and I have a situation where the

88
00:04:07.690 --> 00:04:08.200
club face

89
00:04:08.200 --> 00:04:10.360
is coming in too closed.

90
00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:16.380
What I tend to see is that it's more of a I've got the club face, maybe rotate

91
00:04:16.380 --> 00:04:17.040
it a little

92
00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:18.040
bit.

93
00:04:18.040 --> 00:04:20.890
But what will really happen is down at the bottom, I'll rotate it closed and I

94
00:04:20.890 --> 00:04:21.320
'll let

95
00:04:21.320 --> 00:04:22.760
the club pass.

96
00:04:22.760 --> 00:04:27.890
And what that does is that overly closes the face and usually takes the path

97
00:04:27.890 --> 00:04:28.560
way out to

98
00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:29.560
the right.

99
00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:35.990
It kind of has a pattern that looks more like that there where I tend to get a

100
00:04:35.990 --> 00:04:37.080
big amount

101
00:04:37.080 --> 00:04:38.680
of curve.

102
00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:43.960
For that one, I don't recommend twisting the club differently here.

103
00:04:43.960 --> 00:04:48.810
What I recommend is delaying or changing that movement down at the bottom by

104
00:04:48.810 --> 00:04:49.680
getting either

105
00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:53.780
more body rotation, more of the white movement or just basically getting more

106
00:04:53.780 --> 00:04:54.600
shaft lean.

107
00:04:54.600 --> 00:05:01.330
So if I'm hooking the ball, I still keep closing the club face and I just work

108
00:05:01.330 --> 00:05:02.080
on getting a

109
00:05:02.080 --> 00:05:05.880
little bit more shaft lean down at impact to straighten it out.

110
00:05:05.880 --> 00:05:09.840
If I'm slicing the ball, I usually have the work on twisting the club or

111
00:05:09.840 --> 00:05:10.400
strengthening

112
00:05:10.400 --> 00:05:11.400
the grip.

113
00:05:11.400 --> 00:05:17.230
So if you're struggling with reading feedback, it's a really clear, or this is

114
00:05:17.230 --> 00:05:18.760
a really clear

115
00:05:18.760 --> 00:05:21.640
one single thought that you can use.

116
00:05:21.640 --> 00:05:24.560
If the ball curves more than you want, then you have a face to path problem.

117
00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:29.480
And it's if the more that it curves, the more open or close the club face is.

118
00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:33.680
So if you have a lot of curve, one of your goals is to match those up better.

119
00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:36.890
And this gives you a couple of solutions, whether the club face is too open or

120
00:05:36.890 --> 00:05:37.480
too close.

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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.

Fix Excessive Ball Curve by Understanding Face and Path

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify when your clubface and path are misaligned, leading to unwanted ball curve.
  • Understand the impact of your swing path on ball spin and trajectory.
  • Apply a simple formula to diagnose and adjust your swing for straighter shots.

Learn how to diagnose and correct excessive ball curvature by understanding the relationship between clubface orientation and swing path. This knowledge is crucial for improving your shot accuracy and consistency on the course.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.360
This video is learning from your curve, so in this video I'm going to present a

2
00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:06.720
really

3
00:00:06.720 --> 00:00:08.660
clear formula for you.

4
00:00:08.660 --> 00:00:14.960
If the ball curves more than you want, then you have a face-to-path problem.

5
00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:17.540
There's a lot of videos on the site that will help you with reading feedback,

6
00:00:17.540 --> 00:00:19.280
whether it's

7
00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:22.160
the steepness or the shallowness of the path, whether it's the clubface

8
00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:23.000
orientation, the

9
00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:24.800
low point control.

10
00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:28.600
All of those things are critical for learning to properly read feedback.

11
00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:33.400
But for many golfers, I just give you one clear formula.

12
00:00:33.400 --> 00:00:36.950
If the ball is curving a lot, then the face and the path are in different

13
00:00:36.950 --> 00:00:37.800
directions.

14
00:00:37.800 --> 00:00:42.910
So I always use the ping-pong example, because most people are used to getting

15
00:00:42.910 --> 00:00:43.860
a ping-pong

16
00:00:43.860 --> 00:00:48.320
ball to curve, where sometimes it's hard to change the curve in golf.

17
00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:53.580
So in ping-pong, I want you to imagine that I was going to hit a shot kind of

18
00:00:53.580 --> 00:00:54.600
like this,

19
00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:56.920
or I would hit a shot like this.

20
00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:01.460
Obviously, that first one would have very little curve to it.

21
00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:05.000
We'll see if this will curve, golf balls are tough.

22
00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:08.460
You can see even as that lands, the second one is going to have a lot of curve

23
00:01:08.460 --> 00:01:08.920
to it.

24
00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:13.830
Now let's break that down so that we can see exactly what's happening, how it's

25
00:01:13.830 --> 00:01:14.560
producing

26
00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:15.720
the curve.

27
00:01:15.720 --> 00:01:21.360
So if I was to bring the ping-pong paddle through here, the paddle is pointing

28
00:01:21.360 --> 00:01:22.040
in a certain

29
00:01:22.040 --> 00:01:23.320
direction.

30
00:01:23.320 --> 00:01:27.800
It is also traveling in pretty much the same direction.

31
00:01:27.800 --> 00:01:30.640
When those two are in the same direction, you're going to have very little spin

32
00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:31.160
, imparted

33
00:01:31.160 --> 00:01:33.960
on the golf ball.

34
00:01:33.960 --> 00:01:38.520
When I come outside in, like this, the ping-pong paddle is pointed this way,

35
00:01:38.520 --> 00:01:39.480
but the path it's

36
00:01:39.480 --> 00:01:42.600
traveling on is pointing this way.

37
00:01:42.600 --> 00:01:46.670
The greater the difference between those two, roughly the more spin you're

38
00:01:46.670 --> 00:01:48.480
going to create.

39
00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:52.440
So if you're hitting a ball and it's curving 30 yards to the right, it means

40
00:01:52.440 --> 00:01:53.200
that the club

41
00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:57.520
face is significantly open to the path that it's traveling on.

42
00:01:57.520 --> 00:02:01.930
If you hit a shot and it curves way to the left, it is significantly closed to

43
00:02:01.930 --> 00:02:02.440
the path

44
00:02:02.440 --> 00:02:07.520
that it's rotating on, and you want to do something to solve that.

45
00:02:07.520 --> 00:02:12.920
Now there's two different ways you could solve a face-to-path issue.

46
00:02:12.920 --> 00:02:14.560
One is you could change your grip.

47
00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:19.400
If you can make the exact same swing, and simply if the club face is coming in

48
00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:20.680
like this,

49
00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:24.770
simply rotate the club face to the path either more closed if you're slicing it

50
00:02:24.770 --> 00:02:25.760
or more open

51
00:02:25.760 --> 00:02:30.820
if you're hooking it, then it'll tend to balance it out, and the ball will go

52
00:02:30.820 --> 00:02:31.920
straighter.

53
00:02:31.920 --> 00:02:36.860
Now oftentimes, you'll hit a shot that'll slice and then you strengthen your

54
00:02:36.860 --> 00:02:37.480
grip, and you

55
00:02:37.480 --> 00:02:42.370
hit a shot and it has about the same amount of slice because your body was

56
00:02:42.370 --> 00:02:43.520
trying to accomplish

57
00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:48.900
more a certain impact feeling or impact club position rather than just making

58
00:02:48.900 --> 00:02:49.400
the same

59
00:02:49.400 --> 00:02:50.400
swing.

60
00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:55.110
But oftentimes, you're going to have to change some of the arm movements in

61
00:02:55.110 --> 00:02:56.180
order to affect

62
00:02:56.180 --> 00:02:58.960
where the club face is pointing.

63
00:02:58.960 --> 00:03:02.920
So one good place that you can check is kind of at Schaff parallel.

64
00:03:02.920 --> 00:03:06.930
If it's wide open like this and it slices, you might want to consider

65
00:03:06.930 --> 00:03:08.120
strengthening your

66
00:03:08.120 --> 00:03:10.280
grip or looking at the wrist movement.

67
00:03:10.280 --> 00:03:14.560
If it's way closed, you might want to consider alternating or changing your

68
00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:15.320
grip, and I

69
00:03:15.320 --> 00:03:19.150
got the video on five degree grip changes to show you how I like to play around

70
00:03:19.150 --> 00:03:19.400
with

71
00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:21.280
grip strength.

72
00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:27.030
But let's say that's not the answer and I need to change the club face with my

73
00:03:27.030 --> 00:03:27.640
swing.

74
00:03:27.640 --> 00:03:31.170
There's usually different solutions, whether it's an open club face or a closed

75
00:03:31.170 --> 00:03:32.360
club face.

76
00:03:32.360 --> 00:03:36.330
Typically, if it's an open club face, then I need to work on getting the club

77
00:03:36.330 --> 00:03:36.840
face to

78
00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:42.310
either close more to the path with the flexion of the lead wrist or extension

79
00:03:42.310 --> 00:03:43.720
or the motorcycle

80
00:03:43.720 --> 00:03:50.110
movement or let it keep closing with more of the supination down at the bottom,

81
00:03:50.110 --> 00:03:50.760
or I need

82
00:03:50.760 --> 00:03:56.750
to shallow the club while I do that in order to help the club close down at the

83
00:03:56.750 --> 00:03:57.300
bottom.

84
00:03:57.300 --> 00:04:00.870
Because if the path is too much outside to end and the club face is open, I'll

85
00:04:00.870 --> 00:04:01.240
have a

86
00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:04.560
harder time getting it to close.

87
00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:07.690
If on the other hand, I'm hooking the ball and I have a situation where the

88
00:04:07.690 --> 00:04:08.200
club face

89
00:04:08.200 --> 00:04:10.360
is coming in too closed.

90
00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:16.380
What I tend to see is that it's more of a I've got the club face, maybe rotate

91
00:04:16.380 --> 00:04:17.040
it a little

92
00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:18.040
bit.

93
00:04:18.040 --> 00:04:20.890
But what will really happen is down at the bottom, I'll rotate it closed and I

94
00:04:20.890 --> 00:04:21.320
'll let

95
00:04:21.320 --> 00:04:22.760
the club pass.

96
00:04:22.760 --> 00:04:27.890
And what that does is that overly closes the face and usually takes the path

97
00:04:27.890 --> 00:04:28.560
way out to

98
00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:29.560
the right.

99
00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:35.990
It kind of has a pattern that looks more like that there where I tend to get a

100
00:04:35.990 --> 00:04:37.080
big amount

101
00:04:37.080 --> 00:04:38.680
of curve.

102
00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:43.960
For that one, I don't recommend twisting the club differently here.

103
00:04:43.960 --> 00:04:48.810
What I recommend is delaying or changing that movement down at the bottom by

104
00:04:48.810 --> 00:04:49.680
getting either

105
00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:53.780
more body rotation, more of the white movement or just basically getting more

106
00:04:53.780 --> 00:04:54.600
shaft lean.

107
00:04:54.600 --> 00:05:01.330
So if I'm hooking the ball, I still keep closing the club face and I just work

108
00:05:01.330 --> 00:05:02.080
on getting a

109
00:05:02.080 --> 00:05:05.880
little bit more shaft lean down at impact to straighten it out.

110
00:05:05.880 --> 00:05:09.840
If I'm slicing the ball, I usually have the work on twisting the club or

111
00:05:09.840 --> 00:05:10.400
strengthening

112
00:05:10.400 --> 00:05:11.400
the grip.

113
00:05:11.400 --> 00:05:17.230
So if you're struggling with reading feedback, it's a really clear, or this is

114
00:05:17.230 --> 00:05:18.760
a really clear

115
00:05:18.760 --> 00:05:21.640
one single thought that you can use.

116
00:05:21.640 --> 00:05:24.560
If the ball curves more than you want, then you have a face to path problem.

117
00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:29.480
And it's if the more that it curves, the more open or close the club face is.

118
00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:33.680
So if you have a lot of curve, one of your goals is to match those up better.

119
00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:36.890
And this gives you a couple of solutions, whether the club face is too open or

120
00:05:36.890 --> 00:05:37.480
too close.

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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