Regardless of the method you use in your swing
(one-plane or two-plane, body or arms release),
the ball can only do what it is programmed to
do at the moment of impact.
The two governing laws of impact for every method
are face and path. Face is the position of the
clubface relative to the path (the direction of
the swing) at the moment of impact.
For a right-handed golfer, if the face is open
to the path at impact, the ball will have a slice
(clockwise) spin. If the face is closed to the
path at impact, the ball will be programmed with
a hook (counterclockwise) spin.
The goal for a straight shot is to square the
face to the path at the moment of impact and have
the clubhead swinging directly down the target
line at the moment of impact. No sidespin and
only pure backspin will cause straight shots.
While you may know this already, every golfer
can benefit by getting back to the basic concept
of squaring the face to the path at the moment
of impact and swinging the club down the target
line to the target at this point.
The swing should be built around these objectives.
Your aim, grip and ball position are all directly
linked to the path of the club and the clubface
at impact. All adjustments of these three setup
elements will have an effect on the clubface and
path at impact. The key is to understand what
works for you and not spend your entire golfing
life trying to correct a so-called swing or technique
fault. Not every golfer’s body type and
swing are the same, but every golfer can adjust
his individual setup so that his swing path is
down the line to the target at impact. He can
then work with a grip and release that squares
the face to the swing line at the moment of impact.
Some golfers will need to aim their body to
the right of the target to compensate for an out-to-in
downswing, while others will need to aim to the
left for an in-to-out downswing. If you stand
behind many PGA Tour players, you would be able
to observe this even at their world-class level.
They have learned not to fight their swing tendencies
but to work with them. I call this calibrating
your swing, and I know from years of experience
that golfers of all levels can do this.
When I am working with a beginner, I always
teach an orthodox approach of setting up parallel
to the target line, a neutral grip and a back
and down swing plane that match. Stuart Appleby’s
swing is very close to this. I have worked with
Stuart for nearly 20 years, and we were able to
develop his technique virtually from the beginning.
Stuart still keys on squaring the face to the
path through impact, but like all golfers, he
has human faults. Stuart still fights a tendency
to swing from in to out, causing blocks and hooks.
When working with other golfers who have established
patterns in their swings, I try to find the best
ball position, aim and grip that will facilitate
in them squaring the face to the path.
I spent many years coaching and attempting to
fit all types of golfers into my swing model with
limited success. These days I am much more flexible
about what does and doesn’t work.
If your goal is to hit consistently straight
shots, remember you are not a machine. Any attempt
to be mechanically perfect will probably be fraught
with frustration. I suggest finding out your own
swing tendency with regard to the clubface and
path and then developing an aim, grip and ball
position so you can square the face to an on-line
path through impact. I am confident this approach
will be far more fun and rewarding for you.
