One of the fundamental challenges every golfer faces is starting the ball on the intended line swing after swing. After impact, you quickly look up to see where your ball is going, and you hope that the initial trajectory matches what you had planned for the shot.
But what factors influence which direction the ball flies after it leaves the face? The two primary factors in this equation are face angle and club path. Below, we’ll help you understand what these two are, how they work together, and how you can make adjustments to improve your accuracy.
What is Face Angle?
“Face angle” refers to the direction the clubface is pointing at the moment it strikes the ball.
This is a critical factor in determining where the ball is going to go once it flies off into the distance.
When the club is pointing directly at your target, you are in good shape.
For now, you simply need to know that face angle has a lot to do with where your ball is going to go. If it is pointing to the right of the target when you hit the shot, the ball is likely to start out to the right. As you continue to get better at this game, learning how to control the position of your club face at the moment of impact will be a key factor.
What is Club Path?
“Club path” is the path that your clubhead is traveling on as it moves through the hitting area. When talking about club path, you are always referencing it in relation to the intended target line.
If your club is moving from “in-to-out”, that means the club is coming down inside of the target line and then moving across that line to the outside.
An “out-to-in” path (common among those who hit a slice) is just the opposite. Most of the time, you’ll want to be swinging as close as possible to straight down the line, but there are cases where an intentional inside-out or outside-in path will be useful.
How Face Angle and Club Path Work Together
You can think about face angle and club path in these simple terms:
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Face angle is largely responsible for determining the starting line of the shot
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Club path is largely responsible for determining the curve of the ball as it flies
We said “largely responsible” because there is some overlap in these two variables and what they do to the ball. If you’ve been having trouble starting the ball on line, you likely have a face angle issue. On the other hand, if the ball keeps curving in the wrong direction, it’s your swing path that needs to be corrected.
Making Valuable Improvements
Now that you have a solid fundamental understanding of what is going on in the golf swing regarding face angle and club path, it’s time to do something about it. You shouldn’t expect improvements in this area to happen overnight, but the advice below will hopefully help you dial in your positions and path in the near future.
1. Adjusting Your Face Position
Getting your clubface in the right position at impact starts with your grip. If your grip is too weak, you’ll have trouble rotating the club square in time to make contact with the ball. On the other hand, if your grip is too strong, the club will want to close quickly, and you may struggle with misses to the left.
For a right-handed golfer, it’s usually best to see 2-3 knuckles on the back of your left hand at address. If you can see less or more, adjust your grip back toward neutral and your clubface control may improve.
Also, spend some time practicing short pitch shots with an emphasis on feeling the position of the club when you strike the ball. Since you don’t have the same speed on a pitch as a full swing, you can feel how the face is moving and get a better sense of how it is controlled by your hands.
2. Altering Your Club Path
For most golfers, this is going to be the harder of the two components to change in a meaningful way. The shape of your swing is already established and it takes quite a bit of work to alter it in a way that will stick.
If you feel like you are swinging across the ball from outside to inside, try taking a little more time at the top of the backswing. Many players who rush the transition end up swinging from the outside.
If you are swinging from inside-out instead, watch your technique during the takeaway. If your hands are too active early in the swing, the clubhead can get stuck and you’ll end up swinging too much from the inside.
Don’t Leave It Up to Guesswork
Even when you understand how face angle and club path work, it’s hard to evaluate these two variables in real time as you swing.
After all, the moment of impact happens in just the blink of an eye, so you can’t exactly see what’s going on. Fortunately, our launch monitors can easily watch impact for you, and will report accurate data to help you make adjustments and improvements.
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