New Ball Flight Laws and Improvement

[Richie3Jack]

After my round on Tuesday I started to think how understanding the 'new ball flight laws' has helped me.

One of the things I realized is how I'm less worried about alignment at address with my body and feet. Before understanding the new ball flight laws I would constantly monitor my alignments thinking wayward shots were due to bad path

For instance, on #9 I hit a pull draw with a drive on a tight fairway that went into the woods. In the past I would've worried about my body alignment thinking that my path was going leftward and my face was slightly closed to the target. Or I would have perhaps concluded that I came slightly over the top.

But with my knowledge of the laws of ball flight, I was able to deduce that my path was fine, but my clubface was closed at impact. I did feel a tad funny with where I had the clubface aligned at address as I was trying to keep it down the left side a bit, so I just needed to be more exact with my *clubface* alignment at address and from there I hit every driver well (in fact, I hit the driver really well all round long except for #9)

So, has the 'new ball flight laws' helped you?





3JACK

[imperfectgolfer]

I am very aware of the "new" ball flight laws, but I still think that it is important to worry about one's alignment at address. I think that a golfer can perform a swing in a more biomechanically natural manner if his stance/body is parallel to the HSP (whether one aims the HSP left or right of the target).

Jeff.

[gmbtempe]

Feb 26, 2010 12:57:03 GMT -5 imperfectgolfer said:

I am very aware of the "new" ball flight laws, but I still think that it is important to worry about one's alignment at address. I think that a golfer can perform a swing in a more biomechanically natural manner if his stance/body is parallel to the HSP (whether one aims the HSP left or right of the target).

Jeff.

How important is getting ones hips open at impact, and shoulders at least back to square, in hitting the ball consistently.

It seems to me this is a component of all good tour players yet most golfers cannot get close to the positions. I have felt that my new swing changes allow for some of this to happen a little easier (I now use a slightly open stance with flared left foot).

[imperfectgolfer]

Greg,

I think that it is biomechanically advantageous to have an open pelvis in the late downswing because it reorients the lumbar vertebra to face right-of-the-target. That also helps to reorient the thoracic spine to face right-of-the-target (as the shoulders become open), and that ensures that the right shoulder can more easily move downplane in the late downswing - when the shoulders rotate automatically/naturally/perpendicularly around the spine. Getting the right shoulder more downplane in the late downswing helps a golfer get the right forearm on-plane with the clubshaft in the late downswing and also ensures that the right elbow slides easily past the front of the right hip (thereby ensuring that one doesn't run-out-of-right arm prior to impact).

Having an open pelvis and slightly open shoulders (10-20 degrees open) at impact is very advantageous from my biomechanical-perspective on the golf swing (although it is obviously not a swing imperative - think of Payne Stewart's swing).

Jeff.

[mudball]

New Ball flight law is certainly help me. Before I would aim right with body then close clubface and try to hook a ball round a tree and wonder why the ball took off left of my stance alignment and usually hit the tree! I thought it was my swing path - just like Richie mentioned. So I'd keep trying to drop more to the inside hit more out... but ball is more persuaded by the clubface than the club path so I kept hitting those trees.

[imperfectgolfer]

Dave - I agree with your post. I think that's the primary value of the new ball flight laws. It allows one to move the HSP and reorient the clubface in a logically coherent manner - in order to control the ball flight and avoid obstacles.

Jeff.