Watching the US Open it occurred to me that an awful lot of the leaders hit fades off the tee. In fact, they hit fades all over the course. That led me to think about what is a perfect ball flight. More accurately, what is the most controllable ball flight.
We all have images in or heads about a high drawing long iron or driver sailing past our playing partners on the way to glory but I think this idea that a draw will go further is rooted in the past.
When the equipment was older the ball spun more. So, to take spin off you had to draw the ball. Nothing like seeing the old riser get caught in the wind and come back to your feet. Now the ball spins less, there are low spinning clubs and the understanding of what causes certain ball flights is better.
For me the most controllable shot would be a fade. This means the clubface is in control through the impact area and the head is moving SLIGHTLY to the left of the target line. A hook is evidence of the clubface not being controlled and the resulting diving hook is to be avoided. How to achieve a controlled clubface takes a fair bit of work but you can start with the grip and make sure the club sits securely in your hands.
Some of you already have a fade/super fade/slice. This is good because we can just refine matters. I think Lee Trevino said, “you can talk to a fade, but a hook won’t listen.”
From a playing point of view, if we play one shot all day we eliminate on side of the course and we can predict what the ball will do. Essential for playing better golf.
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