Inside to Outside is the Path to Better Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles
Inside to Outside is the Path to Better Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles

So, the path of the club, particularly the path of the club as it hits the golf ball is very important to deciding the direction of the shot and the overall shape of the shot that you're going to see. You'll often again hear with the better players they talk about swinging from in to out, and that inside the swing path line to outside the swing path line. And here's a little model I've just set up for you. With the shaft line on the floor here, that's pointing at my target line.

This is the golf ball I'm going to be hitting and this golf ball reverts inside and outside of the swing path line. So, there's my target line and the shaft and I want to try and make a swing path that actually comes inside my target line and hits across my golf ball to outside of the target line. And that swing path would be described as an in to out. And for most better players, that's the preferred path they like to hit. That's the path that leads to more powerful shots, longer shots, better strikes, and possibly even a draw shot as well.

A lot of club golfers, almost without knowing it, are swinging their club from outside to inside, a bit of a pull across. Let's change the model; drop this ball here, drop this ball here. This is now an outside-inside pull across. Now, the change of those motions actually happens way up here at the top of your backswing. Nice wind up to the top when you start down. If you come over, now you're in front, now you're outside-inside, the not so good one in my view. That would lead to slices and fades and maybe even a few shanks as well. So the top down movement here now allows me to get on the inside to outside path as I would describe it, the preferred path, and the preferred shape of swing.

So next time you're on the practice ground, have a little look when you swing the club, whether you feel like you're outside--inside swing pathing or coming down from the inside hitting out to the outside. And have a look at your swing path, maybe get it on video if you need to and see which way your swing path is. And if you can, try and work on the inside-outside path.

 2012-04-05

So, the path of the club, particularly the path of the club as it hits the golf ball is very important to deciding the direction of the shot and the overall shape of the shot that you're going to see. You'll often again hear with the better players they talk about swinging from in to out, and that inside the swing path line to outside the swing path line. And here's a little model I've just set up for you. With the shaft line on the floor here, that's pointing at my target line.

This is the golf ball I'm going to be hitting and this golf ball reverts inside and outside of the swing path line. So, there's my target line and the shaft and I want to try and make a swing path that actually comes inside my target line and hits across my golf ball to outside of the target line. And that swing path would be described as an in to out. And for most better players, that's the preferred path they like to hit. That's the path that leads to more powerful shots, longer shots, better strikes, and possibly even a draw shot as well.

A lot of club golfers, almost without knowing it, are swinging their club from outside to inside, a bit of a pull across. Let's change the model; drop this ball here, drop this ball here. This is now an outside-inside pull across. Now, the change of those motions actually happens way up here at the top of your backswing. Nice wind up to the top when you start down. If you come over, now you're in front, now you're outside-inside, the not so good one in my view. That would lead to slices and fades and maybe even a few shanks as well. So the top down movement here now allows me to get on the inside to outside path as I would describe it, the preferred path, and the preferred shape of swing.

So next time you're on the practice ground, have a little look when you swing the club, whether you feel like you're outside–inside swing pathing or coming down from the inside hitting out to the outside. And have a look at your swing path, maybe get it on video if you need to and see which way your swing path is. And if you can, try and work on the inside-outside path.