How Senior Golfers can Improve their Golf by Understanding Why a Golf Ball Curves (Video) - by Dean Butler
How Senior Golfers can Improve their Golf by Understanding Why a Golf Ball Curves (Video) - by Dean Butler

Okay, I'm going to talk about what makes the ball curve in the air. Now if it curves as a right-handed golfer, there are two curves. One is a ball that starts to the left of the target and finishes to the right, slicing out. And one is a ball that starts to the right and curls back to the left, which is called a hook. So those are the two curves, very simple, it's a slice or it's a hook. So let's talk about, first of all, a slice. If I set up to the golf ball and I swing and remember we are talking about the cause of the curve here, of the ball. If I swing the club outwards and then come inwards, then the first thing that is going to happen is I am going to hit across the left hand side of the ball.

The clubface is going to move across the target and basically, this thing is going to make that clubface spin the ball is that the clubface as it comes across will be actually open to the swing path. So in other words, if I am swinging across the line here and the clubface was going in the straight line, that ball would start left and most probably stay left and stay as a pull. But we are talking about a curve, so the club would actually come across the ball out to in, the clubface would be on line for the target. So it’s opened in comparison to your swing path and there is your curve being created through A, your swing path and B, the clubface position. Those are the two factors that made that ball curve, so let's talk about the hook. So surprise, surprise is the opposite, it’s taken the club too much on the inside. And then from here, hitting out and if we are hitting out and the clubface is actually square, to the target, so it is closed to the swing path, that ball has to rotate, it has to rotate from right to left. There is no ifs or buts, so the swing path has caused initially the reaction, but the clubface position of impact, that has the biggest bearing of how that ball is going to curve. So there you have it, there is a hook and there is a slice, we talked about the swing path, but we talk more importantly about where the clubface position is at impact. That’s the crucial element here, so curving that ball one way or the other way. 2013-10-29

Okay, I'm going to talk about what makes the ball curve in the air. Now if it curves as a right-handed golfer, there are two curves. One is a ball that starts to the left of the target and finishes to the right, slicing out. And one is a ball that starts to the right and curls back to the left, which is called a hook. So those are the two curves, very simple, it's a slice or it's a hook. So let's talk about, first of all, a slice. If I set up to the golf ball and I swing and remember we are talking about the cause of the curve here, of the ball. If I swing the club outwards and then come inwards, then the first thing that is going to happen is I am going to hit across the left hand side of the ball.

The clubface is going to move across the target and basically, this thing is going to make that clubface spin the ball is that the clubface as it comes across will be actually open to the swing path. So in other words, if I am swinging across the line here and the clubface was going in the straight line, that ball would start left and most probably stay left and stay as a pull. But we are talking about a curve, so the club would actually come across the ball out to in, the clubface would be on line for the target. So it’s opened in comparison to your swing path and there is your curve being created through A, your swing path and B, the clubface position.

Those are the two factors that made that ball curve, so let's talk about the hook. So surprise, surprise is the opposite, it’s taken the club too much on the inside. And then from here, hitting out and if we are hitting out and the clubface is actually square, to the target, so it is closed to the swing path, that ball has to rotate, it has to rotate from right to left.

There is no ifs or buts, so the swing path has caused initially the reaction, but the clubface position of impact, that has the biggest bearing of how that ball is going to curve. So there you have it, there is a hook and there is a slice, we talked about the swing path, but we talk more importantly about where the clubface position is at impact. That’s the crucial element here, so curving that ball one way or the other way.