Hitting the ball straight is one of the biggest challenges facing every golfer. There are so many variables that go into hitting it straight that it is a wonder we ever hit the ball straight at all. In fact most tour players prefer to curve the ball in order to get it to the target. Jack Nicklaus liked to fade the ball while Tom Watson likes to draw the ball. Very few tour players try to hit the ball perfectly straight once they are hitting clubs longer than an eight iron. Today’s equipment makes hitting the ball straight more feasible, nevertheless, it is a challenge. I believe every golfer should know what it takes to hit it straight. The closer you get, the less curve you will get on your ball and your direction control will improve.
So what does it take to hit the ball straight? Correct aim, a square clubface, and a centered hit are all part of the equation. The last variable is club path and that may be the least understood by the average player. The reason is that the swing is an inclined circle, like slightly tilted a hula hoop. This means that as you hit down on a ball you will be striking the ball earlier on the circle which means your path will moving to the right at impact. Conversely, when you hit up on the ball, the later you are hitting on the circle and the more left your path is moving at impact. In short, the attack angle directly affects the path. My video on how to hit it straight illustrates the adjustments necessary to neutralize your club path with different attack angles.
The one thing to remember is that every ball struck from the ground requires a downward strike to hit it solidly and straight. Hitting up on a ball that is on the ground will result in a miss-hit. When you tee the ball up, it is to your advantage to hit up on the ball as it will minimize the spin rate and give you more distance. Although you can get away with hitting down on your driver I do not recommend it as it will increase your spin rate and cost you distance.
Just like it is difficult to learn the golf swing from a book, I will leave the aforementioned formula for hitting it straight to your local PGA teaching professional. But remember that just working on aim, face and center hits will help, but understanding the concept of path as it relates to attack angle will be the final piece in the puzzle.
Josh Zander
