Golf's Greatest Myths

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We wanted to invite the THP members to join the discussion on our Facebook page this week surrounding golf's greatest myths.

Myths so far this week...
1. You're a good putter
2. Playing baseball will ruin your golf swing (includes a video from Andy Hilts, GolfTEC VP of Instruction)
3. You are long off the tee

Coming up later this week and early next week...
4. Your clubs are okay
5. Your driver should be parallel to the ground in the backswing
6. If you know what is wrong with your swing, you can fix it

Jump in the discussion on Facebook and let us know what you think about these myths. Click here to visit our page.
 
I just want to say #6 is a definate. So many times I know what is causing the ball to do what its doing, but I have absolutely no clue as to how to prevent that from happening
 
"you picked your head up". Such amateur advice. Read a few Hank Haney tweets where he rants about that one.
 
For No. 3, playing golf I feel hurts your baseball swing more. My swing has never been altered from playing rec softball once a week, but I feel my golf swing alters my softball swing. For what it's worth, I'll take the latter everyday of the week and twice on Sunday. I had my fun with baseball in high school and college - time for golf.
 
Just 'liked' your page and posted my thought on the perception of hitting it farther than you do.
 
Funny, one of the reasons I did not play golf until I was older was because as a kid I was told by my dad and my coaches that Golf would mess up my baseball swing...

But I do believe that my baseball swing has helped my golf distance. It was really hard for me to un-do my baseball swing and turn it into a golf swing, but I think there is truth in the fact that the mechanics of a good baseball swing will help your distance in your golf swing.
 
Disproven myths in golf

Disproven myths in golf

The great interview with JH got me thinking about several commonly held beliefs related to the game of golf that may persist despite significant data to the contrary. Specifically, the myth that you can actually feel the "softness" difference between a cast vs. forged club if all other design parameters other than the material itself are the same.

Another disproven myth (or long standing commonly held belief) would be that club path is the major determinant in initial ball flight direction as opposed to the current understanding that it is the club face angle that is the primary determinant, and club path relative to face angle that determines ball path curvature (side spin).

I'm not sure where I read it, but I recall seeing some data that indicates that rather than the conventional wisdom of laying up to a certain preferred yardage if you can't reach, or are unlikely to reach the green (given that there is no trouble in the front of the green or other complicating factors other than the yardage to be considered), that statistically, the closer you are to the pin on your layup shot, the closer you are likely to be to the hole following your next shot. Anyone have (via Shotlink or other data) any definitive data on this, or am I mistaken as to something I read?

As I understand it (I think I heard it in an interview with Bennet and Plummer, the SnT guys) about 40-45% (?) of tour pros measured hit very slightly down on the ball (albeit only 1 degree or less) with the driver as opposed to the conventionally held belief that the vast majority of tour pros hit the drive with an ascending club path (I have not seen the published data on this one).

I thought it would be fun, not to mention educational, to accumulate a list of commonly held, or at least long held beliefs, that have been shown to be myth by hard data and science.

Note: in order to keep this legit, please limit to stuff that can be backed up and referenced with data. I'm not lookng for the obvious joke sayings, (e.g., when one major champion was asked why he preferred to die the ball into the cup given the phrase "never up, never in", he replied "virtually 100% of balls that roll past the cup never go in either"). Rather, more the kind of stuff that might come up in the scientific papers presented at golf engineering symposiums.

Anyway, any other commonly held or persistent beliefs that you know of that have been shown to be wrong with data?
 
Another disproven myth (or long standing commonly held belief) would be that club path is the major determinant in initial ball flight direction as opposed to the current understanding that it is the club face angle that is the primary determinant, and club path relative to face angle that determines ball path curvature (side spin).

I don't agree with this at all. The path the club takes through the contact zone dictates the initial path tha ball takes. The Club face in relation to the club path determines spin and where the ball ends up. Corey Pavin used to setup his fades/draws by setting up for a straight shot aimed directly where he wanted the ball to start. Then he would turn the club to face where he wanted it to end up and then re grip the club. I knew a club pro who would spend the first 10 minutes of your lesson with him not even looking at your swing. He just looked at the flight path. If it started left, he knew you were coming across the ball and then he'ld trouble shoot from there.

http://www.publinksgolfer.net/articles/384/1/Pro-tip-by-Corey-Pavin/Page1.html

[YOUTUBE]GaEWJJ0imMo[/YOUTUBE]
 
#3 is by far the biggest myth. has to be.
trust me...if your a 10+ hdcp, you do not hit the ball farther than 250ish.
and if you do, why are you still a 10+ hdcp??
 
We wanted to invite the THP members to join the discussion on our Facebook page this week surrounding golf's greatest myths.

Myths so far this week...
1. You're a good putter
2. Playing baseball will ruin your golf swing (includes a video from Andy Hilts, GolfTEC VP of Instruction)
3. You are long off the tee

Coming up later this week and early next week...
4. Your clubs are okay
5. Your driver should be parallel to the ground in the backswing
6. If you know what is wrong with your swing, you can fix it

Jump in the discussion on Facebook and let us know what you think about these myths. Click here to visit our page

I have to ask, why would I want to reinforce the fact that I'm not a good putter, I don't have the right clubs and I cannot hit it far ? Isn't that just destroying my confidence?
 
#3 is by far the biggest myth. has to be.
trust me...if your a 10+ hdcp, you do not hit the ball farther than 250ish.
and if you do, why are you still a 10+ hdcp??

Your saying people less than 10 hdcp drive it further than 250 right? If so I totally agree.
 
How about this one?

"I always hit the sweet spot with all my clubs..."
 
if your a 10+ hdcp, you do not hit the ball farther than 250ish.
and if you do, why are you still a 10+ hdcp??
:sarcastic:
One is not relevant to the other.
 
:sarcastic:
One is not relevant to the other.

Agreed. I am stuck in the 12-14 handicap range and I have been avg. over 250 yds on my drives and hitting twice as many fairways as I used to.

It's all about the putting.....
 
#3 is by far the biggest myth. has to be.
trust me...if your a 10+ hdcp, you do not hit the ball farther than 250ish.
and if you do, why are you still a 10+ hdcp??

I don't agree with that at all. I have been hitting over 250 for years and before I ever got into a single digit handicap. It kind of gos with the "drive for doh put for show." My short game and approach shots were lacking. Another note, my best friend who is 6' 8" kills the ball, but the the rest of his game is absolute garbage!!
I would have to say that I do agree that people think they are longer off the tee then where they really are at, I'm not long by any means my average is a 265 carry hopefully my shaft change will help me out, it just depends on if I hit fairways that day:beat-up:
 
Me too!! I'm lucky to get 50% sometimes but I have friends that think they never miss it....

I definitely have my days where my ball striking is great, but if were to hit the sweet spot everytime I wouldn't be a 8 handicap!
 
#3 is by far the biggest myth. has to be.
trust me...if your a 10+ hdcp, you do not hit the ball farther than 250ish.
and if you do, why are you still a 10+ hdcp??

I totally disagree with this too... I am a 22 handicap and I hit about 270 on average with my driver. My problem is my short game... I don't have the time to dedicate to the game to get to a <10 handicap, I just play for enjoyment... I can't tell you how many times I have hit a 300 yard drive on a par 4, but ended up with bogey or double bogey because I bladed or chunked a 40 yard pitch shot...
 
I totally disagree with this too... I am a 22 handicap and I hit about 270 on average with my driver. My problem is my short game... I don't have the time to dedicate to the game to get to a <10 handicap, I just play for enjoyment... I can't tell you how many times I have hit a 300 yard drive on a par 4, but ended up with bogey or double bogey because I bladed or chunked a 40 yard pitch shot...

Same here!! Or I am on in GIR and 3 putt.......:banghead:
 
How about this one....When you drop kick a ball off the tee with your driver is always goes straight. The premise is that by hitting the ground first it squares up the club and gives you a high straight ball flight.
 
I don't agree with this at all. The path the club takes through the contact zone dictates the initial path tha ball takes. The Club face in relation to the club path determines spin and where the ball ends up. Corey Pavin used to setup his fades/draws by setting up for a straight shot aimed directly where he wanted the ball to start. Then he would turn the club to face where he wanted it to end up and then re grip the club. I knew a club pro who would spend the first 10 minutes of your lesson with him not even looking at your swing. He just looked at the flight path. If it started left, he knew you were coming across the ball and then he'd trouble shoot from there.

http://www.publinksgolfer.net/articles/384/1/Pro-tip-by-Corey-Pavin/Page1.html

[YOUTUBE]GaEWJJ0imMo[/YOUTUBE]

Snap Hook:
This is why I started a thread (which was later merged with another thread) specifically on scientifically debunked myths. As an educator and part-time research scientist myself, I like to base my clinical practice as much as possible on sound scientifically backed data when it is available. I understand what you are referring to when you reference Carey Pavin and your club pro as this is also how I was initially taught (as I'm sure most who have been playing for a number of decades were taught as this was the conventional wisdom (and I have previously seen the Pavin instructional video clip). However, I now respectfully disagree (key word respectfully) based on reported data (I am trying to find a reprint of the papers showing data supporting the "new" ball flight laws).

I believe that the "new" laws of ball flight have been "proven" by the use of Iron Byron and Flightscope/Vector data correlating club face angle as the predominant influence on initial ball path. You can check this out yourself (albeit at a much lower club head speed) with a putter. Although it may not be exactly analogous due to differences in ball speed, the Newtonian physics are the same (curvature due to spin will not be as evident as the ball is rolling along the ground at a much lower side spin rate but the initial vector (direction and magnitude of speed) is easily observable. Line up a put with your putter face square to the target line and keeping the club face square, make either a cut or draw stroke. The ball will come off the putter relatively square. Next, set up with an extremely open putter face but make a stroke along the target line. The ball will be deflected to the right significantly (assuming you are putting right handed). Ball will be deflected to the left if you do the same with a closed putter face. Again, although the percentage contribution of club face angle to initial ball flight direction may differ somewhat between a putter vs. an iron (or other club with no club face bulge or roll) due to differences in club head speed, as previously stated, the Newtonian physics are the same. This may be why whether you use a straight back and straight through, or an arc putting stroke, it is more critical that the putter face is square at impact as the club face angle has more of an influence on initial direction (with a putter, hopefully straight down your intended target line). I.e., the club face angle is the predominant determinant of initial ball flight direction.

Anyway, just like the strong belief or insistence that one can tell the difference between two identical clubs one of which is forged and the other cast (despite testing and data to the contrary per JH), the strength of these ingrained beliefs led me to think that a thread on this type of dispelling information would be informative and entertaining (sincerely, not to start any arguments).
 
Snap Hook:
This is why I started a thread (which was later merged with another thread) specifically on scientifically debunked myths. As an educator and part-time research scientist myself, I like to base my clinical practice as much as possible on sound scientifically backed data when it is available. I understand what you are referring to when you reference Carey Pavin and your club pro as this is also how I was initially taught (as I'm sure most who have been playing for a number of decades were taught as this was the conventional wisdom (and I have previously seen the Pavin instructional video clip). However, I now respectfully disagree (key word respectfully) based on reported data (I am trying to find a reprint of the papers showing data supporting the "new" ball flight laws).

I believe that the "new" laws of ball flight have been "proven" by the use of Iron Byron and Flightscope/Vector data correlating club face angle as the predominant influence on initial ball path. You can check this out yourself (albeit at a much lower club head speed) with a putter. Although it may not be exactly analogous due to differences in ball speed, the Newtonian physics are the same (curvature due to spin will not be as evident as the ball is rolling along the ground at a much lower side spin rate but the initial vector (direction and magnitude of speed) is easily observable. Line up a put with your putter face square to the target line and keeping the club face square, make either a cut or draw stroke. The ball will come off the putter relatively square. Next, set up with an extremely open putter face but make a stroke along the target line. The ball will be deflected to the right significantly (assuming you are putting right handed). Ball will be deflected to the left if you do the same with a closed putter face. Again, although the percentage contribution of club face angle to initial ball flight direction may differ somewhat between a putter vs. an iron (or other club with no club face bulge or roll) due to differences in club head speed, as previously stated, the Newtonian physics are the same. This may be why whether you use a straight back and straight through, or an arc putting stroke, it is more critical that the putter face is square at impact as the club face angle has more of an influence on initial direction (with a putter, hopefully straight down your intended target line). I.e., the club face angle is the predominant determinant of initial ball flight direction.

Anyway, just like the strong belief or insistence that one can tell the difference between two identical clubs one of which is forged and the other cast (despite testing and data to the contrary per JH), the strength of these ingrained beliefs led me to think that a thread on this type of dispelling information would be informative and entertaining (sincerely, not to start any arguments).

I respect your opinion. But do you have an example that doesn't involve a putter? I know about the "old school" theory not working on a putting green. But seriously who's trying to actually curve the ball on a putting green? It doesn't work on a putting green due to friction and low club head speed (something taht you did state, sorry for repeating). Ben crenshaw "hooked" his putts. He swung in to out (towards right field) with a square clubface that looked closed due to the swing path.
 
How about this one....When you drop kick a ball off the tee with your driver is always goes straight. The premise is that by hitting the ground first it squares up the club and gives you a high straight ball flight.

I would have to agree with this one. Every time I have ever drop kicked a drive it has gone straight as an arrow...
 
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