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Shaping shots: Face or path?

The_Dude said:
I'm not good enough to change path so for instance on a straight hole I aim just left of center and take a normal swing. This will usually put me in right half of fairway. If it's a DL right I'm trying to get around the corner I aim down the center with face slightly open and it'll usually put a good bend on it.
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Question, on dog leg right holes you said you aim down the center with an open face. What is your swing path?
 
Tadashi70 said:
Question, on dog leg right holes you said you aim down the center with an open face. What is your swing path?
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Normal swing...slight ott move
 
Path, I find it easier to change then face, but I will use face via left hand grip for minor adjustments.
 
I'm probably changing the face angle without knowing it, but if I really need to move the ball one way or the other, I'm attempting to change the path.
 
There are a bunch of factors at play. Some believe that a slight change in ball position and setup should be enough. I don't ever consciously try and manipulate the face angle at impact, but I do feel comfortable holding off the release with a "Seve" finish. I think there's a lot of timing involved, too. I rush the transition to play a more OTT pull cut while I feel I have to slow the transition to hit a push. All shades of gray if you ask me.
 
Coming back from a long long layoff my main goal is hitting it straight and on line. I have just started on good ball striking days hitting a fade with driver, and a draw with a hybrid by path. It's nice on a dog leg right to be able to aim at the left bunker and bring it away from trouble.


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I haven't read all the way through this yet so my apologies if already addressed, but I'm confused a little. Isn't changing path simply aligning everything at setup to swing it normally along an in/out or out/in path in relation to straight at the target? If so, I don't see where that should be too difficult. To curve it I typically open or close the face a little, maybe adjust my grip too if I need a really big curve, and setup to start it on the appropriate line given the shape I'm seeking. I don't try to swing differently or manipulate the face through impact, everything needed to get the proper curve is done at setup.
 
Daddio said:
I haven't read all the way through this yet so my apologies if already addressed, but I'm confused a little. Isn't changing path simply aligning everything at setup to swing it normally along an in/out or out/in path in relation to straight at the target? If so, I don't see where that should be too difficult. To curve it I typically open or close the face a little, maybe adjust my grip too if I need a really big curve, and setup to start it on the appropriate line given the shape I'm seeking. I don't try to swing differently or manipulate the face through impact, everything needed to get the proper curve is done at setup.
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If you’re changing grip and face angles to get your desired shot shape, you’re asking for long term issues.
 
Tadashi70 said:
If you’re changing grip and face angles to get your desired shot shape, you’re asking for long term issues.
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Thanks Panda, what is the proper technique? I just change things when I need to do so for recovery shots that have to curve around something. And I DO have long term issues so your likely right, changing the wrong things up for those recovery shots is likely doing me no favors at all.
 
Daddio said:
Thanks Panda, what is the proper technique? I just change things when I need to do so for recovery shots that have to curve around something. And I DO have long term issues so your likely right, changing the wrong things up for those recovery shots is likely doing me no favors at all.
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I’m a fan of the down the line swing. With this swing path you can work it both ways. Release the Club head for your draw and hold it for your fade. From here you can take it inside or outside for bigger movement one way or the other.

Grip stays the same. Ball position can change for trajectory. But that path down the line will serve you well with tighter shots and easier change of direction.
 
c.a.eleric said:
I just watched a little vlog post that Trackman retweeted about how to hit a proper power cut. The poster said to master one path, then learn how to control the face through impact.

In thinking about how i try to shape shots, I think I do it a lot more with path. But what he said makes a lot of sense, and I might try that on the range to see how it goes.

For those of you who like to shape shots, which do you prefer? Using path or face?
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I've always used a tip from Jack Nicklaus' Golf My Way where he talks about using face. To hit a fade, open the face, open your stance a bit and aim to the left with a regular swing. To draw, close the face, close your stance a bit and aim to the right with a regular swing. You can vary the amount of turn by how much you open or close the face. Practice this a bit on the range so you can get a feel for how much turn various face positions will effect your ball.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I’m a fan of the down the line swing. With this swing path you can work it both ways. Release the Club head for your draw and hold it for your fade. From here you can take it inside or outside for bigger movement one way or the other.

Grip stays the same. Ball position can change for trajectory. But that path down the line will serve you well with tighter shots and easier change of direction.
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This Panda-Pointer changed my game when it came to the concept of hitting golf shots, it's made me much more lethal into greens now where a specific shape is required.
 
cpljohnst said:
I've always used a tip from Jack Nicklaus' Golf My Way where he talks about using face. To hit a fade, open the face, open your stance a bit and aim to the left with a regular swing. To draw, close the face, close your stance a bit and aim to the right with a regular swing. You can vary the amount of turn by how much you open or close the face. Practice this a bit on the range so you can get a feel for how much turn various face positions will effect your ball.
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I like this method too.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I’m a fan of the down the line swing. With this swing path you can work it both ways. Release the Club head for your draw and hold it for your fade. From here you can take it inside or outside for bigger movement one way or the other.

Grip stays the same. Ball position can change for trajectory. But that path down the line will serve you well with tighter shots and easier change of direction.
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This is pretty much what I was taught and continue to use.
 
Really, you have to learn how to master both if you are going to shape shots effectively. The face dictates where the ball starts and the path dictates where and how far it will curve from there. If you get any of it wrong, the ball isnt going to go where you want it to.
 
I typically swing down the line, I'll adjust my front foot a tad depending on which shot I'm looking to hit. I'm not great at it yet so I limit it to the tee for now.
 
I'm always looking to keep things as simple as possible. If I want some draw I set up the same as normal, but drop my back foot 2-3 inches behind me. Do the opposite to create a little cut shot.

I think the discussion is a little confusing because we aren't defining things well. Example: If someone says they square the face, the question is "to what?" Square to the target? Square to their toe line? Square to what?
 
leftshot said:
I'm always looking to keep things as simple as possible. If I want some draw I set up the same as normal, but drop my back foot 2-3 inches behind me. Do the opposite to create a little cut shot.

I think the discussion is a little confusing because we aren't defining things well. Example: If someone says they square the face, the question is "to what?" Square to the target? Square to their toe line? Square to what?
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It’s assumed to the target.
 
emart2173 said:
I use path. Club face is used to determining starting direction and let the club path shape it
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This..... Eric you are correct imo. This is exactly how I shape my shots and it seems to work well. Mark Crossfield talks about face to path
 
Both. I use face with driver and path for a hooking punch. I don’t try to shape my approach shots.

Altering path (to my stance) resulted in much less carry distance and minimal rollout with my driver. Altering face and keeping an in to out path had my drives chasing down the fairway. I got the same generous rolls normally associated with a draw.
 
Path: I have different release points for draw, straight, cut...with the follow thru. i.e: swing out to draw, swing little bit left for straight, swing left more for high cut. You can fraction these with side winds. Its easy, use your existing backswing/downswing/plane and correct the flights with the release plane thru/after the solid strike...get creative!
 
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