If you (as a right-hander) ever tried to fix a slice by swinging more to the right, you’ve experienced how confusing ball flight can be. You make what feels like a reasonable adjustment and the ball curves even more. Most golfers have the relationship between face angle and swing path backwards. Once you understand this, you’ll be able to diagnose and fix your own ball flight issues without needing an instructor every time.
The big misconception
Most golfers believe the swing path determines where the ball goes. Slicing means swinging too far left; hooking means swinging too far right. It seems logical but it’s not how ball flight works.
Face angle is responsible for about 75 to 85 percent of where your ball starts. The ball starts roughly where the face points at impact and then curves based on the relationship between the face angle and the path. If the face is open relative to your path, the ball curves right. If it’s closed relative to your path, it curves left. This single concept explains every ball flight you hit.
Why this matters for your slice
Most slicers have a clubface open to the target at impact, let’s say, five degrees right. Their path might be decent, only two degrees left. But the face is seven degrees open relative to the path so the ball starts right and curves more right. The slicer sees this and aims left which makes them swing even more left. Now the face is even more open relative to the path and the slice worsens. It’s a vicious cycle based on misunderstanding the real problem.
If you’re a slicer, your first priority isn’t to fix your swing path. It’s to get your clubface more closed. Once your face is closer to square, then you can worry about the path.
The hook is the opposite problem
Hookers have a clubface closed to the target, often with a path too far right. The ball starts left and curves more left because the face is closed relative to the path. The fix? Get your path more to the left so it matches your face angle better.
How to use this information on the course
Understanding face-to-path gives you a superpower: real-time diagnosis. Shot starts right and curves right? Face was open to both target and path. Close the face or swing more to the right.
Shot starts left and curves right? Face was closed to the target but open to the path. That’s the over-the-top move. Fix the path first.
Shot starts right and curves left? Face was open to the target but closed to the path. This is common among better players who get their path too far inside-out.
The practice range revelation
Swing 10 degrees right with the face at the target. The ball starts at the target and curves left. Swing at the target with your face 10 degrees right. The ball starts right and curves more to the right: same face angle, completely different flight, all because of the path.
What this means for your driver
The driver is where this matters most. The ball has more time to curve and it’s the hardest club to square consistently.
If you slice your driver, feel like you’re aggressively closing the face through impact. This will feel extreme, but you’re probably just getting the face to square. You might also need to strengthen your grip which closes the face at impact without manipulation during the swing.
If you hook your driver, weaken your grip slightly and feel like you’re holding the face more open or get your path more left to match your closed face.
The numbers you should know
On a launch monitor, watch face angle (clubface direction at impact) and path (club direction at impact), both relative to your target line. The difference between them determines the curve.
For a straight shot, you want face and path to match. Most good players have a slightly inside-out path (two to four degrees right) with a face that’s slightly open to the target but closed to the path (one to two degrees right). This produces a baby draw that starts just right of the target and curves back to it.
Stop fighting the wrong battle
Too many golfers work endlessly on swing path when face angle is the real problem or try manipulating the face when their path is so far off that no amount of face control will help.
Get the face sorted first. Once you can consistently deliver the face square to your target and then refine your path to produce the ball flight you want. This is the correct order and it’s the opposite of what most golfers do.
Face angle is king. Path is critical but secondary. Get this relationship right in your mind and you’ll improve faster than you thought possible.
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