Ok, so we have five laws here that, according to instructors and good golfers, are the base for diagnosing swing problems…I’ll be the judge of that.
The Laws
#1. The speed of the clubhead at impact greatly affects the distance the golf ball will travel. A faster club head speed will cause the ball to travel further; a slower club head speed will lead to less distance.
Whoa, whoa whoa…malarkey! I’ve seen someone, Tom (co-founder of Golfstinks), smash a drive off of an elevated tee and the ball had this ridiculous sinking ability it would have made Brandon Webb* proud!
#2. The degree to which the ball is struck in relation to the club’s “sweet spot” affects both the distance and direction of the ball. The closer to the sweet spot the ball is struck, the further and straighter the ball will travel.
Sweet spot?!?! Where the hell is that? I mean, I’ve got a sweet spot for…wait…Do you mean the “center of persussion”? Why didn’t you say so! Now I get it. Geez, I could have been on the tour by now if I knew that!
#3. The direction the clubface is pointed at impact greatly affects the direction of the flight of the ball. The more the toe or the heel of the club is in front at impact, the more side spin will be imparted to the ball which will influence the curvature of the ball’s flight.
Look here chief…if I can see where the clubface is pointing at impact then call me Col. Steve Austin because I would also be able to see through the clubhouse walls and into the ladies locker…ok, moving on!
#4. The initial direction the ball flies after impact is greatly influenced by the path of the clubhead. The faster the clubhead speed at impact, the greater this influence will be.
Infuence? Influence…hmmm…I get it! The more I’m under the influence the better a player I will be! That is genius, now I know why the Scottish and Irish don’t export the good stuff!
#5. The steepness of the club’s path at impact affects both distance and curvature. A steeper angle of attack will cause the ball to go higher and less far because of the degree of backspin generated. A ball struck above its center of gravity will go lower than a ball struck below its center of gravity.
Yeah…and if you take pi and divide it by the colpanarity sum of the pythagorean theory, divide it by last year’s tax returns, add it to your last scorecard score, subtract what your last scorecard’s score really was and, voila! I think that just gave me a headache.
*Brandon Webb is a MLB pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks who has a friggin awesome sinker.
You forgot Rule #6, Pete:
The ability to recite the previous five rules inversely affects one’s ability to make solid contact with the ball at all.
Translation: Too much going on in your head forms a protective barrier around the golf ball, eliminating any possibility of a good shot.
So far, this is the only article i have read that tells us the centerness of hit affects both the distance and direction. good comment.