On shaping shots in golf.

I guarantee this thread🧵 will be one of the most informative threads on shaping you will ever read. Bookmark it.📚

Let's go 👇

There is no reason why a shaped shot would be significantly more predictable than a square path (with some caveats), for a given distance.

For example, a 
▪️square path with 2 degree face variance around it 

will produce pretty much the same outcome as a 

▪️5 deg in to out path and 4 deg variance around it.

However....

A player who presents a draw path and face closed to it (the same numbers each time) will have less curve with a wedge and more curve with a driver. 

So it may be more manageable throughout the bag to maintain a more square path.

Also, into/downwind, a player shaping less will get more consistent outcomes. 

This would suggest a more neutral path is easier.

The only real caveat to that would be if someone, on an individual level, produces a tighter dispersion when they try to shape it one way. 

This could be for biological reasons (perhaps their body works better that way), or mental (perhaps their movement variability is less when they visualize or are comfortable hitting X shape. The only real way of knowing this would be to test.

It's a myth that a shape will "take out one side of the golf course".

If anything, hitting a bigger shape brings in more complexity (as the above shows).

A player with a neutral path might miss left or right of their target, but a drawer also misses left and right (they're called hooks and pushes).

The most important part is the SIZE (or standard deviation) of the player's dispersion.

We often hear that the best course of action is to "play your natural shape".

Interestingly, I have found throughout the years that many people produce tighter dispersions when fighting their natural shape. I believe @LouStagner also found this to be true.

I also don't like people to shape both ways on the golf course, unless necessary.

There's not much of an advantage to be had unless you have almost equal capability with both shapes.

I'd say less than 0.1% of people would fall into this category.

However, it can be a fun exercise to learn how to do both shapes on the range.

You may need it if you're stuck behind a tree.

And the ability to shape it both ways can help you. E.g. if I hate my hook, I feel a fade swing to calibrate/neutralize it

I've also found that a fader tends to have a slightly narrower side to side dispersion, but at the cost of greater distance dispersion.

A drawer tends to have tighter distance dispersion, but at the cost of marginally bigger side-to-side dispersion.

The effect is small, but there is a good physics-based rationale for why this is the case.

I'll go through that more in later threads - so make sure to follow me @adamyounggolf

So, in summary
▪️it's ok to shape it, but probably don't want to do too much
▪️it's also ok to try and hit it more neutral
▪️there may be subtle advantages to certain shapes, and a small population who could take advantage of this
▪️but there are also advantages to trying to play as neutral as possible
▪️you're better off playing YOUR best shape 99% of the time
▪️although understand that your best shape might not be your natural one

Generally, I prefer going towards more neutral, or smaller shapes.

Congratulations if you got to the end of this threa. Give it a like👍 to show you're one of the real golf geeks.

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Mastering Golf Shot Shaping

Are you a slicer or hooker of the #golf ball? 

Read this thread 🧵and bookmark 📚for later viewing

To neutralize your shot shape, you have to neutralize your path.

This easy drill bypasses a lot of hard work 👇👇👇

First thing's first - please understand that changing, or even neutralizing, your path is not going to guarantee great shots.

Path direction simply determines the SHAPE of your good shots.

🔵in-to-out players will draw onto their target
🔴out-to-in players will fade onto theirs


Changing your path shouldn't take long. In fact, in most of my lessons we see the path change in the first shot.

I usually start with the nail drill.

This is where you visualize a nail through the ball, and imagine using  the club to hammer it

You can change the nail direction to change your path pretty quickly.

Want your path to be more in-to-out? Simply visualize the nail angled more to the right, and vice versa

To make this work, you often have to throw out the idea of "golf swing", and tap into pure instinct - as if you are literally hammering the nail.

Do lots of mini rehearsals, then hit the shot as if it's an extension of your rehearsals.

No "re-setting your position"

"but what about muh technique?"

The beauty of this drill is it taps into the body's natural ability to self organize. 

Your swing technique will start to naturally (without conscious thought) evolve itself into what's needed to create your desired path

I use this idea all the time in my own game

When practicing with my launch monitor, if my path creeps too far to the right, I simply imagine the nail more left until the path neutralizes

If I need to hit a big shape around a tree, I can switch my path to +/- 15 deg instantly!!!

The nail drill can actually be used for a lot more than just changing path
🟢improving face strike
🟢angle of attack changes
🟢swing plane
🟢vertical strike
🟢face consistency

I show you how to use the drill to acheive all of the above in my "Next Level Golf" program

Changing your path alone is not enough to hit your desired shot. 

You also have to remember that overall direction is a combination of both path and face. I discuss these in detail in The Accuracy Plan and Next Level Golf

So if you've ever struggled to change your path through more internal/mechanical approaches, give this idea a try.

Follow me @adamyounggolf for more and check out my improvement programs here - https://www.adamyounggolf.com/products/?aff=Twitter 

Mastering Golf Swing Path

"If you can't control your club-face, you can't control your ball."

Club-face direction is one of the most important impact variables in #golf.

This thread🧵 dives deeper.

Bookmark it for later viewing 📑

Let's go 👇👇👇👇

Presenting the face just 1 degree more open or closed with a driver can result in a shot that's about 12 yards off-line at 240 yards!

This is what 1 degree looks like...

One of these pictures shows a square face, and one shows a face 1 degree more open. Can you tell which one?

To hit a tour-average shot with an iron, you must present the clubface within a 3.4-degree window.

Curious about what that looks like? Check this out—it's that tiny pink sliver.

And they have to achieve this while swinging at over 90 mph.
 

A 3.4-degree window means 1.7 degrees on either side.

This is what 1.7 degrees open versus 1.7 degrees closed looks like.

These "face windows" might shift more to the left or right, depending on a player's club path.

YOU DO NOT NEED A SQUARE FACE AT IMPACT!!!

In these images, we see where a fader (left) versus a drawer (right) might present the face to hit a functional shot.

If your PATH is not square, you'll need to adjust the face differently for various clubs.

What does this mean/look like?

Here’s an example of a player with a left path:

Here's how they would present their clubs:
W = Wedge
7 = 7-Iron
D = Driver

To hit an on-target shot.

Most golfers focus on aligning the leading edge perpendicularly to the target.

However, many don't realize that if the club impacts with a different lie angle, it also affects the 3D face plane.

The average professional golfer begins with the club face approximately 4 degrees closed at address.

The starting position differs from the impact position, and professionals vary widely in both.

A "perfectly square" start isn't necessary.

The best way to improve club-face control? 👇

I've had a ton of success with less-technical and more SKILL-BASED approaches, using the science of motor learning

Want to learn more about these? Join me for my upcoming 8-week course. More info here- https://www.adamyounggolf.com/8-week-course/?aff=Twitter 

Mastering Club-Face Direction in Golf

Do you want to increase your #golf striking consistency?

Read this thread 🧵

Bookmark it for later viewing 📚

Picture this: 

The 2nd groove is the lowest you can contact and still create a functional shot 

And imagine that the highest we can contact before the shot becomes non-functionally fat would be hitting the 5th groove 

We could say that this creates an area (green) where the club can swing and successfully hit a good golf shot.

Better/more consistent players tend to hang around the middle of that area.

Usually between the 3-4th groove up.

You can see how this is corroborated by Tiger Woods' iron wear mark

If you tend to hang around the lower end of that acceptable range,

If you accidentally swing a little HIGHER - you'll hit your best shots.

But.....

Accidentally swing a bit LOWER and you'll lay the sod over it.

These players claim "I hit good shots, but too many fats"

And if you're the type of player who hangs around the upper-end of that acceptable range

Your lowest swings will actually be your most flushed-shots

But....

Raise up a tiny bit and it's blade-city

these players claim "I hit some great shots, but too many bladed/topped ones."

The irony is, these poorer players MIGHT have the same level of delivery-consistency as the better players.

They're just "living on the edge"

Thin pattern = black
Good = blue
fat pattern = red

All delivery areas are same size, just biased differently.

What to do?

If we want to be truly consistent at this game, we need to

1. balance any biases
2. reduce the ranges (high/low) which we swing the club
3. use techniques that open up bigger acceptable ranges

Want to learn how to do these things?

I show you how to do all of these in my 8-week course

STARTING JUNE 1st!!!!!

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Mastering Golf Striking Consistency

I hit 100 golf wedge shots with a launch monitor running. 

Let's see what I found out 👇👇👇

Bookmark📚 this monster thread 🧵

For the test, I hit shots from 2 different lies indoors.

🔵Grass - simulated lie (fiberbuilt bristles) which would simulate having a perfect lie with a big cushion beneath the ball
🔴Normal range mat - tight and firm - like a hardpan lie but a bit more spongy

Shots were
▪️40 yards
▪️45 deg dynamic loft (yellow arrow)
▪️8 deg attack angle (white line)
▪️53 deg spin loft (pink shaded area)

All had very tight standard deviations

This is a visual of the average spin rates for the different vertical face strikes for the GRASS lie  

This is a visual of the average spin rates for the different vertical face strikes for the TIGHT lie 

And, for easier comparison, here they are side by side

Why does spin rate get lower as the strike goes up the face?

In these examples..

It's NOT gear effect - irons have little to no gear effect
It's NOT debris - no mud/water on the mats

The answer is.....

Something I call DYNAMIC SPIN LOFT

While a launch monitor often shows the data (attack angle, loft, spin loft) WITHOUT the club-ball collision, this collision matters.

You see, as the clubhead is in contact with the ball, it gets deflected down by the force of the ball (yellow)

Dave Tutelman calls this "Newton's Divot"- it can explain how someone can have a divot after the ball even with a slightly positive attack angle

When we strike low on the face, the club interacts with the turf late (pink star)

It's free to be deflected down more - increasing spin loft

However, when we hit higher on the face, we're essentially interacting with the turf further back

This gives more time for the club attack angle to deflect "less down", changing DYNAMIC SPIN LOFT (through the ball) 

This is why higher strikes correlated with lower spin rates 
- more deflection through impact
- thus lower dynamic spin loft
- thus lower spin

But why such a difference between lies?

Well, on the

🔵Grass lie, interaction with the ground is always farther forwards + softer. Meaning less time to deflect the attack angle, and by a lesser amount

🔴Tight lie, interaction with the turf is much earlier and more violent, meaning bigger dynamic spin loft changes

We can see this visualized here

Lie with grass cushion beneath it with predicted attack angle (green)
vs deflected (yellow) 

Then the exact same swing and strike but from a tight lie - earlier deflection

This is also why you see launch angle increase more rapidly for the tight lie

The increase in upward deflection of the clubhead "bouncing" off the turf created a more variable and higher launch angle

Not only was 
▪️Spin lower
▪️launch higher

For the tight lie, but it also had more variability to those factors.

This resulted in more distance per mph of club speed, and more variability in distance (or less distance control)

For reference, 
-20 to -10mm is low on the face but functional
-10 to 0 is fatter contact, but not awful (pro fat)

What this means for you???

More research needs to be done from varying lies, with real grass too, and at different spin lofts.

But this study shows
✅The "bounce up" effect that can occur when the club interacts with the ground too early 
✅Hard-pan, range mats or similar lies will give higher launch and lower spin, often resulting in more distance
✅Even similar launch-monitor-reported spin-lofts can produce very different launch and spin characteristics
✅It may be harder to control distance from tight, hardpan lies - even if contact is cleaner (no grass)
✅Bounce may not always be your friend - in some cases it may be the thing that creates less consistent spin/launch/distance control
✅Explains those low-nipped wedge shots that spin more when you catch the bottom groove
✅Striking more towards the bottom of the club (as long as not bladed) will give more consistent distances from varying lies

What else did you get from this data? 

If you love nerding out on golf stuff....

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Golf Wedge Shots Analysis

Club-face direction is one of the most important impact variables in #golf.

If you cant control your club-face, you can't control your ball.

This thread🧵 dives deeper.

Bookmark it for later viewing 📑

Let's go 👇👇👇👇

Present the face just 1 degree more open/closed with a driver and that can be around 12 yards off-line at 240 yards!

This is what 1 degree looks like.....

One of these pics is square and one is 1 deg more open.
Can you tell which one??

To hit a tour-average shot with an iron, you have to present the face within a 3.4 deg window.

Want to know what that looks like? Check this out - it's that little pink sliver.

And they have to do that while swinging it over 90mph 

A 3.4 deg window means 1.7 deg either side.

This is what 1.7 deg open vs 1.7 deg closed looks like  

These "face windows" might be shifted more left or right, depending on a player's club-path.

YOU DO NOT NEED A SQUARE FACE AT IMPACT!!!

In these images, we see where a fader (left) vs drawer (right) might have to present the face to hit a functional shot.

Also, if your PATH is not square, you will have to present the face differently for various clubs.

What does this mean/look like?????

Here's an example of a player with a left path.

Here's how they would have to present a
W = Wedge
7 = 7 iron
D = Driver

To hit an on-target shot

Most golfers obsess over the leading edge position - trying to make it perpendicular to the target (left).

What most don't realize is that, if the club comes into impact with a different lie angle, this also affects the 3D face plane.

The average pro golfer starts with the club face about 4 degrees closed at address.

Starting position differs from impact position — pros vary widely in both.

And a "perfectly square" start isn't necessary.

The best way to improve club-face control? 👇

I've had a ton of success with less-technical and more SKILL-BASED approaches, using the science of motor learning

Want to learn more about these? Join me for my upcoming 8-week winter course. More info here- https://www.adamyounggolf.com/8-week-course/

I show you how to do all of these in my 8-week winter course

STARTING NOV 3rd!!!!

Click here for more info - https://www.adamyounggolf.com/8-week-course/ 

One of the craziest and most difficult parts of #golf is.... 

TINY changes create success/failure - not big ones (like you believe).

In this 🧵thread, I'll give a couple of examples, and solutions.

Bookmark it for later reading 📑

Let's go👇

A slight shift in your club-face can send your ball way off course. Just 3-degrees of added face opening/closing can veer your shot over 35 yards off target.

1= square face
2= 3 deg open

Or you hit a good shot (1)

Then, on your next swing you drop JUST 1/4 inch deeper (or 2 grooves).

And hit the ground almost 2.5 inches behind the ball!!

Yes, that's all it takes

Here's an even crazier fact...

Even if you swung like a golf robot, you would still have a dispersion to your shots!

The robots used for testing equipment still hit shots left/right because the golf balls are not perfectly balanced. 

So, what can we do about this? 👇👇👇

1. Play a strategy that allows for a shot dispersion.

Pick a target that has a good buffer left/right and long/short.

In a lot of cases, this would be close to the middle of the green

Target 2 would hit more greens and score lower than target 1

2. Use techniques that offer a bigger margin for error

EXAMPLE - with forward shaft lean (right), the club can hit the 3rd groove on the face while swinging HIGHER from the ground (see the green arc).

This can reduce fat shots

3. Watch your bias

Player 1s average is around the center. They have a 5.4ft standard deviation

Player 2s average is shifted toe-biased. They have a 20.5ft standard deviation

Same consistency of inputs - different consistency of outputs

3. Fix stuff quicker and more precisely

Understand that you, as a golfer, are always going to be changing from day to day.

The real key to success is to identify those changes and quickly re-calibrate 

If you want to learn
✅Exactly what to do to hit great shots
✅Techniques that give bigger margins for error
✅How to master your course strategy
✅How to balance your technique

Join me NOVEMBER 3rd for my new Live 8-week winter course.
Learn more here- https://www.adamyounggolf.com/8-week-course/

Mastering Golf: The Impact of Tiny Changes

Golf isn't about how pretty your swing looks.

It's about controling 4 things
🟢distance
🟢direction
🟢trajectory
all while maximizing your distance off the tee.

A great way of thinking about the game is 👇👇👇

Imagine a box, roughly 20 yards wide and 15 yards deep.

Your goal is to
1. place that box in a location that's safe, and maximizes chances of hitting the green
2. hit a shot into that box, in a way that it will stay in that box (trajectory component). 

Now, you can analyze
1. did I hit my box?
2. if yes, did it hit/stay on the green?

If the answer to 1 was yes, then your technique was good. If no, find out what needs to improve there.

If the answer to 2 is yes, your strategy was also sound. If no, you have to look to why 👇

For example, if could be that you 
🔴didnt place your box in a good location.
🔴Or you mis-judged the wind.

There are more things that can cause it to still be a poor shot. See 👇

I've compiled the main elements of your game that you should be tracking

I've put them into a simple sheet that you can print and take with you to the course

It will be invaluable in helping you determine what you need to work on

And it's FREE, here 👉 https://www.adamyounggolf.com/track-2/

Mastering Golf: Control and Strategy

Here are 5 ways you can improve your golf game.

Which ones are you working on? Which ones do you need to put more time/effort into?

Let's read 👇👇👇👇

1. Swing speed

This is not just about hitting the ball far. Added swing speed allows you to get
✅less club into greens - easier to strike
✅higher, softer landing shots - getting closer to pins
✅straighter approaches
✅pleasure from goading your playing partners

2. Skill

Skill is the ability to change something precisely through intent. E.g. the ability to hit more toe/heel in 5mm increments (high skill)

Low skilled players may not even be able to change the strike at all

Differential + variability practice drills speed up skill acq.

3. Concepts

🟢Do you understand why your ball does what it does?
🟢Can you identify, when you hit a bad shot, EXACTLY what has changed from an impact perspective?
🟢What tools do you have to change this?

Having poor concepts leads to a lot of tail-chasing.

4. Practice

Whether you practice 1 hour every 2 weeks (like me), or do 3 hours a day, your practice needs to
🟢Have variety
🟢Some level of structure
🟢Improve what costs YOU the most shots
🟢Have measurable outcomes 


5. Course management

Even a tour-average shot can put you in danger if you pick sucky targets.

Good strategy and target selection can pick up a LOT of marginal gains - stacking into some big gains over the course of a round.

6. Technique

Think of this as the method employed.

While there is not one singular ideal technique, there are certain movements that can make the game easier or harder.

You want to learn movements that give you bigger margins for error.

Want to dive deeper into these topics?

Go to my profile and check out my improvement programs (more info in my bio) 