Understanding the ball flight laws which govern why your ball is hooking and slicing is necessary to be able to build awareness of your own clubhead path and clubface angle. Knowing your own clubhead path and clubface angle enables you to easier make swing changes.
Our swing is determining how the clubhead path and clubface angle and the relationship between the two, at impact, create the ball flight pattern. What exactly is the relationship between clubhead path and clubface angle? Depending on the club, your clubface angle is 65 to 85 percent responsible for the direction your ball starts in. The clubhead path, specifically the relationship between the clubhead path and the clubface angle, is primarily responsible for the direction and amount of curvature in your ball flight.
In the video below, Andrew Rice explains the ball flight laws and the “Royal” relationship between path and face.
If you didn’t already, you now know that a slice is caused by the clubface angle being open relative to the clubhead path. The slice we’re all use to seeing is the one that starts on or left of the target line, curves way right landing well right of the target, usually so far right that you’re in trouble. The path moves from outside of the target line across to the inside of the target line. The clubface angle is pointing to the right of the path to some degree.
Many golfers try to compensate their slice by aiming more left, which doesn’t help. This move can increase the difference between your path and face, worsening your slice. Even if you can aim more left and not worsen you slice, there are just too many holes that you might not have the room to start that far left.