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The elements of ball flight
If you could control your ball's flight, regardless of what kind of swing you took, would you be content? Sure, you would! Controlled ball flight lets you hit more fairways and greens and results in shorter putts. In fact, it is more important that you have a clear understanding of ball flight than a clear understanding of swing mechanics. A teacher can say, "Your left arm is bending, you're swaying off the ball, and you're coming over the top," but none of those things will tell you as much as the actual flight of the ball.
The three elements of ball flight are: trajectory, distance and direction.
Trajectory
Ben Hogan once said that the secret to a great golf shot is its trajectory. Tiger Woods spends much of his time on the driving range working on his trajectory. But the average golfer is happy just to hit the ball anywhere on the clubface. This explains why very few golfers can control their ball flight.
Many golfers think that the loft on the clubface determines trajectory. That's true to a degree, but have you ever bladed a wedge? Where on the clubface did the ball contact the grooves? Low on the clubface, obviously.
The key to controlling your trajectory is understanding the relationship between the ball and the grooves on the clubface. The lower on the face the ball is contacted, the lower the ball will fly. The higher on the face the ball is contacted, the higher the ball will fly.
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TRAJECTORY DRILL
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Pitch some balls to a target with a wedge, using a chest-high-to-chest-high swing. The first five balls, intentionally meet the ball low on the clubface, contacting no grass or dirt. In other words, hit the ball thin. Notice the low trajectory.
The next five balls, try to contact the ball on the fourth groove from the bottom. (Yes, you can count grooves, just like Johnny Miller.) When done correctly, the bottom three grooves will brush the grass lightly and the ball will have a slightly higher flight.
The last five balls, try to contact the ball on the seventh groove from the bottom. Now the bottom three grooves will dig up some soil, the next three grooves will brush through the grass, and the ball will compress from the seventh groove up, sending it much higher into the air.
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Distance
Some golfers equate distance with hitting the ball as far as they can. They are completely wrong. The objective is distance control.
The power source of the golf swing, you will remember, is body rotation. The length and speed of this rotation determines the power level.
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DISTANCE-CONTROL DRILL
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Using a wedge, let's start again with a swing that goes from chest-high to chest-high. The first five balls, turn at about 25 percent of full power. The next five balls, increase the speed of the body rotation (not the arms) to 50 percent. And the final five balls, increase the speed of the body rotation up to 75 percent.
As you increase and decrease the speed of your swings, take note of the distance the ball travels. Remember, the length of the swing needs to remain constant.
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Direction
A golf shot actually has two directional aspects. The first is the launch direction, the line on which the ball starts its flight. The second aspect begins when the ball reaches its peak and begins its downward flight. This is where the spin of the ball meets air resistance and makes the ball curve.
The launch direction is basically simple. The ball is either launched straight, right or left. This line is created by the swing path of the shaft in reference to the intended target. If the shaft passes along the target line and toward the target, the ball will start off straight at the target. If the shaft passes from the inside and out to the right of the target, then the ball will launch to the right of the target. And if the shaft passes from the outside and over to the left of the target, the ball must inevitably launch to the left.
The downward flight of the ball is determined by the angle of the clubface to the target line at impact. A golfer can launch the ball perfectly straight, but if the clubface is open at impact it will put sidespin on the ball and the ball will slice off to the right.
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LAUNCH-DIRECTION DRILL
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Direct follow-through.
Inside follow-through. 
Outside follow-through.
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Pick a target 30 to 50 yards away, so that a half-swing with a wedge can easily launch the ball over the target. The first five balls, try to swing the shaft straight back and straight through to the target. On the follow-through, actually point the shaft directly at the target so that the clubhead covers the target. If you do this, the ball will launch straight at the target.
The next five balls, swing the shaft a little inside on the takeaway and across the ball and out to the right of your target on the finish. The shaft should point to the right of your target on the follow-through and the ball should launch to the right.
The last five balls, swing the shaft a little outside on the takeaway and across the ball to the left of the target on the forward swing. Hold the finish with the shaft pointing just left of your target. Is the ball launching to the left?
Repeat this drill until the ball launches in the same direction that the shaft is swinging in reference to the target. Once you get the feel of how to launch the ball straight, you can move on to the next drill, which teaches you how to control the downward flight of the ball.
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DOWNWARD-FLIGHT DRILL
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As in the last drill, launch the ball straight with a chest-high to chest-high swing. Make sure you finish with the shaft pointing at the target. Now, check the angle of the clubface. It is ideal for the leading edge of the clubface to be pointing up to 12 o'clock. This creates a straight spin on the ball. The 11 o'clock position creates a spin to the left (a draw), and the 1 o'clock position creates a spin to the right (a fade).
The first five balls, swing the shaft to the target with the clubface at 12 o'clock.
The next five balls, swing the shaft to the target with the clubface at 11 o'clock.
And the last five balls, swing the shaft to the target with the clubface at 1 o'clock.
Notice the three different types of spin and the direction that the ball flies. As you master these drills, you will begin to feel more control over your ball flight. And when you take this information on the golf course, you will be able to focus on the elements that make the ball travel where you want.
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© 2002 Rob Stanger
Rob Stanger is teaching professional at the Mission Hills Country Club Golf Learning Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Contact him at robstanger.com.
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