D-Plane ? Part 3 : Secret of a Straight Drive
When hitting a wooden club of the metal variety you should ideally be looking to hit the golf ball on the way up which is after the club head reaches the bottom of it's arc which means that the club path will be pointing to the left of the target which in combination with a club face that is square to the target will make the ball fade to the right. Having the ball positioned enough to the left of your stance with the ball teed up to the appropriate height will help to aid this. However you will also need to shift your swing to the right when hitting with your driver to align your club path and face angle giving a vertical plane and thus a straight ball flight.
'Hit up and to the right with your driver'
It should however be noted, courtesy of Trackman, that with a driver on the PGA Tour the average angle of attack is 1.3 degrees downwards, while on the LPGA the angle of attack is 3.0 degrees upwards. This means that the men are sacrificing extra distance for accuracy as they can hit the ball far enough to navigate the golf courses of today, whilst the women need to get that important extra yardage.
If you live in the Perthshire area and need some help with your golf game come and see me at Pitlochry Golf Range and Academy where I work as a PGA Teaching Professional. I am trained and certified by both Trackman University and The Titleist Performance Institute.
Regards,
Graeme Leggat PGA Advanced Golf Professional
