I just finished reading a post over at the Wishon forum. A fellow was reading Tom's book 'The search for the perfect golf club'; and was asking why a club with 11° of loft launches at 9.6° (with a level angle of attack, no shaft bending, and no vertical roll on the face - in other words, a true 11° face with a 9.6° launch).

There were a couple of 'best guesses' over there - but it occured to me that the reason was that face angle (or loft) is the larger determinant of direction over path (or angle of attack). Now, it makes perfect sense.





Another thought that occured to me today as I found more than my fair share of bunkers today (for some reason). How do we play a bunker shot? We crank the face wide open, open our stance, then swing down the body line. The ball comes out a bit inside of where the face was pointed. It doesn't come out like a pull and cut back to the target, right? It simply heads to the inside of the target (a bit), lands and bounces towards the target (cut spin).




There are two 'full speed' arguments in favour of face angle being greater than path for determining initial direction.

I've even tried it in the backyard with a putter and a full swing (no, not my gamer). I even busted out the swing speed radar (a 48mph swing with a putter is pretty good, I'd say!) I'd shut the face hard, and swing down the line. Ball goes pull side. I'd open it up and swing down the line. Ball goes push side. Aim square, and swing out to in. Ball goes pull side (but stays closer to the centerline than the closed face ball). Square aim, inside out swing, ball pushes (but not nearly as far as the open face ball).


This is going to come across as arrogant (please don't take it that way), but can someone argue this again? I'm sure that I'm right, but I want to solve the arguments against, beyond 'this is how I've swung for years, and it always works'.