Those severely out-to-in paths might seem outrageous, but sadly, they're not. According to Dave Anderson, TaylorMade's director of research, the universe of golfers they have tested on the company's swing-analysis system falls along a swing-path range that stretches to 11 degrees out to in. Meanwhile, the majority of tour players in TaylorMade's research stays within a range of neutral to about 3 degrees inside.
Fredrik Tuxen, the inventor of TrackMan, has studied swing path at the tour level. His research shows that a great influence on distance is the trajectory the clubhead takes into the ball. Specifically, players who hit down on the ball are not maximizing distance. (This is important to our research because generally speaking, an out-to-in swing produces a downward hit, and an in-to-out swing leads to an upward strike.) According to Tuxen, two players can have the same swing speed, but the player who attacks the ball on the upswing can produce as many as 28 more yards than a player with a downward strike. One solution can be found in equipment, he says.
"It's very difficult to change one's clubhead speed," Tuxen writes in a paper presented in March at the World Scientific Congress of Golf V in Phoenix. "Also, the attack angle is difficult for most golfers to change without intervention, such as instruction. So, the easiest thing the golfer can do is change the club!" (See box, below left.)
Still, to see the real benefits of the inside path, you need to make a swing change. "Biomechanically, great players look so good because they're so efficient at using their bodies," says Dave Phillips, co-founder of the Titleist Performance Institute. "How often do you hear, 'They swing so slow and hit it so far -- how do they do it?' The reason is, everything is moving in harmony." Harmony. Champagne. Either way, hitting it from the inside is pretty sweet.
The robot never lies
The Golf Laboratories swing robot simulated seven paths at a slightly above-average speed. Inside and neutral swings produced an average of a 42-yard gain over the most extreme outside path.
Photo: Jim Herity
Can't fix swing? Change clubs
Don't have time to correct your out-to-in swing? Try a higher-lofted driver as a temporary solution. It will improve your launch angle and mitigate the effects of sidespin without a meaningful loss of ball speed.
- Text Size:
- Small Text
- Medium Text
- Large Text
