Each club we use possesses a different loft and length and thus should by design, result ina different contact point and vertical force vector relative to the center of mass of the ball thus producing a different ball flight. The higher the contact point on the ball the lower the initial flight and the more the force vector is below the center of mass of the ball (assuming the club speed is equal) the more backward spin will be created on the ball.

Shots into the green by virtue of them being hit with the widest variety of length and loft of club, tend to be the area that differentiates great hitters from ordinary hitters. Too steep, too narrow, too wide or too shallow a club delivery will show up in one length and loft of club as whatever that delivery is will not match the delivery required for that particular club. (Learn how to fix that delivery here.)

Somewhere along the line, golf instruction got “compression” confused. Compression is a mass on mass hit and all golf clubs are designed to deliver a different amount of mass on mass hit and therefore a different amount of compression to each other. Let me be clear at this point compression is not shaft lean!! You don’t create the correct compression through shaft lean. The world’s best player Scottie Scheffler creates zero shaft lean and rather than understanding why he is so good everyone wants to talk about his foot action! If his foot action was so important then he shouldn’t be winning. The best players hit the ball the correct distance more times than not because they are contacting the correct part of the ball with the force vector of the club applying force vertically relative to the center of mass of the ball. You can hit a left to right, a straight or a right to left ball flight and be a great hitter but you cannot be a great hitter delivering the vertical force of the golf club incorrectly relative to the center of mass of the ball.

BALL SPEED

The speed of the ball is determined by the speed of the clubhead and the force vector of the center of mass of that clubhead relative to the center of mass of the ball during the collision between club and ball.

BALL DIRECTION

The direction of the ball is determined by the contact point of the ball on the club and more importantly the force vector of the center of mass of the clubhead relative to the center of mass of the ball in a horizontal axis.

VERTICAL SPIN RATE

The spin rate of the ball is determined by the magnitude of the force vector of the center of mass of the clubhead in a vertical axis relative to the center of mass of the ball. Each club should produce a different spin rate relative to the rest of the clubs. A low spin player is creating force to high relative to the center of mass of the ball either by too low a loft or too narrow a width of arc resulting in that force. A high spin player is creating force too low on the ball relative to the center of mass of the ball either by delivering too much loft or too outward a direction of swing. Additionally a player could make a great motion but be playing with equipment designed to produce a different amount of spin by either having a lower or higher center of gravity of that clubhead resulting in that effecting the position of the center of mass of the clubhead relative to the center of mass of the ball.