At the highest levels of golf, launch monitors have become indispensable pieces of equipment, as common now on the practice grounds of tour events as alignment rods. The data collected by today’s launch monitor technology can reveal to players in remarkable detail what is occurring at the moment of impact. Using this information about the club (face orientation, club path, angle of attack, etc.) and the resulting ball flight (speed, launch angle, starting direction and curve) players can tweak their technique to instantly make positive changes in their mechanics.
Not everyone has the luxury of owning their own launch monitor, but Titleist staff member and TPI co-founder Dave Phillips has a useful and very affordable hack. With a couple tees and alignment rods (or even clubs laid on the ground) Dave shows how you can set up your own low-tech practice station to work on ball flight the same way that the pros do.
Practice using these visual guides and you’ll soon learn how to coordinate the path of your swing with the direction your club face is pointing, allowing you to curve the ball at will. Sharpening these skills will help you overcome faulty pattens like slices and hooks, improve your recovery shots when you’re trapped behind on-course obstacles and even allow you to work the ball towards flagsticks – all of which can help the bottom line on your scorecard!
For more tips and drills from Dave and other Titleist Staff Members, visit Titleist Instruction:
TPI is the world’s leading educational organization dedicated to the study of how the human body functions in relation to the golf swing. You can benefit from their cutting-edge research and improve your game through their vast collection of golf-specific health, fitness and swing instruction. Visit MyTPI.com.
