How to Hit a Golf Ball Just Right - Pt3: The Long Game

     Now that we know how a ball behaves in flight and what happens the moment it is struck by the club, how do we use this information to make decisions on the course? The shots taken on a particular hole are divided into two main types: the long game and the short game. The long game is characterized by powerful hits that are more focused on distance than accuracy. On the other hand, accuracy and precision are vital to the short game, but distance is no longer the objective. Each type of shot also has its own emphasis on the principles we learned earlier. In the long game, where accuracy is less important and the ball flies for a larger distance, left and right spin are the main tools to control the ball throughout its flight.

    Note: This is part 3 of a series. Click here for part 1 or click here to read about why this information is important to your game.

Spin in the Long Game

    The long game is primarily played from two locations: the tee box and the fairway. Shots from both locations require distance, but less accuracy is generally needed in the tee box than from the fairway. The clubs used in each location also reflect the main purpose of the shots. The powerful driver has a large face that helps offset the instability of a stronger swing, but requires that the ball starts above the ground. Irons, on the other hand, are designed to neatly swoop the ball directly off the ground, while still applying a powerful forward force. Both types of clubs excel at sending the ball flying long distances. This time in the air makes the ball especially susceptible to left right spin.

    If you remember from our discussion on ball flight, a thin layer of air flows quickly around the ball, as compared to the rest of the atmosphere. Eventually this air separates from the back of the ball, but spin causes the air to separate closer to one side than the other. The act of dragging the air one way causes the ball to move the other. However, air is very light compared to a golf ball and a lot of it is needed to affect the motion of something so heavy. This is very important to understand, because it means that the ball takes a long time to curve. Obviously, the longer the ball is in the air, the more susceptible it is to the effects of spin.

How to apply Spin

    Spin is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes you may want to apply spin to the ball in order to follow the line of a dog-leg or to counter light crosswind. Sometimes you may want to avoid spin altogether and hit the ball straight. Either way, controlling your spin is the only way to control the ball after it has left the club.

    As we saw in our look at the moment of impact, the ball compresses and "sticks" to the club when struck, especially during stronger swings. It then releases that compression and bounces off the club. Note that the bounce happens perpendicular to the clubface. This means that whether you have an outside or inside swing, whether the clubface is open or closed, the ball will start traveling in the direction that the clubface points. 

    Spin happens when the clubface is moving in a different direction than it is pointing. In this situation, the motion of the club "pulls" the side of the ball that is stuck to it in the direction that it is moving. The greater the difference between the direction of the club's motion and the direction it is facing, the greater the spin that is applied on the ball.

Summing Up

    In the long game, the goal is to get the ball as close to the green as possible, but accuracy and precision are not extremely important. The shots taken at this stage send the ball into the air long enough and fast enough to be susceptible to spin, leaving spin as the main method of controlling the ball. Spin itself is caused when the club points in a different direction than it moves, leaving many options available for any kind of swing to either create or avoid spin as needed.

    If you enjoyed this post, read the fourth and final section here!

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