In my previous two blogs, regarding the misconceptions golfers have about the golf swing (or to be more precise, impact) I covered club head path and club face.
In this blog I will cover Angle of Attack.
Firstly, I think it is important to define angle of attack so that you are aware of what I am referring to.
The term angle of attack (or AoA) is used to describe the angle at which the club head travels into the ball at impact.
There are many influences on AoA during the golf swing, such as swing plane and weight transfer, but as I have discovered, through the many lessons I have given. There are a few misconceptions about the correct AoA which can have a devastating effect on the outcome of a golf shot.
MISCONCEPTION 1
Lots of golfers I teach believe that they should either hit the ground before the ball or that they should hit the ground and the ball together.
This is a biggie! For every shot you hit off of the ground, you must hit the ball first and then the ground! If you are unable to hit the ground in the right place, it will have a huge impact on the distance your ball travels and the spin you put onto the ball.
The correct strike is achieved by swinging the club on a descending angle of anywhere between 2 to 8 degrees at impact.
EVERY SHOT HIT WITH THE GOLF BALL ON THE GROUND NEEDS AN ANGLE OF ATTACK RANGING FROM 2 DEGREES DOWN TO 8 DEGREES DOWN. THIS IS TO ACHIEVE ONE SIMPLE GOAL: TO HIT THE BALL FIRST AND THEN THE GROUND.
The AoA will change depending on which club is being used. A 3 hybrid will have a shallower AoA than a PW because it has a longer shaft and therefore a flatter swing plane.
This video shows the ideal angle of attack with an iron.
As you can see the club hits the ball first and then the ground
MISCONCEPTION 2
The second misconception is more common than the first but is equally as disruptive. Most golfers believe that the angle of attack is the same for all clubs.
THE ANGLE OF ATTACK FOR A DRIVER IS UPWARDS, AS MUCH AS 5 DEGREES. THE ANGLE OF ATTACK FOR ALL OTHER CLUBS IS DOWNWARDS, TYPICALLY 2 TO 8 DEGREES.
Because the ball is teed up, with a driver, the AoA needs to be upward. The longer shaft of the driver will create a shallower swing and therefore a shallower AoA. Also, the ball position with the driver is more towards the front foot, which also promotes at more upward AoA.
An AoA that is too steep with the driver will create too much backspin and drastically reduce distance. Most amateur golfers get a back spin rate of 3000-3500 with a driver and a launch angle of 8 to 12 degrees. Ideally (depending on club head speed) the spin rate should be 2000 – 2500 with a launch angle of 13 to 18 degrees.
In a recent lesson, I increased the total distance of a client’s drive by 55 yards just by changing his AoA.
BY HITTING MORE UP ON THE BALL WITH THE DRIVER EVERY GOLFER WILL INCREASE THEIR CARRY AND REDUCE THEIR BACKSPIN, WHICH WILL DRAMATICALLY
INCREASE THE TOTAL DISTANCE.
How To Create A More Ascending AoA with the Driver
There are two main ways to hit more upward when using a driver.
Shallow out your swing plane.
Create more spine tilt away from the target at impact.
Here you can see Tiger Woods spine angle is titled away from the target at impact.
This helps to create an ascending Angle Of Attack
For a more personalised improvement of you Angle of Attack, please contact me here