1 Key to Control Your Golf Ball Flight, per a Top Golf Instructor
Jun 20, 2025
If you're an average player, there's a good chance that you struggle with your golf ball flight — meaning it goes left, right, and (seemingly) everywhere except where you're aiming.
There could be a lot of reasons why that happens — like bad swing sequencing or poor golf grip — but the No. 1 culprit is something pretty simple (but fixable!): It's all about the direction your club is moving when it hits the ball.
Why Your Golf Ball Flight's Inconsistent During Practice
You've probably been on the driving range swinging your favorite PureOne Golf practice club and see a bunch of straight shots to your desired target. You feel confident and good about yourself.
Out of nowhere, your ball starts slicing or hooking, with your next five shots being sprayed all over the range — what gives?
Here's the simple truth: Your club approached the ball from a slightly different angle on those bad shots, and your golf ball flight changed because of it. One swing, your club came from the inside, the next swing it came from the outside, and your ball just went wherever that swing path sent it.
The best golfers know how to swing their club on the same path on every shot, using impeccable clubface control. It's not about having a perfect swing, it's about having a repeatable one — and here's how you can master that feeling.
Your Golf Ball Flight Tells You Everything
The biggest mistake I see golfers make is trying to fix their swing without paying attention to what their ball flight is telling them. Remember, your ball doesn't lie, so it's giving you perfect feedback about your swing path on every single shot.
Many average golfers fool around with grip changes and complete swing overhauls, when, really, all they need to do is look at their ball flight pattern to help determine minor adjustments to their swing path.
Your ball flight is a direct result of your swing path and clubface position at impact. If you can learn to read what your ball is telling you, you can diagnose your swing path issues without even thinking about mechanics.
The 4 Flight Patterns That Reveal Your Path
Here's how to decode what your golf ball flight is telling you about your swing path. Once you understand these, you'll know exactly what you need to work on.
First, balls that start left and curve right (for right-handed golfers) tell you that your swing path is coming from outside-to-in — so your clubface is slightly open to that path. This is the classic over-the-top move that produces weak slices when the face is open to the path.
Second, balls that start right and curve left mean your swing path is coming from inside-to-out — so your clubface is closed to that path. This match-up creates draws or even hooks, depending on how closed the face is in relation to the path.
Third, balls that start left and stay left indicate an outside-to-in swing path with a clubface that's closed to that path. This produces pulls and pull-hooks that can be just as frustrating as slices.
Fourth, a golf ball flight that start right and stays right shows an inside-to-out swing path with a clubface that's open to that path. These are pushes and push-fades that often come from trying too hard to swing from the inside.
The key is learning to read your pattern. Most recreational golfers have one dominant swing path tendency, and once you identify yours, you can start working on the specific adjustment that'll give you a more consistent ball flight.
Fix Your Swing Path Using this Easy Drill
To help improve your swing path and build a more consistent ball flight pattern, here's an easy drill that's helped hundreds of my students in our golf lessons together.
Set up two alignment sticks or golf clubs on the ground, with one pointing at your target, and another one parallel to it (about two feet to the right for right-handed golfers). The idea is to create a "gate" that represents the ideal swing path through impact.
Start by making slow practice swings, focusing on swinging the clubhead through that gate on a path that's parallel to your target line. Don't worry about hitting balls yet, just get the feeling of what a neutral swing path feels like.
Most golfers will immediately notice that this feels different from their normal golf swing.
If you've been coming over the top, swinging through the gate will feel like you're swinging way too much from the inside. If you've been too much from the inside, it'll feel like you're coming over the top. This is normal, so your brain just needs time to calibrate.
Once you're comfortable making practice swings through the gate, start hitting balls with the focus purely on the path. Don't worry about distance or perfect contact, just concentrate on swinging through that gate on every shot.
A Repeatable Swing Path = Consistent Ball Flight Patterns
The next time you're struggling with an inconsistent ball flight, don't just start changing your grip or your setup. Instead, pay attention to your ball flight patterns first, figure out what your swing path is doing, and then work on repeating that same path on every swing.
While consistent golf ball flight might not look as exciting as crushing it off the tee, it's actually the recipe to play better golf and enjoy the game more.
PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. Check out his weekly Monday column on RG.org, sign up for his golf newsletter, and visit OneMoreRollGolf.com to learn more about him and his work.
