The Science of Golf: How to Be Your Own Trackman for Free
Be Your Own Trackman - Science of Better Golf
Hi friends and golfers! I’m Coach Erik Schjolberg, and today I’m going to teach you how to become your own Trackman—no launch monitor required. I can be found live at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ and online at EJS Golf and The Science of Better Golf.
This deep dive into the physics of ball flight will give you the power to diagnose your golf shots like the world’s best players and pinpoint exactly what happened at impact. Along the way, I’ll show you how to leverage the Science of Better Golf community at tsbgolf.com for ongoing support, video swing reviews, live coaching calls, stat tracking, data-driven drills, and so much more.
1. Why Every Golfer Needs Ball-Flight Science
As golfers, we’ve all been there: you hit one left, and you instinctively blame yourself for an early release; you push one right, and you assume your hips "slid" too far. But without objective data, these gut guesses often miss the mark. What we feel in the swing rarely matches what actually happens at impact. By mastering the scientific principles that govern ball flight, you’ll equip yourself to diagnose any shot on the range or course—no Trackman necessary. This is the non-negotiable foundation for lasting improvement in your own game and building the confidence that comes from truly understanding your swing. This is what will separate your game from most al other golfers who have no idea why the ball flies like it does. What if you knew your club face was off just a couple of degrees? Would that give you confidence over having no idea why the golf bell started and ended up where it did.
Over the past decade, tools like Trackman have settled debates that once raged in golf. We now know exactly how face angle, path, loft, and spin axis interact to dictate launch direction, curvature, and spin rate. But you don’t need to spend six figures on hardware. In this article, I’ll show you how to read your ball flight visually, deduce the underlying impact numbers, and then link back to my Practice Guide for drills that reinforce the correct motions.
2. The D-Plane: Your “Moment of Truth” Framework
At the heart of ball-flight physics lies the D-Plane—short for “divot plane” or “D-Plane theory,” though the name isn’t important. What matters is that it provides a clear, three-dimensional snapshot of impact, combining:
Club Path & Attack Angle (the direction the club head travels, both horizontal and vertical)
Face Angle & Dynamic Loft (the orientation the face points, again horizontal and vertical)
Imagine two alignment sticks: one pointing where the club face aims, the other pointing where the club head travels. Connect those sticks, and you’ve drawn the D-Plane. That plane, in turn, dictates:
Initial Launch Direction
Spin-Axis Tilt (the axis around which the ball spins, which causes curvature)
Backspin Rate
When you understand the D-Plane, you’ve unlocked the “moment of truth” at impact. Every ball flight becomes a message—read it, and you’ll know exactly what happened between address and follow-through.
3. Reading Start Direction: The Face-Angle Rule
Contrary to long-held myths, your swing path has far less influence on where the ball starts than your face angle. Trackman data shows that for irons, roughly 75% of launch direction is governed by face angle; for drivers, it’s closer to 85%. Put simply:
If the face points left of target at impact, the ball starts left.
If the face points right, the ball starts right.
If the face points exactly at the target (0°), the ball starts straight—assuming center contact.
Key takeaway: The ball’s starting line is your face angle.
We often hit a pull or push and immediately diagnose a path fault. Instead, begin by asking, “Where did it start?” If it started left, focus first on opening the face; if it started right, focus on closing it. Video feedback is helpful, but you can also use simple alignment sticks on the ground or a mirror to confirm your face angle at impact. For deeper practice, check out the video drills in my Practice Guide.
4. Understanding Curvature: The Spin-Axis Principle
There is no separate “side spin” on a golf ball—it spins around a single tilted axis. When that axis tilts left (negative for right-handers), the ball curves left (draw/hook); when it tilts right (positive), it curves right (fade/slice). A neutral axis (–2° to 2°) produces a straight shot.
What tilts the spin axis? The difference between face angle and path—known as Face-to-Path:
Negative Face-to-Path (face closed to path) ⇒ draw/hook
Positive Face-to-Path (face open to path) ⇒ fade/slice
On a driver, the ratio of spin-axis tilt to Face-to-Path is about 4:1. So a 4° open face relative to path can create roughly a 16° curve.
Additional factors:
Gear Effect: Off-center strikes shift the face dynamically, altering spin axis.
Spin Loft: The 3D angle between face and path—lower loft amplifies curvature for the same Face-to-Path.
Key takeaway: The ball’s curve is your Face-to-Path difference.
5. Your Four-Step Field Diagnostic
Putting it all together, diagnosing any shot is a simple four-step process:
Observe Start Direction ⇒ your face angle relative to target
Observe Curvature ⇒ your face-to-path relationship
Calculate Path ⇒ deduce path = face angle – (face-to-path)
Confirm Impact Numbers ⇒ you now know the face angle and path that created the flight
Once you have those numbers, you can prescribe drills to adjust your face or path precisely. Let’s walk through common flight patterns:
5.1. The Straight Pull (Starts Left, Stays Left)
Observation: Ball starts left, no curve.
Impact: Face left, Face-to-Path ≈ 0 ⇒ Path left by same amount.
Diagnosis: Outside-in path and matching face angle.
Fix Focus: Center the face; shallow the path. Drill: Tunnel-Gate Drill (two sticks forming a gate to swing through).
5.2. The Straight Push (Starts Right, Stays Right)
Observation: Ball starts right, no curve.
Impact: Face right, Face-to-Path ≈ 0 ⇒ Path right.
Diagnosis: Inside-out path with matching face.
Fix Focus: Center the face; shallow the path. Drill: Gate-Swing Drill on the other side.
5.3. Pull Fade (Starts Left, Curves Right)
Observation: Starts left, then fades right.
Impact: Face left, Face-to-Path positive ⇒ Path is even more left of the face.
Diagnosis: Out-to-in path with a face that's open relative to the path.
Fix Focus: Shallower path; close the face relative to path. Drill: Shallow Drill and Face-Close Drill.
5.4. Push Draw (Starts Right, Curves Left)
Observation: Starts right, draws back.
Impact: Face right, Face-to-Path negative ⇒ Path is even more right of the face.
Diagnosis: In-to-out path with a face that's closed relative to the path.
Fix Focus: More neutral path; open the face relative to path. Drill: Inside-Out Gate and Face-Open Drill.
5.5. Slice (Starts Right or Center, Curves Hard Right)
Observation: Starts near center or right, then slices violently.
Impact: Face-to-path strongly positive ⇒ large out-to-in path with moderately open face.
Diagnosis: Major path issue.
Fix Focus: Shallow the swing plane; reduce out-to-in motion. Drill: Checkout my Motorcycle Drill on YouTube.
5.6. Hook (Starts Left or Center, Curves Hard Left)
Observation: Starts left or center, then hooks.
Impact: Face-to-Path strongly negative ⇒ major in-to-out path with a closed face.
Diagnosis: Overactive inside-out path or excessive face closure.
Fix Focus: Control the path; add face awareness. Drill: Mirror-Face Drill and Path-Balance Drill. Check out my drills on my Youtube page.
6. From Diagnosis to Improvement: Drill Prescription
Knowing the flaw is only half the battle. The other half is finding drills that feel like the solution and reinforce correct neuro-muscular patterns. Here’s a go-to process:
Micro-Adjust Ball Position: Moving the ball back one ball’s width promotes a more outside-in path; forward promotes inside-out. Experiment on the range to see immediate flight changes.
Setup Tweaks: Align your shoulders and feet to bias your path. Closed shoulders for a more in-to-out path, open shoulders for out-to-in.
Focused Feel Drills:
Tunnel-Gate Drill for path control (use two alignment sticks or clubs).
Face-Spray Feedback: Spray your clubface to see impact dots and confirm your strike and face angle.
Low-Speed Mirror Practice: Engage in half-swings in front of a mirror, pausing at impact to check your face orientation.
I recommend a 15-minute daily routine—3 drills, 5 minutes each—to ingrain a new impact pattern. You can find my full suite of drills, complete with video demos, in the Science of Better Golf Practice Guide.
7. Integrating Technology and Community Support
While you don’t need a launch monitor to learn these concepts, combining this visual diagnosis method with occasional data creates an unbeatable learning blend. At tsbgolf.com/community, our Science of Better Golf members upload clips of their own swings, get personalized video feedback from me, join weekly live coaching calls, and track key metrics—face angle, path, spin loft—using simple mobile apps and launch-monitor snapshots.
Your fellow golfers in the community share their experiences, troubleshoot tricky shots, and celebrate breakthroughs. That peer-to-peer environment accelerates learning far beyond what any solo golfer can achieve. When you join, you’ll gain access to:
Weekly Webinars: Q&A on advanced topics like gear effect, shot shaping, and optimizing spin loft.
Video Swing Library: Hundreds of annotated swing clips across all skill levels.
Monthly Masterclasses: Deep dives into specific topics—like low-point control or torque sequencing.
Check out our About page so you can understand the science-driven philosophy that underpins every drill and cue we use.
8. Advanced Applications: Spin Loft & Gear Effect
Beyond face and path, two other scientific factors deserve your attention:
Spin Loft: The 3D angle between your face and path affects backspin and curvature. Low spin loft (e.g., significant shaft lean on irons) can amplify curvature for a given face-to-path. Use my Spin-Loft Awareness Drill (half-swings with impact tape) to help you “feel” optimal loft at impact.
Gear Effect: On off-center hits, the club face and the center of mass shift dynamically, altering spin axis. You can learn to understand gear effect by using impact spray on the face and reviewing footage to see how strike position changes curvature.
These advanced topics are covered in our blog archive, where I regularly post case studies and drill breakdowns. Whenever you're ready for a new concept, you'll find detailed write-ups on tsbgolf.com for further reading.
9. Your Science-Driven Learning Path
To get the most out of these principles, I recommend following a structured learning path. Here’s a suggested outline for your journey:
Module 1: Understanding the D-Plane & Face-Angle Rule
Module 2: Diagnosing Common Flight Patterns
Module 3: Your Drill Toolbox for Face & Path Correction
Module 4: Advanced Spin Loft & Gear Effect Mastery
Module 5: Personal Performance Tracking & Data Logging
Each module corresponds to a page in my community portal at The Science of Better Golf. I encourage you to customize the order based on your needs and share what's working for you in the community and that is a great way to reach out to me in a live coaching session.
10. Case Study: From Guesswork to Precision
A new student came to me frustrated by a slice. He’d mentally blame his hands or his hips, but video showed his hips were not the cause and the improper order for diagnosing a golf shot (always start with the ball flight back to the club face and impact before ever getting to the body) and launch monitor data revealed a 6° positive Face-to-Path—an out-to-in path with a slightly open face. We used the Tunnel-Gate Drill and Mirror-Face Drill and his spin-axis tilt dropped from +12° to -2°, transforming his slice into a a baby draw. That story—and ten others—live in my Community Success Stories, demonstrating how these physics-based principles translate into real yardage gains and lower scores for golfers of all levels.
11. Bringing It All Together: Your Action Plan
Study Your Ball Flight: Spend your next range session only watching start lines and curvature. Don’t worry about your swing—just observe.
Diagnose Your Shots: Apply the four-step diagnostic to every shot, even on the course.
Use Targeted Drills: Use the drills in our Practice Guide to correct your face or path first.
Use Community Feedback: Upload your own swing to tsbgolf.com/community and get peer and coach review.
Track Your Progress: Log your start lines, curvature, and your own feedback in a simple spreadsheet—everything we do at Science of Better Golf is data-driven.
By following this plan, you’ll not only elevate your own understanding but also give yourself clarity, confidence, and measurable results.
Conclusion
Becoming your own Trackman starts with seeing your ball flight for what it truly is: a window into impact. When you understand that start direction = face angle and curvature = face-to-path, you gain a diagnostic superpower. Couple that with targeted drills from the Science of Better Golf Practice Guide, active involvement in the Science of Better Golf community, and a personal learning path built on these physics principles, and you’ll transform guesswork into guaranteed progress.
Head over to tsbgolf.com now to join my community, dive into video lessons, and start applying these concepts to your game today. Together, we’ll push the boundaries of your game and deliver the kind of scientific, measurable improvement that sets your game apart.
Your journey to becoming the ultimate ball-flight detective starts now. Begin your journey to much better golf, no guessing, just facts.
