How to make sure your swing simulator isn’t lying to you

C’mon, we know you’ve thought it. Those swings on the simulator, or into the net in the backyard, they look good. Really good. Perhaps, even too good.

But in the midst of the offseason, when the days at the range are but a distant dream, our eyes (even when aided with super-advanced swing tracking technology) can lie to us. Luckily for you, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Joe Plecker is here to save the day.

In this week’s edition of Drill Skills, Plecker shows you how to know for sure if those sweet swings into the screen are going to turn into dead-center darts out on the real course.

The key, Plecker says, is actually pretty low-tech: read your rebounds by paying attention to the spin of your ball. If a golf ball is struck correctly, it’ll spin level around the center axis of the ball (end over end). If it’s struck incorrectly?

“The spin axis would tilt like the wings of a plane, and the ball would curve off-line,” Plecker says.

Once you’ve noticed your spin, Plecker says to pay attention to how your ball reacts after it’s contacted the screen (or the netting). If your ball comes directly back to you, it’s likely your spin axis is level and your ball flight is true.

If it bounces behind you or far in front of you, your spin axis is off, and with it your ability to hit clean, straight shots. Perhaps it’s time to consider a grip or swing change to straighten things out before spring.

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