Inside aft quadrant of the ball. How much inside?
 

I know the clubface is open 3 degrees at impact, but if a swinger is to get to that point through rotation and CF, then should a swinger be aiming at a point on the ball that is 45 degrees open?

For example, if the ball is a clock, and 12 is directly opposite the golfer and 6 is pointing toward the golfer, then at impact the hour hand is slightly past 3 o'clock. But should one be aiming at the 4:30 point on the ball, which is the direct inside aft quadrant? Is this making sense?

Specifically, I am addressing the circular part of the endless belt after the linear portion.

I've been aiming at the impact point, 3 degrees open, which is barely the inside aft qudrant. I hit strong pulls and hooks.

I am probably contending with a bent or curved plane line, but I am verifying that the above scenario is hooey.

Thanks

Too much generalisation is involved in "the inside aft quadrant" mantra, which covers 1/4 of circumference of the ball.

Taking your clock example, you should be hitting the ball at 17 or 18 minutes past three only, and no later.

I know that the Machine is all about precision, but to me if you just know you should be hitting "the inside-aft quadrant" that's all you need. As long as you're not trying to hit the ball of the ball and know what you should be doing, it'll be fine.

It seems that for a straight shot, the longer the ball on the clubface, the farther the "inside-aft quadrant" at impact.

With passive enough arms and wrists through imapct, the CF on the sweetspot should take care everything, i.e. the clubhead movement, including the path, speed, the clubface rotation, etc..

I remember this discussion on another forum. Here are some of the answers from my cut and paste action.

Per Joe Daniels, inside aft quadrant should be one dimple inside the center of the golf ball. About 3:05

Manzella: 3:45

Burner: If 3 = 15 minutes past the hour, then hit the ball between 15 and 17 minutes past.

Which leads me to this question of Burner:
Are you referring to a clock face like a stop watch indicating one full MINUTE? I can see what you mean by 15-17 minutes after the HOUR. Or do you mean 3:15 on a conventional watch? There are two different locations.

To me, the inside quad is different with ball location and stroke.

I’m not a big fan of the clock face- I think it borders on stoppage. I just like to think of the hinge action of the stroke and the geometric angles it has on the ball.
But in the watch face mode - angled hinge action I’m trying to drive 4 o’clock into 10 o’clock and with Horizontal- 4 o’clock into 9 o’clock.

now that is useful image!...thanks 6b!

-hcw

ps-should we add "down" as in "4 o’clock down into 10 o’clock"?

Very useful indeed.

Sorry for a little threadjacking here:
I've used this image of driving through the ball from 4 to 10 before.
And because of this image I've had an aiming point outside the targetline with short irons and wedges. Is that common?

The aiming point should lie on the plane line - which is more often than not also your target line. Remember, you want to direct your thrust on-plane, and you can't do that if you aren't aiming at the base line of the plane.

Guess I wasn't too clear, huh?


3 is the rear of the ball and 9 is the front as it faces the target.

6 is the nearest point of the ball to the player and 12 the furthest point away from him.

If the 3, 6, 9 & 12 were points on a clockface then impact should (IMO) be no more than two minute marks past the figure 3 as the minute hand moves down towards the figure 6.

This would be around the "one dimple inside the center" that Joe Daniels speaks of.

This should vary slightly, based on the plane angle/club. A croquet mallet would hit 3. Any lesser plane angle (below verticle) would be a movement to the inside, towards 4.