[annikan skywalker]

Once I fully accepted that the ball will almost always take off at a right angle to the loft of the club, my shotmaking became much more proficient. If you don't understand what a "right angle to the loft of the club" means, this clubfitting aid will give you an idea of the path the ball will take at 90 degrees to the loft of the club: http://www.golfworks.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_MLAT.

I can now "thread the needle" between two trees (I play a heavily wooded track), curve the ball either way at will, and have become much better at controlling the starting direction and amount of curvature on my curve balls.

I now focus on using my clubface for starting direction and using clubhead path (rotated plane lines) to control curvature. For years I got terrible results doing just the opposite (trying to control starting direction with path and curvature with face). So, now, if I want to hit a 10 yard draw with a driver, I'll aim the clubface and my body at the right edge of the fairway. Then, I'll adjust my body lines a couple of degrees further to the right, in effect, closing my plane line slightly. The ball will take off where the clubhead is aiming at impact, and, due to the slight oblique impact, the ball will curve gently to the left.

No more left-to-lefts and no more right-to-rights for me.

Vjcapron....

Very nice post...good players curve the ball with rotated plane lines...hackers curve it with clubface manipulation...

The curvature of the ball is obviously a combination of a few more facors than just face and path....but for the average junkie..that's enough...what other factors might be involved....

1.) Ball Speed
2.) Launch Angle
3.) Vertical Spin Rate/Horizontal Spin Rate
4.) Drag
5.) Gravity
6.) Clubface Motion/Hinge Action
7.) Loft
8.) Lie/Plane Angle
9.) Moment of Inertia of the Head
10.) Torque
11.) Shaft Flex
12.) Overall Weight
13.) Bend Point
14.) Dimple Configuration
15.) Vertical, Horizontal, and Longitudinal Center of Gravity of the Clubhead...
16.) Angle/Arc of Approach
17.) Angle/Arc of Attack
18.) Ball location
This is probably just the tip of the iceberg....but at least it's a start......