[Mike O]

The essence of my comment was – Does the golf ball ride along with the clubhead during impact or does it jump right off before it has a chance to ride along with the clubhead? And correspondingly, why exactly does the clubface need to be set more and more open for Horizontal Hinging with longer shots? To answer the first question - TGM assumes that the ball jumps right off before riding on the clubhead.

Let’s start with taking as a fact that the golf ball leaves at right angles to the clubface- as Homer saw it- because the return flow was so quick. So again, the ball ALWAYS leaves at right angles to the clubface.

SO in the Golfing Machine that initial target line (initial direction of the ball before venturi effect could take place to curve the ball), say the first 6 inches of flight- would always be in the same direction as the clubface was pointing at separation. Assuming a straight shot – the clubface would always be pointing at the flagstick at separation.

Now, contrary to that thought, if the ball would actually stay on the clubhead/face while the clubhead traveled down and out- then- it to would be moving down and out, which would influence the initital direction of the ball’s flight. Although, it could still leave at right angles to the clubface- while also moving down and out, causing a ball flight that A) still left at right angles in relation to the clubface but B) as viewed from above would start off somewhere between the clubface direction and the clubhead direction. To further clarify that concept it might be simplest to use an example:

“Throwing a ball off a train”

If you always threw a ball off the train at right angles to the motion of the train-
If the train was not moving the ball flight would be at right angles to the train, but the faster the train is moving – the more the ball travels off in the direction of the motion of the train- even when throwing the ball at right angles off the train. The amount of force you use to throw the ball off the train at right angles also influences how much of an angle the ball actually flies on in relation to the train/track.

The golf swing may work in the same way- the clubhead is the train- if the ball travels on the train for a short period- anotherwords if the clubhead is still moving down and out, then the ball would also be moving down and out at that same speed- that is the force vector to the right. Now, the ball leaves the clubface at right angles- but since it is also traveling on the train i.e. clubhead- the resultant flight of the ball would be in between the direction of the face and the direction of the ball moving on the train- clubhead path. The actual path would be determined by the speed (and path) of the train (clubhead) and the speed and direction of the ball being thrown from the train (clubface).

So my question was this- If you need to open the clubface for horizontal hinging and the longer the shot, the more you open it, then to be consistent in the TGM world – you would be opening the face to the degree that you are compressing the ball- i.e. more compression would result in a longer length from the intitial compression to full compression and separation, but the ball would not ride along the clubhead path for any period. There would not be a time where the ball rides on the clubhead for ¾ of an inch. Because if it did ride on the clubhead for ¾ of an inch- down and out with the clubhead- then while the ball would leave 90 degrees in relation to the face- it would also leave somewhere between where the clubface is looking and where the clubhead path is heading- based on 1) quality of compression 2) clubhead path direction 3) clubface direction 4) clubhead force.

I was recently playing with a executive of the Titleist company in San Diego and asked him if the ball stayed on the clubhead/face and traveled with it or did it just jump right off before anymovement- and his answer was the same as Homer’s- jumped right off.

In summary, Homer at times said that the ball stayed on the clubhead/face for ¾ of an inch but always thought that the ball’s initial direction was where the clubface was pointing- which was a contradiction in my mind- if the ¾” was travel, but if the ¾” is compression- with no ball travel- then everything would be consistent. The only solution is that since the ball is a little wider than 1.5” that the ¾ of an inch is compression and not travel.

Not sure you or anyone else was interested in this- so I’ll apologize in advance if this post rambles. I think I answered my own question- and clarified the hinging issue- as Lagster alludes to- that with a putter and very little compression- the face would not be as open as with a Drive and more compression i.e. more face closing from impact to full compression.