Are You Losing Yardage? Dr. Paul Wood Reveals Surprising Data on Curving vs. Straight Drives

Happy Monday,

This week we have a chat with a golf researcher who has been a dream guest of mine since I set up the podcast. We also have some simple tips and practical ideas to help you shoot lower scores.

Enjoy.

This Week

Why Draws COST You Distance: Yes, this statement will start a lot of arguments, but this week, Dr Paul Wood (VP of Engineering at Ping) presented the data.

Weekly Skills Game: Want to improve your ability to start putts on line?

Tip of the Week: A quick, actionable advice to apply to your game.

Quick Video: The best 5-minute weekly task to lower your handicap.

Enjoy.

Are You Losing Yardage? Dr. Paul Wood Reveals Surprising Data on Curving vs. Straight Drives

Dr. Paul Wood from Ping lifts the lid on what truly happens during impact—both off the tee and around the greens.

Dive into this unique conversation to see how data can transform the way you practice and play.

📢 Listen to the Full Episode:
🎧 YouTube: Watch here
🎧 Apple Podcasts: Listen here
🎧 Spotify: Listen here

🏌️‍♂️ Rapid-Fire Takeaways:

 ✅ Straight vs. Curved: Large curves can cost up to 20+ yards off the tee—tiny draws/fades or straight shots are far more efficient.

 ✅ No One-Size-Fits-All: Some elite players thrive with a baby fade, others go nearly dead straight— balance this data with what feels repeatable for your swing.

✅ Wedge Bounce Magic: Even tour pros often catch the ground slightly before the ball, causing the club to “bounce” into a positive angle of attack. Timing and clean contact are key to consistent spin.

✅ Data Trumps Guesswork: From club path to ball flight, measuring performance (launch monitors, shot trackers, etc.) helps pinpoint real gains, not just “feel.”

⛳️ A Challenge for Your practice sessions

🔹 Test Your Shot Shape: Hit 5 shaped shots and 5 ‘straighter’ shots with a launch monitor. Track distance gained or lost. Evaluate which shape truly suits your swing best.

🔹 Refine Your Wedge Contact: Place your phone camera 2-feet away from your golf ball on slow-mo mode. Hit 5 chips and 5 pitch shots and see where you strike the ground and how consistent this is.

Break X Golf – Weekly Skills Game

This week’s challenge is more advanced and works on your putting start-line. This is a great challenge for golfers under a 10-handicap. For golfers 10+ try this game at 4-feet and see how high you can score.

For personalised practice plans and over 140 skills games, check out Break X Golf.

Break X Golf is a sister project to Golf Insider and was co-founded by Will Shaw.

You can check it out here.

The Best 5 Minute Weekly Task To Lower Your Handicap

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Happy golfing – The Golf Insider Team

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