What is Face to Target?
Face to target is the direction of your clubface at impact relative to your target line. This is what dictates the shot direction. If your face is square to the target, the ball starts straight. If it’s open or closed… things get interesting.
Why Face Angle Matters
Face angle is the single biggest factor in where your ball starts. In fact, it controls the majority of initial direction.
Most players think swing path controls direction, when actually it doesn't - its the club face.
- Face square → straight start
- Face open → ball starts right / Push
- Face closed → ball starts left / Pull
It’s that direct. It's how you deliver club face to the ball.
Everyone has a different swing and shapes the ball differently, but there should be a relationship between your club path and face angle and learning to feel this will provide more consistency.
How to Improve Face Control
Learning to control the club face is one of the most important skills in golf. If you learn how to deliver a straight face at impact, you'll lower your scores dramatically. Here's a few things to try:
- Focus on impact position
- Improve grip and wrist control
- Train with slow, controlled swings
Here's an example of the type of analysis HackMotion can provide (this is my real swing data from a few months ago). We all know it's so easy to slip back into old habits, that's what's great about HackMotion - it keeps you honest and keeps you on track.
Consistency comes from face awareness.
How Golf Tech Helps
The club face is controlled by the wrists, and it's something a lot of amateurs get wrong. This is where golf technology comes into its own. The HackMotion golf swing analyser will shine a light on your swing and help identify issues with your wrist positions at each stage with real time audio and vibration feedback. HackMotion is available as:
- Core - This is best for amateurs who are focused on improving club face control and consistency in the full swing.
- Plus - For those who want full swing and putting analysis.
- Pro - Adds an even higher level of data, metrics, and allows for multiple profiles making it perfect for coaches or elite players.
HackMotion is a great training aid for improving clubface control, but it won't tell you your face angle at impact. That's what launch monitors do, and Face Angle (or Face to Target) is an advanced club metric which is available from these:
- Garmin Approach R10
- Garmin Approach R50
- FlightScope Mevo Gen2 (with Pro Package upgrade)
- FlightScope X3C
- Full Swing KIT
- TrackMan iO
- TrackMan 4
- Square Golf
So you can match feel vs reality instantly.
Summary
Control the face and you control your start direction — which means you control your golf. Clubface Angle is often referred to as Face to Target, and it's the angle of your clubface at impact relative to the target line. Leave it open and the ball starts right (Push), Close it off and the ball starts left (Pull) - getting it right is a skill, and learning to control it will make you a more consistent player.
Use Golf Tech. Understand Your Swing. Play Better Golf.
