What Exactly Is Gear Effect?

ear effect in golf refers to the tendency of a golf ball's flight path to be influenced by the location of the impact on the clubface. When a golf ball is struck off-centre on the clubface, the clubhead will twist.  As the ball is connected to the club at this moment of impact, a twisting force is imparted on the ball. This twisting force causes the ball to spin in a direction opposite to the location of the off-centre hit.  

For example, if a right-handed golfer strikes the ball toward the heel (inside) of the clubface, the club head will actually twist and close.  As the ball is connected to the clubface at that moment, gear effect will mean the closing club face will impart clockwise spin on the ball.   For the right hander, this clockwise spin results in a left to right ball flight. Conversely, if the ball is struck toward the toe (outside) of the clubface, it will tend to spin counter clockwise and curve to the left.

Understanding gear effect is crucial for golfers because it can affect shot accuracy and distance. Although club manufacturers design clubs with features to minimize the impact of gear effect, such as redistributing weight in the clubhead to increase forgiveness, gear effect is present in every shot, from putter to driver.  A putt struck in the heel will cause the face to twist, as it does in a driver.  The faster the clubhead is moving, the greater the influence of the gear effect.

Trackman highlights the influence of gear effect which is why sometimes the perfect numbers may not produce a perfect golf shot if the shot is struck off centre.  Pay close attention to your club face strike as it could be the reason why you get a particular ball flight.   For information on how to improve those off centre strikes – see our PGA professionals!

‍