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Zero path, zero face
The arc template rebuilt around the D plane.
Zero path, zero face
The goal
One clear goal in putting is to start the ball on the intended line, with a centred strike, a slightly positive attack angle, and a dynamic loft less than the attack angle to create top spin. A simple idea in principle. In practice there are a few layers of complexity to perfecting it.
The face angle has 87% dominance and is the main contributor to start direction. The path is only 13%, but it is also relevant.
Face-to-path ratio for the putter: TrackMan University.
The D plane
The terms defined
| Term | TrackMan definition |
|---|---|
| Swing plane | “The vertical angle between the plane created by the club head’s geometric center movement and the horizon.” |
| Swing direction | “The angle between the base of the plane created by the club head’s geometric center movement and the target line.” |
| Attack angle | “The up or down movement of the club head’s geometric center at the time of impact.” |
| Club path | “The in-to-out or out-to-in movement of the club head’s geometric center at the time of impact.” |
| Dynamic loft | “The vertical angle of the club face at the center-point of contact between the club and ball.” |
| Spin loft | “The angle between the direction of the club head’s movement and the club face’s orientation.” |
Attack angle & path
Path and swing direction
There are only two instances where club path and swing direction are the same.
1. When the attack angle is zero, so the ball is struck at the bottom of the arc. A zero attack angle is not considered optimal in putting.
2. If the swing plane is vertical, at 90°. In golf the putter cannot be: 80° is the steepest lie conforming with the R&A rules.
It is common knowledge in professional golf that the attack angle affects the path, and that with a driver on a 45° swing plane every 1° of positive attack angle puts the path 1° left of the swing direction. In putting it seems to be disregarded, because the face angle is 87% dominant.
How much 1° of attack angle changes the path
By swing plane
45°swing plane
1.00°
Driver
60°swing plane
0.58°
70°swing plane
0.36°
Putter
75°swing plane
0.27°
80°swing plane
0.18°
Steepest conforming lie
90°swing plane
0.00°
Vertical — not permitted
Below, the centre of gravity of a putter head travelling on a 70° plane. Switch the plane and it can be seen for itself: at 90° the attack angle has no effect on the path at all, and at 45° the ratio is one to one.
Attack angle and path · 70° swing plane
Rising
Attack angle
+2.8°
Swing direction
0.0°
Path
1.02° L
Per 1° of AoA
0.36°
AoA
Tilt
Choose swing plane
60 cm stroke either side · 5 m arc radius. Path angle drawn ×7 so the swing is visible; figures are the true ones.
Definitions: TrackMan Parameters.
The correction
Path
−Swing direction
=AoA ÷ tan(plane)
The evidence
Tour average attack angle
SAM PuttLab measured 99 of the world’s best players and found the attack angle averages 2.8° positive. The preferred parameter is 2° to 4° positive.
So the best players are not striking the ball at the bottom of the arc, at the low point. They strike it on the way up, by design — and on a 70° plane that puts the path 1° left of the swing direction.
The tour average · 70° swing plane
Rising
Attack angle
+2.8°
Swing plane
70°
Swing direction
0.0°
Path
1.02° L
5 m arc radius. Path angle drawn ×7 so a degree is visible; the figures are the true ones.
Line error & capture loss
Path influence on start line
Many coaches almost disregard the path, and with reason: the face has close to seven times the influence on start line. A degree of face is 1.82 inches offline at ten feet; a degree of path is 0.27 inches offline at the same distance.
Path influence on start line is small. But it is not zero. The chart below works out what that degree of path actually does — how far offline the ball starts, and as a consequence how much it reduces the hole’s capture size.
33%
of the hole’s capture, lost as the result of a one degree path error
on a twenty foot putt, rolling a foot past.
1° path left → 0.13° of launch direction
How far offline
5ft
0.14in
0.35 cm offline
10ft
0.27in
0.69 cm offline
20ft
0.54in
1.38 cm offline
30ft
0.82in
2.07 cm offline
Die at hole — capture lost
6%
13%
26%
38%
1 ft past — capture lost
8%
17%
33%
50%
2 ft past — capture lost
10%
20%
41%
61%
Capture lost on a 20 ft putt
Face 0° square to target
Path 1° left
Face 87% · path 13% of start line
Launch direction 0.13° left of target
Side 0.54 in left of centre at 20 ft
Effective holeas a %
100%
Widthin inches
4.25in
Capture lostto speed
0%
Capture lostto 1° path
26%
Effective holeas a %
77%
Widthin inches
3.27in
Capture lostto speed
23%
Capture lostto 1° path
33%
Effective holeas a %
63%
Widthin inches
2.68in
Capture lostto speed
37%
Capture lostto 1° path
41%
Lost to speed
Capture
Lost to 1° of path error
TrackMan · 100% at 0.01 mph, 74% at 1.68 mph, 37% at 3.15 mph · applied to the 4.25 in hole
Small but not insignificant. A degree of path error is a fraction of what a degree of face error does, but it grows with distance, and with firm speed.
Understanding how the angle of attack moves the path can help us find zero, zero.
Swing direction 1° right + attack angle 2.8° up =
path zero, face zero
On a 70° swing plane
The rebuild
How to create zero, zero
To achieve zero, zero with a 2.8°+ angle of attack on a 70° swing plane requires moving the swing direction 1° right. This is how the template should look to create zero, zero: the path arc stays symmetrical and square at the ball, and the swing direction is the lime SD line, touching the arc at the low point.
The face is square to the target at impact and square to the arc at every station, so the rotation stays symmetrical either side of impact. What has moved is the swing direction: the plane is aimed one degree right. At the low point, about 68 mm behind the ball, the attack angle is zero and the path equals the swing direction, one degree right. By the time the putter reaches the ball it is 2.8° up and the path has turned back to zero.
That is why it feels like a draw. Measured from the bottom of the stroke, the putter travels in-to-out on a plane aimed right of the target: more arc going back, less going through. The face is square to the target, which makes it a degree closed to that swing direction. In a Golf Pass video, Martin Hall describes a conversation he had with Tiger Woods.
Tiger likes the feeling of drawing his putts
Did one of the best players of all time work out the geometry of zero, zero? A draw feel is a swing direction aimed right of the target, with the face closed to it — which is exactly what the SD line on the LSR zero zero template shows. The path still arrives at zero and the face at zero. It feels like a draw; the ball starts straight.
Zero path. Zero face.
Book a session →
Common questions
Questions answered
Is one degree of path worth chasing?
On its own, a one degree path error will not make you miss a short putt. It is only 0.27 inches offline at ten feet, against 1.82 inches for a degree of face error. The reason to chase zero, zero is to be precise and to give accurate information — and from mid range it is taking 26% of the hole’s capture size at twenty feet and 39% at thirty.
What if my attack angle is not 2.8°?
Then the number changes with it. The correction is the attack angle multiplied by 0.36 on a 70° plane, so 2.0° up needs about 0.7° of swing direction and 4.0° up needs about 1.4°. The tour average is 2.8°, which is why the template is cut for it. The long term answer is a custom template, cut to each player’s own attack angle and swing plane.
Will the face feel closed?
No. It is square to the target at address and at impact, and square to the arc throughout. It is the swing direction that is aimed one degree right — the lime SD line. That is where the draw feel comes from, the feel Tiger Woods describes on his putts, while the path still arrives at zero.
Do I need a different putter or lie angle?
No. The lie angle sets the plane, and the plane is the smaller variable here. Nothing on this page asks for new equipment — it asks for a template cut to the stroke you already make.
How do I find my own attack angle?
It has to be measured, not guessed. A SAM PuttLab session gives the attack angle, the path, the face and the impact spot from the same ten putts, which is everything this page needs before a board gets cut.
Next
Measure it first
The template is cut to a number. Get the number before the board.
Zero path. Zero face. By design.
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Why Tiger Draws His Putts
