How to Hit Straighter Drives by Lining Up Your Shaft at Impact In this live lesson, the golfer had been missing the ball left, even though their club path and attack angle were perfect. The problem? The club face was closing too soon, in this case as much as 15–16 degrees. What frustrated the golfer most was that the swing itself was great—the ball was only going left because of the face closing early. As a coach, it’s important to figure out why the face is closing. Sometimes it’s the grip, too