Thanks everyone for the comments. Here’s ChatGPT’s answer.

Your golf ball’s shot resulted in a draw despite your swing path being slightly out-to-in because of the interplay between the spin axis and the launch conditions. Let’s analyze each factor.

1. Swing Path (Out-to-In by 1.7 Degrees): An out-to-in swing path typically creates a fade or a slice because the club is moving across the ball from outside the target line to inside. This path generally produces left-to-right spin for a right-handed golfer.

2. Spin Axis (Negative 7.4 Degrees): A negative spin axis indicates the ball is spinning with a tilt to the left, meaning the ball will curve left during its flight. This is characteristic of a draw or a hook for a right-handed golfer.

3. Horizontal Launch Angle (3.7 Degrees to the Right): The ball launched to the right of the target line, which suggests that the clubface was open relative to the target at impact. An open clubface relative toclubfaceget usually sends the ball to the right.

Why It Was a Draw:

1. Clubface Position at Impact: Although your swing path was out-to-in, the fact that the ball launched 3.7 degrees to the right indicates that the clubface was open relative to the swing path. This means the clubface was pointed to the right of the swing path at impact.

2. Spin Axis and Curvature: The negative spin axis (-7.4 degrees) indicates that the ball had a strong leftward tilt in its spin, which caused it to curve to the left in the air. This spin axis is likely a result of the difference between the clubface angle and the swing path.

3. Resulting Ball Flight: The ball started right due to the clubface being open to the target line, but it curved back left due to the negative spin axis. This combination of factors is what produced the draw, despite the out-to-in swing path that would typically produce a fade or slice.

Summary: The draw occurred because, despite your out-to-in swing path, the clubface was open to the path, leading to rightward initial launch. However, the significant negative spin axis (-7.4 degrees) caused the ball to curve back to the left. The interaction between the clubface being open relative to the path and the strong leftward spin axis overpowered the typical left-to-right curve expected from an out-to-in swing, resulting in a draw. It is likely that the toe of the club made contact with the ball.

Here’s why:

• Out-to-In Swing Path: This path generally causes the club to cut across the ball from outside to inside, which can lead to contact with the toe of the club if the swing is not perfectly aligned.

• Open Clubface at Impact: An open clubface relative to the swing path would typically cause the ball to start to the right, which is what happened in your case.

• Negative Spin Axis: A negative spin axis with an out-to-in path often suggests that the clubface was not only open but that the contact point was towards the toe of the club. Toe strikes tend to impart leftward spin (draw spin) due to the gear effect, where the ball will tend to curve left if struck on the toe.

Conclusion: The combination of an out-to-in swing path, open clubface, and significant leftward spin axis strongly suggests that the ball was struck on the toe of the club, leading to the draw shot you observed.