Welcome to Play Smart, a regular ... on your swing and give you an idea of what to work on. But even without the benefit of technology, you can learn a lot about your club path and strike pattern ...

If you just rise up without that friction, you'll likely alter your swing path and mis-hit the ball. The intent here is not to geek out on golf-swing ... the ground as his club meets the ball.

Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf. The direction your ball travels is contingent on two factors: club path and face angle.