Defeat the Double-Cross

Titleist Instruction Video Tips Our Instructors

From Michael Breed On January 04, 2023

Golf is a game of misses. Most misses are minor and leave you with playable results. They can be annoying, disappointing, but have little effect on your scores and psyche. Sometimes misses are more... egregious and do hurt your scores and your pride – like topped shots or extreme chunks. But is there any miss that can ruin an entire round and unravel your confidence more thoroughly than a double-cross? After all, what can be more deflating than planning a shot, visualizing it to do X, Y, Z only to watch helplessly as the ball does the exact opposite of what you intended?

In this video, Titleist staff member Michael Breed provides some insight into the double-cross – the technical aspects as well as the over-eager mindset that can cause it. Watch as Michael walks us through a tee shot with his TSR driver. His plan is to hit a gentle left-to-right fade only to watch his ball snap hook violently right-to-left. The reason? As Michael explains, most double-crosses result when you forget to pay sufficient attention to your clubface.

For a fade, the heel of the driver must beat the toe to the ball. If the toe outraces the heel, the clubface is looking left and the ball is hooking. To ensure that the toe lags behind slightly, Michael offers two simple thoughts, one related to grip and the other related to how you move the club in the takeaway. Try them both out, but when you need to work the ball one way or the other, always think deliberately about the face of the club as it moves through impact. You may overdo a fade or a draw, but that's always preferable to a double-cross.

Golf is a game of misses. Most misses are minor and leave you with playable results. ... They can be annoying, disappointing, but have little effect on your scores and psyche. Sometimes misses are more egregious and do hurt your scores and your pride – like topped shots or extreme chunks. But is there any miss that can ruin an entire round and unravel your confidence more thoroughly than a double-cross? After all, what can be more deflating than planning a shot, visualizing it to do X, Y, Z only to watch helplessly as the ball does the exact opposite of what you intended?

In this video, Titleist staff member Michael Breed provides some insight into the double-cross – the technical aspects as well as the over-eager mindset that can cause it. Watch as Michael walks us through a tee shot with his TSR driver. His plan is to hit a gentle left-to-right fade only to watch his ball snap hook violently right-to-left. The reason? As Michael explains, most double-crosses result when you forget to pay sufficient attention to your clubface.

For a fade, the heel of the driver must beat the toe to the ball. If the toe outraces the heel, the clubface is looking left and the ball is hooking. To ensure that the toe lags behind slightly, Michael offers two simple thoughts, one related to grip and the other related to how you move the club in the takeaway. Try them both out, but when you need to work the ball one way or the other, always think deliberately about the face of the club as it moves through impact. You may overdo a fade or a draw, but that's always preferable to a double-cross.