and the reason the ball pulls first and tilts or slices second i becaue the pull is from club path and the ball explodedes off the face in a ballistical trajectory in the direction of the swing path and once all that umph runs out then the aerodynamics of a ball (dimples) takes over and the ball travels the way of the spin. that is why slices usually end up going higher and when they go right becaue they still have some back spin on it. the club path deterimnes the trajectory the ball will start off, and the club face angle at impact dictates how much of a side spin conpentent wil be on the ball and where it will go after all the ballistical energy runs out..

the ball only does what it is told, it doesn't know which way it is facing. so becaue of he magnus effect the ball will go in the direction opposite the spin. if the ball has back spin stright at 6 and 12 it will go strait and rise but if the ball has backspin at 1 and 7 we consider that side spin, but, you are right, it is really backspin with a sideways component on it..... it is jus that that backspin is tilted and makes the ball go that direction. the move servere you ball slices the less it will rise. so if you slice so bad that the ball goes about 50 yds then takes what looks like a 90 deg turn....that would be considered sidespin more than back spin if the ball is rotating at 3 and 9 (which i have done before.) but anything under that would be foward spin and is pretty much inpossible.


i have been to an driving range with old smooth balls (dimples worn away) and hit them.... the ball does some wierd things like a knuckle ball, its kinda cool..... but after about 200yds (when all the balistical energy is gone) the ball just drops dead fast.