How Important is Shaping Shots?

**James_Black** · March 19, 2010

My regular shot is a slight draw.
I was wondering would it help my game if I can shape shots?
Or will it just cost me more shots than it's worth?

**clubchamp** · March 19, 2010

It's certainly helpful when the situation presents itself but I don't think it's a must to be a great golfer. I don't shape a lot of shots unless I have too. My thought is to always hit the shot I have the most confidence in so for me that's a draw. My overall opinion is in the spectrum of abilities needed to be a good golfer shot shaping is toward the bottom.

**chriskzoo** · March 20, 2010

Hardly at all - what's most important is knowing what YOUR shot does. Sure, being able to draw/fade the ball on demand is helpful maybe 1 or 2 shots a round, but for the most part as long as you know where your shot goes, you'll be fine.

**weavej2** · March 20, 2010

I think it is pretty important, it isnt that you will need it all the time but when you need it it is nice to know you can produce. If the wind is blowing, you can use it to your benefit. A shot into a tucked green it comes in handy.

**Tiger Spuds** · March 20, 2010

It's all relative isn't it?Nice to be able to hit an occasional high draw and bring it down soft onto a green, or shape it around a dogleg off the tee.But generally you can find a spot on any fairway with a nice straight teeshot anyway.So yeah, I'd say the ability to shape your shots may leave you closer to the hole on certain approaches but the difference would be marginal.

**CarlSpackler** · March 20, 2010

If you CAN control it, it is definitely an asset. I was blocked out by trees yesterday afternoon after missing the fw right. I hit a huge 6i slice out towards the hazard left of the fairway an stuck it to 6'. I wouldn't have tried that shot if I wasn't out horsing around, but maybe I will now. IMO, knowing/controlling your distance is more important though.

**Rexx** · March 20, 2010

There was a similar discussion a couple months ago. Some were in favor of learning to shape shots, some said it isn't a necessary skill unless you're fairly advanced. Personally, I don't bother shaping my shot. My normal shot is straight or a slight draw. I have a hard enough time pulling that off from one shot to the next. It's just so rare where I say, "If I could just cut this ball 5 yards against the wind with my 7 iron from 155, I can really put it close." Usually, my target is between the flag and the center of the green leaving a 10-20 foot putt, which can be achieved with my normal shot in almost all cases.

Not sure it matters, but there are PGA Tour players that basically only play one type of shot (Kenny Perry, Bruce Lietzke), but for the rest, they are trying shape it in some way for every shot.

**kevin.chan** · March 20, 2010

Are hitting high or low trajectory part of shot shaping ?

RC · March 20, 2010

Clearly hitting high or low, as the situation may require, is a shot shaping skill and very valuable. On being able to hit draws and slices, I think if you can handle wind and still play your normal shot shape then you are probably playing well. For example, if you are a slicer, and have a strong wind on your back, and if you can still hit a hard driver and not have the shot get away from you to the right too much, then you must be making solid contact. I play a draw, but if the wind is on my back, I try to hit it straight and let it drift with the wind rather than fight the wind. I think being able to hit that kind of shot shape is very important. Obviously guys like Kenny Perry play one predominant shot shape so anyone can play well if they really know their shot shape and can depend on it. I see a lot of missed shots in wind when otherwise good players try to overcome the wind and, for example, try to hit fades in a hard right to left wind. A straight shot that moves a little with wind would normally be better in my opinion. I always remember a fine old teacher who said, "You don't have to attack every pin, someimes it is better to putt from the middle of the greeen."

Clearly forced or escape shots where you must hit a draw or fade are important if you want to play single digit golf -- but those are more specialized cases.

**WUTiger** · March 20, 2010

...I was wondering would it help my game if I can shape shots?

Depends on your goals, and how you play the game. You have a 14 HDCP.

So, will you be able to work on your game in the upcoming season? Most players can work a basic draw and fade if they practice it. Others tend to pick one or the other, to take away "half the course." Do you want to do it throughout your game? I can get extra run on a chip by toeing it in a little, or extra stop on a half-wedge by opening it up a little. As for full shots, I'm trying to keep them straight so I can get the basic "feel" of my rebuilt swing. You can also divide it into defensive working, trying to escape or avoid trouble, and offensive working, trying to hit a 5-iron cut shot into a sucker pin stuck in the narrow node of a green. I'm not going to worry about offensive working until I start scoring in the 80s regularly. If I remember right, Tiger has nine trajectories-shapes he works on. But, he has more time to work on his game than we do. In Ireland, a low-trajectory shot might help (you may already have one).

**Gibby** · March 20, 2010

I think if you are reasonably serious about golf, you need to be able to shape shots. It's similar with all sorts of "specialized" shots, like a flop shot or bunker shot. How often will you need to hit a fade or draw around a tree? How often will you have to hit a flop shot? Not often, but if you don't practice and try to learn these shots, you will never be able to pull them off when it matters, whether it's in a friendly match with a friend with some money on the table, tryouts for your school team, or in your club championship.

Particularly with shaping shots, I think a lot of it comes down to confidence and control. I would rather miss a fairway by a yard because I slightly overcooked a draw, over missing a fairway by a yard because I didn't know which direction my ball would go. It's pretty much impossible to hit a perfectly straight shot. If you always aim down the middle and try to hit straight, technically every shot you hit will be bad because you didn't know which way it would go. It gives you a feeling of control when you can shape the ball, and therefore makes the same misses seem better, giving you more confidence.

It's kind of like, would you rather barely miss a put that you misread AND mishit, or miss a put because you either barely misread OR barely mishit. In the end, they are the same shot. But confidence is possibly the most important aspect of golf, IMO.

-Gibby

P.S. That said, there's nothing wrong with having a "go to" shot that you hit 90% of the time. I just prefer to practice shaping the ball around even when it's not entirely necesary during my practice rounds. During tryouts for my highschool team, or a competitive match, I will play more conservative and stick with a slight draw with my woods and a slight fade with my irons unless the situation calls for something different.

**Blades4me** · March 20, 2010

James

I agree with the other posters. Knowing what your regular shot is, is much more important than shaping a shot. Its cool and can help to know how to shape a shot, but again, as a earlier poster said, that is way down on the list to becoming a good golfer. However it is a good idea to have different shots in your bag. IMO you will get much more use out of knowing how to do a 3/4 shot, knock down shot, punch shot and a trap shot.

**James_Black** · March 20, 2010

Well thanks for all the replies.
I can hit high and low shots very well.

I think I'll leave learning how to hit fades/draws after I sort out my putting.

**Zeph** · March 20, 2010

I aim dead straight most of the time. Might open or shut the clubface slightly if I want to avoid certain areas. On approach shots, I go directly at the target, which could be the green or the flag. I have not idea how I possibly can set up in a way to hit a fade or draw and knowing where the ball comes down. On a fairway, it's fine, you got 25 yards to hit. On the green I'm usually aiming for the flag, with a cup that's a couple of inches. Setting up some degrees this way and clubface aimed some degrees that way. I simply don't have the game or talent to hit that kind of shot now.

I know Jack said you should shape every shot, but I really don't see why that is necessary. Getting the ball from where you are to where you want it to be is the goal, doesn't matter how you do it. A slight shape of the shot can be useful, making the possibilities of missing the other way smaller. I don't much hit over something I want to avoid, planning to curve the ball away from it. The clubface determine where the ball will go, a 1-3 degree change in clubface can be the difference of a fairway and water.

This is why my goal is a 100% neutral swing. With the basic shot and setup, I want too hit the ball dead straight. Square clubface and in-square-in swing path. If I get there, I can miss both ways and still be on the fairway. If I have a basic draw, I can't leave the clubface open, but it can be left a bit more closed. Once I get my OTT move sorted out, I can find the fairway and green most of the time without having to shape the ball.

It would've been interesting to see statistics on how often tour players shape the ball, both with irons and woods. We know Jack and Tiger were masters at it, but I'm more interested in the average player, which still is lightyears beyond my capabilities.

**ks8829** · March 20, 2010

I think its helpful. I play a natural draw and its not natural for me to hit a fade, however, I have learn to hit a straight and sometimes a fade shot. The benefit to be able to do this more control over the direction of your ball in tough pin situations. I play several holes where water is on the left and trees on the right of the green. Some holes are easier to play with a fade its simple as that.

How do I play a fade:

1) I watch my backswing position to play a straight ball
2) I open the club face slightly and play a regular shot
3) If I need too, I will sometimes take the club back on a slightly outside and in swing path.

The more shots that you can go to during the round the more tricks you have in the bag and more options.
I also would recommend playing a knock down and 3/4 shots into greens is also very helpful in uphill and into the wind approach shots.

**bong_crosby** · March 21, 2010

This is a good question and something I began working on this past winter at the range. I used to play a draw for all my shots. The problem with this is what do you do when you have a right to left wind and the pin is on the right. Now that I've added a cut shot to my bag, I can start the ball at the left side of the green and even if the ball doesn't move enough, I'll still be putting.

I think practicing draws and fades or hooks and slices on the range is a good way to get a feel for the club head at impact, even if you don't use it on the course. It has made me a much more confident player.

Finally, there is no better feeling than hitting a shot you envisioned in your mind and having it become reality. I love standing on the tee box and saying/thinking, "yeah, I meant to do that".

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