How do you control your draws and fades?

Like this.

http://thesandtrap.com/t/61391/shaping-the-ball

One way I found that's interesting is where I look at address. I find that fixating my eyes a few inches before or after the ball and keeping a steady head will make me turn either more or less before I feel "loaded", and keeping the same tempo will result in either a high fade or low draw without changing ball position. This basically makes the shoulders change their angle so you don't cause tension from your head's position, essentially squaring up your shoulders with your eye line. This way, you hit more in to out with a shorter backswing looking on the target side, but out to in with a longer backswing looking behind the ball. The angle of the face and timing your release is a little different than normal, but you're on your own to figure out that part. When I found this to work for me, it helped me hit straighter and more solid rather than facilitate working the ball. It works really nicely on everything from putting to a power drive, since there isn't a tendency to wander off plane.

 

(Eric's thread refers to this method as "eyelines", I discovered it as more of a checkpoint to ensure my plane was correct when looking directly at the ball.)

I find the method of opening and closing the stance still to be tricky with regards to ball position for me, though I can control the starting line I don't have great control over the amount of curve. I hate the grip method, I prefer to play every shot with a strong grip because I feel the grip changes too many things and I don't want the habit of changing grips as a correction.

 

In practice I actually don't like to hit draws and fades on shots I really aim. When I fixate on the ball, keep a steady head, hold off the club a bit and finish my swing, I'm hitting remarkably high and straight irons. I never really like to hit a little draw or fade intentionally. Better to save the intentional curve for an emergency, IMO. I do tend towards a bit of fade on shots off a tee, because hitting up is the best way for me to make solid contact.

I agree with the comment that changing your grip is not a viable method. I feel like this changes too much in your mechanics.

If you are talking about controlling slight draws and fades...I don't do too much different. I generally use a shorter backswing and faster body rotation to hit a little fade. I will consciously hold off the release a little to prevent the pull. To hit little draws (natural shot shape for me) I make a bigger shoulder turn with my hands slightly deeper and make a slower body rotation through the ball. Full release on draws.

To really hook or slice one...I will manipulate the club face open or closed and make more exaggerated inside out or outside in swings.

Lol... I don't! (Control fades and draws, I mean). I can hit them, just can't control them yet. (I'm reminding myself of an old Seinfeld episode ... "Oh, you can take a reservation, annnnnnnnybody can take a reservation, you just don't know how to hold a reservation.")

I shape mine by alignment, usually. I'll open my stance the appropriate amount for the kind of cut I want to hit, or close them if I'm trying to hit a big draw. My stock shot, though, is a push-draw, so I usually don't change too much for that. 

I personally like to draw away or fade away from my target
If I'm striking then I m usually drawing (or hooking it's all semantics)
The longer the shaft the more draw I tend to make
I use employ a push draw with my irons which goes relatively straight

Fading when hitting the ball

Why in the world would you intentionally work the ball away from your target?

Said David, echoing what EVERY other person here was thinking too. :)

That's why I say Personally
Your style might be different
I find it mechanically easier on my body to match my perception

That still doesn't help us understand. Why wouldn't you want to draw or fade your ball TOWARD your target? To me, that logic is the same as turning around and hitting the ball backwards. I'm betting (hoping) its just a miscommunication though. :)

Why does some players play golf left handed?
I'm entitled to play golf the way I want
I don't to answer to you
If it doesn't make sense to you then stick with your own pattern of playing
I'm just responding to the OP question on my way

 

The point they're making is that you're not a 2 handicap if you curve every ball AWAY from your target. That makes no sense.

 

You don't need to have - or deserve to have - the attitude you're displaying. C'mon. They're asking legit questions.

I am not good enough to really do it regularly.  But for "get out of trouble shots" I just open or close the face and keep my same swing.  I find that it is easier with my swing to intentionally draw the ball than to try to create a sharp fade.  I do practice these types of shots, which helps.

For me, Im a natural drawer, so its never been all that difficult for me.  I used to fight a push, so once I learned how to release the club properly, I developed a draw.  Now, my only real issue is drawing too much and hitting a hook, something Im working on getting better at controlling.

What I feel (and obviously feel is a subjective thing) is that I keep my back to the target for a split second and do a slight lateral shift towards the target at the start of my downswing.  I feel that allows me to hit more from the inside.  I find that Id I dont keep my back to the target for that split second, I tend to pull the ball (which would lead me to believe that Im coming from the outside with a face that is closed).