Trying to Hit a Draw Is Turning Me Into Mr. Dumpy Diapers…

[Hevdar Destroyer of Turf 0]

Ok. So here's  the info from the last three sessions.... just so everyone knows when I'm hitting well, most of my clubs go around tour average , when I'm hitting  super good maybe ten yards  farther for my irons.. So I'm just trying to lock in the draw. My natural swing is a fade. First session, slight  head wind. Hitting some pretty decent draws. Second session, slight tail wind, but mostly right to left, huge draws. Today it was so still you could probably hear a ball landing off a 500 yard tee shot, couldn't hardly curve the ball.  What really gets me is when I over exaggerated the in to out action on my swing a hardly got any curve. But what was strangest was I had a lot of these shots that started right and even started to curve back left but then they stopped  just started flying straight  right after appearing to begin curving back. So they ending up being more of a push. What was more weird  was when they reached the Apex of their flight and started to fall they drifted from left to right. But there was zero wind and they began curving from right to left before  they stalled... it happened over and over. Some of the strangest ball flights I've ever seen. What's going on?

 

 

 

[Vinsk 1,918]

Welcome to TST. But....damn bro....😳

[woodzie264 459]

7 hours ago, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

Ok. So here's  the info from the last three sessions.... just so everyone knows when I'm hitting well, most of my clubs go around tour average , when I'm hitting  super good maybe ten yards  farther for my irons.. So I'm just trying to lock in the draw. My natural swing is a fade. First session, slight  head wind. Hitting some pretty decent draws. Second session, slight tail wind, but mostly right to left, huge draws. Today it was so still you could probably hear a ball landing off a 500 yard tee shot, couldn't hardly curve the ball.  What really gets me is when I over exaggerated the in to out action on my swing a hardly got any curve. But what was strangest was I had a lot of these shots that started right and even started to curve back left but then they stopped  just started flying straight  right after appearing to begin curving back. So they ending up being more of a push. What was more weird  was when they reached the Apex of their flight and started to fall they drifted from left to right. But there was zero wind and they began curving from right to left before  they stalled... it happened over and over. Some of the strangest ball flights I've ever seen. What's going on?

 

 

 

Not sure what you were hitting, but my initial thoughts is that old range balls = weird, unnatural ball flight. 

[boogielicious 2,894]

Without seeing your swing, we can only guess. Start a My Swing thread in the member swings section. Often when I try to fade, it just goes straight. My natural flight is a draw.

[Hevdar Destroyer of Turf 0]

3 hours ago, woodzie264 said:

Not sure what you were hitting, but my initial thoughts is that old range balls = weird, unnatural ball flight. 

They were definitely old range balls. Old Wilson Premium Range balls, though they don't appear to have been "premium" for some time. That being said I hit balls at this place all the time and except for the occasional bad apple the balls usually fly according to the swing applied. I wish I could blame the balls but I don't  think they're to blame. When I go hit balls I usually hit well over one hundred, two hundred balls, they aren't all trash. It would start off with draw spin clearly. Ok, imagine a straight fairway 20 yards wide. Ball starts well right, comes back a bit then decides nope. Then flies straight to that area on the right side, where you'll be heading towards your ball hoping you aren't in the rough or that you got a good bounce. I understand that more wind will cause the ball to curve more. But can it affect it this much? On day one the ball was coming back to target line with a slight head wind. On day two I was taking them to the right side of our imaginary fairway and curving them all the way back to left side, with a medium right to left wind. Then day 3 with zero wind they just didnt want to come back. It felt like I was applying they same swing. The few decent draws I hit felt like I was having to come massively from the inside and shallow the club way more. Then I tried to shallow the club more and I hit it fat... then I thought I'd put more side spin on it by closing the face more and topped it... I am proud of myself in one regard, however. I remained composed. You see, in the moment following the half dozen to dozen balls hit fat, thin or topped, (the topped ball being the one that almost set me off) a young handsome forged five iron almost lost his short life. Unbeknownst to him, he sits in my golf bag unscathed.

[Hevdar Destroyer of Turf 0]

3 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Without seeing your swing, we can only guess. Start a My Swing thread in the member swings section. Often when I try to fade, it just goes straight. My natural flight is a draw.

Almost same. First attempts drawing the ball produced straight ball flight. But then I learned the lovely duck hook. That's a period that lasted longer then it should have.

[boogielicious 2,894]

1 minute ago, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

Almost same. First attempts drawing the ball produced straight ball flight. But then I learned the lovely duck hook. That's a period that lasted longer then it should have.

Be wary of your path. If I come too far inside, hooks happen or straight pushes. 

[Hevdar Destroyer of Turf 0]

4 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Without seeing your swing, we can only guess. Start a My Swing thread in the member swings section. Often when I try to fade, it just goes straight. My natural flight is a draw.

Are you asking me to post a video of me swinging a golf club to the internet? That's almost as bad as asking me to post a nude! Its ugly. 0% graceful. Due to years of lifting heavy in the gym I lack flexibility big time. When Koepka was still on top the commentators were man-crushing him, going on about his 225lbs max bench press. I ventured into my shed the other day and cranked out 6 after not touching a weight for two and half years. At peak 3 years ago I think I did that weight for 21 or 22 reps. At 36 years of age I'm going to go ahead and pat myself on the back. So besides my gut and wee love handles i do not possess the ideal golfer's body. My lack of flexibility was so bad when I started playing that I tore the cartilage in my ribcage by the second or third month. Anyway, when I had improved to some degree I filmed my swing to see how much shaft lean I was applying to wedges and was pretty disgusted with what I saw. Not the lack of shaft lean, i fixed that within days. It's just one ugly swing. When I saw the head of my 7 iron in my peripheral at the end of my backswing for the first time I filmed it again. Nope, still ugly. Big gains on range of motion, 0% gain to gracefulness. In short, the day someone puts a video of my swing next to a video of Hogan, or Snead, commenting on the fluid artful way I swing the club is going to be the day pigs fly and the sun comes up backwards. That being said, I can get the club head moving pretty fast. Faster than most. I even hit the fairway sometimes. Before 2020 got pooped on I was going to the PGA store a few times a week. I've hit on all their equipment. 3track, gc2, and GCquad. I average 115mph club speed, up to the lower 120s when I really swing for the fence. And I'm only 5' 10" so it's not like I have really long levers. I was feeling pretty good about that until Dechambeau started swinging it 137. Oh yeah, he just about hit 150 the other day...

[Hevdar Destroyer of Turf 0]

6 hours ago, Vinsk said:

Welcome to TST. But....damn bro....😳

Thanks. Glad to be here. Yeah, I was pretty upset when I posted that. Every time I think I've "figured it out" I think I've "mastered the draw" it all falls apart. Last week I told the ball claim guy to go buy a lottery ticket, because I hit draw after draw. But yeah, the problems I had on the range yesterday gave the brief urge to snap my five iron and chunk my golf bag. The fact that my idiot brother-in-law possibly  exposed my wife, kid, and mother-in-law to the virus and they're isolated there and I'm isolated here may have also played a role in said frustration.

Just now, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

Thanks. Glad to be here. Yeah, I was pretty upset when I posted that. Every time I think I've "figured it out" I think I've "mastered the draw" it all falls apart. Last week I told the ball claim guy to go buy a lottery ticket, because I hit draw after draw. But yeah, the problems I had on the range yesterday gave the brief urge to snap my five iron and chunk my golf bag. The fact that my idiot brother-in-law possibly  exposed my wife, kid, and mother-in-law to the virus and they're isolated there and I'm isolated here may have also played a role in said frustration.

I may have had a couple drinks in me when I posted that as well. Possibly.

[Hevdar Destroyer of Turf 0]

24 minutes ago, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

Thanks. Glad to be here. Yeah, I was pretty upset when I posted that. Every time I think I've "figured it out" I think I've "mastered the draw" it all falls apart. Last week I told the ball claim guy to go buy a lottery ticket, because I hit draw after draw. But yeah, the problems I had on the range yesterday gave the brief urge to snap my five iron and chunk my golf bag. The fact that my idiot brother-in-law possibly  exposed my wife, kid, and mother-in-law to the virus and they're isolated there and I'm isolated here may have also played a role in said frustration.

I may have had a couple drinks in me when I posted that as well. Possibly.

Then I watched Judge Dredd. The Stallone version.

Edited January 19 by Hevdar Destroyer of Turf
Spelling

[klineka 848]

14 hours ago, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

So I'm just trying to lock in the draw.  My natural swing is a fade

Why fight your natural swing? Plenty of PGA tour players (DJ, JT, etc) play a fade as their stock shot and only deviate when absolutely necessary.

1 hour ago, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

Are you asking me to post a video of me swinging a golf club to the internet? That's almost as bad as asking me to post a nude! Its ugly. 0% graceful.

How do you expect random strangers on the internet to help fix your swing when we have no idea what the swing looks like?

Clearly there is an issue with your swing that is not giving you the consistency and desired ball flight you want to see, I highly recommend finding an instructor or starting a swing thread on this site if you want anyone to give you any substantial advice.

[DaveP043 2,442]

1 hour ago, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

Are you asking me to post a video of me swinging a golf club to the internet? That's almost as bad as asking me to post a nude! Its ugly. 0% graceful.

I am just guessing, but it seems pretty likely that your swing is NOT the worst anyone has seen.  We all play golf, we all see other swings, and trust me, there are lots of ugly swings out there.  But for anyone to give you real advice without seeing your swing is really unlikely to be useful.  There are some very knowledgeable people here, who will be able to evaluate your swing, and provide really useful advice as to what to change, and how to do it.  The general procedure is to determine the single most important change to make, and to provide you with drills or feels or other measures to help you make the change.

[Hevdar Destroyer of Turf 0]

7 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I am just guessing, but it seems pretty likely that your swing is NOT the worst anyone has seen.  We all play golf, we all see other swings, and trust me, there are lots of ugly swings out there.  But for anyone to give you real advice without seeing your swing is really unlikely to be useful.  There are some very knowledgeable people here, who will be able to evaluate your swing, and provide really useful advice as to what to change, and how to do it.  The general procedure is to determine the single most important change to make, and to provide you with drills or feels or other measures to help you make the change.

 

10 minutes ago, klineka said:

Why fight your natural swing? Plenty of PGA tour players (DJ, JT, etc) play a fade as their stock shot and only deviate when absolutely necessary.

How do you expect random strangers on the internet to help fix your swing when we have no idea what the swing looks like?

Clearly there is an issue with your swing that is not giving you the consistency and desired ball flight you want to see, I highly recommend finding an instructor or starting a swing thread on this site if you want anyone to give you any substantial advice.

I might drive up to the range later today or tomorrow and record some new video. Gotta find the tripod. 

[DaveP043 2,442]

2 minutes ago, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

I might drive up to the range later today or tomorrow and record some new video. Gotta find the tripod. 

Good luck!  A word of advice, check out this information, particularly concerning camera angles, and film in slo-mo if you can.  

https://thesandtrap.com/b/playing_tips/filming_your_swing

 

[klineka 848]

5 minutes ago, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

I might drive up to the range later today or tomorrow and record some new video. Gotta find the tripod. 

1 hour ago, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

The fact that my idiot brother-in-law possibly  exposed my wife, kid, and mother-in-law to the virus and they're isolated there and I'm isolated here 

For the safety and well-being of others, please wait until your isolation period is up before doing so.

 

[David in FL 2,564]

7 hours ago, Vinsk said:

Welcome to TST. But....damn bro....😳

Yeah.  ^^^ This ^^^

[Hevdar Destroyer of Turf 0]

25 minutes ago, klineka said:

Why fight your natural swing? Plenty of PGA tour players (DJ, JT, etc) play a fade as their stock shot and only deviate when absolutely necessary.

How do you expect random strangers on the internet to help fix your swing when we have no idea what the swing looks like?

Clearly there is an issue with your swing that is not giving you the consistency and desired ball flight you want to see, I highly recommend finding an instructor or starting a swing thread on this site if you want anyone to give you any substantial advice.

In part I'm trying to hit a draw for extra distance and in part because winds at my coarse commonly reach 20-25mph sustained with 30mph gusts. Hitting a fade into a 20mph headwind, is not my idea of fun.

5 minutes ago, klineka said:

For the safety and well-being of others, please wait until your isolation period is up before doing so.

 

I wasn't exposed, my wife and kid were and they have remained at her mom's because of it.

[billchao 2,692]

3 hours ago, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

On day one the ball was coming back to target line with a slight head wind. On day two I was taking them to the right side of our imaginary fairway and curving them all the way back to left side, with a medium right to left wind. Then day 3 with zero wind they just didnt want to come back. It felt like I was applying they same swing. The few decent draws I hit felt like I was having to come massively from the inside and shallow the club way more.

Doesn’t matter how far from the inside you swing. If your clubface is open to the path the ball will fade. I can start a ball 12° right of my target and fade it.

2 hours ago, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

Are you asking me to post a video of me swinging a golf club to the internet? That's almost as bad as asking me to post a nude! Its ugly. 0% graceful. Due to years of lifting heavy in the gym I lack flexibility big time.

Posting your swing here is kind of similar to being in the gym in that it’s something people can be self conscious about doing the first time. Then once you do it you realize nobody actually cares about the things you’re worried about and the community is mostly there minding their own business. The few people you end up interacting with are genuinely happy that you’re part of something they’re also a part of and are trying to help you.

7 minutes ago, Hevdar Destroyer of Turf said:

In part I'm trying to hit a draw for extra distance and in part because winds at my coarse commonly reach 20-25mph sustained with 30mph gusts. Hitting a fade into a 20mph headwind, is not my idea of fun.

You seem to have a misconception of what a fade and a draw is. Some of the longest hitters in the world play a fade as their stock shot.