Do you fade or draw the ball?

[Octuple Bogey]

What is your dominant ball flight pattern? Which ball flight pattern do you think is generally preferable, (not necesarily the one you hit)? Or are you one of those who knows how to work the ball both ways?

Myself, I've had eras where I've been a chronic slicer/fader and eras where I've been a chronic hooker/drawer of the ball. But recently I really don't seem to have a dominant ball flight pattern that sticks around long.

As for working the ball... forget it, I'm not that good. If I hit a wood I will never slice/fade it and will almost certainly hook it, perhaps very badly. So if I really want to hook the ball around a corner I know what club to take out of the bag. But otherwise forget it.

I've heard that a draw usually nets more distance and my observation is that that is sometimes true since it seems to lead to more roll. However, when a left curve gets out of hand... out of bounds is usually waiting on the left not the right.

[Saks]

With my irons I have finally got rid of my slice and now it is a reasonably reliable draw. I get a club or so extra carry from the draw but no extra roll, although it is winter here and you can stick a 4 iron on the greens at the moment! My driver and 3 wood are draws if I hit them properly, but I have a reliable 80 percent swing with my driver which is a fade. This is my safety off the tee shot.

I think the preferable ball flight is whatever you feel comfortable with and whatever you can repeat. If I try to play a fade, it turns into a slice very quickly but I hardly ever hook it from trying to draw it. For someone who hooks it, they may feel more comfortable playing a fade.

[csalcedo_tw]

I usually hit a slight draw off the tee and my iron shots. Fades, in my opinion are shorter, and draws are a bit longer for me, since when I try to work the ball left to right I usually hit one more club.

[dave s]

Natural draw and sometimes, outright hooks off the tees.

Come to think of it, I've never seen the right side of any golf course!

dave

[rebby]

I hit both. I'll let the course decide which one (fade/draw) that I'll hit on a given shot. I do prefer to hit the high draw though so, all things being equal, that's the shot I'll play.

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

I either hit a slight draw or a straight ball when I swing right (my swing itself is kinda inconsistent). When I don't swing right, it can be anything from a pull-hook to a push. It's very rarely a slice anymore, although I do sometimes get a slight fade from my driver and fairway woods.

I do know how to "work" the ball, in that I've tried it on the course when I have to go around trees and have sometimes done it very effectively, but I don't really have much control in that regard since my swing itself just isn't grooved that well yet. And "working" the ball is the last thing on my prioritized list of aspects of the game to work on.

-Andrew

[Mr.Wedge]

In order to keep things simple, I have learned to swing square and love the resulting straight shot; dead straight when all cylinders are firing. I will shape either direction but only when straight just won't work. My weakness is a straight pull when I don't keep the left shoulder connected.

[dragonflyin]

I strive to hit a straight ball and that's usually the result. As mentioned in other posts, I don't like working it unless the shot really calls for it. However, if I wanted to squeeze more distance off my irons, I'd hit more down on it with a more pronounced lag, and that's consistently a draw. Usually I'm a sweeper of the ball, thus straighter shots.

[joshtpa]

Slight fade. I can play it either way, but prefer the control of the cut.

[ks8829]

my ball flight is a draw. I have learned to control my draw by slight changes to my swing so that I can play a straight to slight fade when necessary.

[HXCarib56]

I've been hitting the ball, comfortably from right to left as long as I could walk. I can hit a power fade if I need too, but prefer the feel of a draw. A big draw just feels perfect to me, on the clubface.

[toogood]

I've begun to hit a draw as I find the ball flight more consistent. I can typically hit a fade/draw at will most of the time. It's the times that I can't that get me into trouble.

[Redbird]

i hit a draw really consistency...

it works out really good and are great for me for approach shots

[bigoak]

without trying I draw but with some holes and some pin placements, I need to cut some shots.

[ERC7.5]

I hit a draw.....actually, it used to be a draw....now it's more of a snap hook (with both my driver and 3 wood). Trying to convert to a fade for a little better consistancy.

[JCDot33]

For some reason I hit a fade with all my irons ... no matter how hard I try to correct it, it fades ... I hit the driver straight, and can intentionally fade my driver, but I can't fix it with my irons ... *uugh!*