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Lately I have been practicing working the ball, and I have gotten pretty good at it. I have heard that a lot of pros play a draw. Is this true? Is it also true that it gives you more distance? I was thinking about hitting a draw off of the tee, would that cause certain swing problems? Sorry for all of the questions. Thanks in advance.

A quote from Kris
...is that college bball really isn't "lower tier". The better teams have their rosters filled with guys who could play in the NBA. hell, guys used to come straight from high school to the NBA. I really don't think there's much of a difference skill-wise between the two.


Lately I have been practicing working the ball, and I have gotten pretty good at it. I have heard that a lot of pros play a draw. Is this true? Is it also true that it gives you more distance? I was thinking about hitting a draw off of the tee, would that cause certain swing problems? Sorry for all of the questions. Thanks in advance.

i would have thought with a ten handicap you might have worked this out already. nonetheless, a draw can get you more distance, but it is also harder to predict where it will land. i like to play a slight fade off the tee with my driver because i can hit it hard, and i know it's only going to go no more than 15 yards right of my target. a draw on the other hand, unless fully extended and with a perfectly timed stroke, you're going to jack it way left into the trees. even the pros do this, so no one is exempt. yes, a lot of the pros do play this shot, because they swing from an in to out position. but, if you are as you say, a 10 handicap then whatever you're doing now seems to be working fairly well.


A draw will give you more distance because you're effectively delofting the club vs a fade where you give it more loft.

Hitting a draw usually consists of an in to out path. I also use switch to a stronger grip to help square the club face.

aim body at first base, aim club head at second base, swing along body line.

Do what Raymond Floyd suggests. Play both. Don't think of yourself as a "drawer" or a "fader", but as a shotmaker. I used to hit a lot of draws, but I've found a fade is a bit easier to control. That more than makes up for 15 yards or so. It's also a bit easier to hit a fade, as if we all didn't know that already.

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Typically, a lot of players "get good" by having a reliable, predictable, and above all, repeatable ball flight... whether it be a draw or a fade. More often than not, with amateurs, it tends to be a draw because most better players "trap" the ball at impact, which usually is a result of an inside-out path into the ball.

I don't think you should be worried about what kind of ball flight you should be playing. If you naturally play a fade, and you can predict that you will hit a 5-10 yard fade on every swing, then you should play that shot.

A draw will almost always result in a little bit of a longer shot, especially if you play courses that play hard and fast, but I feel like a predictable cut is a more reliable and more accurate ball flight than a draw.


I'm fortunate and unfortunate that my natural ball flight is pretty straight. Maybe I have a 2 yard draw on the ball, but I hit it almost dead straight off the tee, and then I like to work the ball into the greens depending on the distance I'm trying to achieve, the angle I want to take, and where I'm trying to put the ball on the green.

But the short answer, in my opinion, is that I think you should play your natural ball flight, not worry about changing your mechanics to achieve a specific curve of the ball.
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Personally I'm working on this now. I hit a very straight ball, but sometimes fade or draw just by accident. I think I need to be more predictable to get better.

I agree with the person above who said draws go further but fades are easier to control. They also land easier on the green.

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My teacher says that a perfect golf swing on a perfect plane will result in a draw. Now you can take a+b=c and suggest that the perfect ball flight is a draw.

Not my opinion but that's what he said. I would prefer, like mentioned above, a 5-10 yard fade!! Much more consistent in my eye.

Bryan A
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Play whatever you can do the most consistently. I play a draw and it doesn't set up well being left handed, but I can keep it in play well with that shot. There is a big difference in the way a pro hits a fade than the common hack. There fade swings are exactly like the draws but they hold the release for a split second causing a baby fade. They don't do it by hitting the outside of the ball as a slicer would do.

Keep in mind that the better players don't play big anything. They play a 5 yard fade, 5 yard draw. It is very close to a straight ball. They can, but why would they unless it is a specialty shot.

Brian


  • Moderator
I hit my fades by opening my stance a bit and keeping the face aimed at the target. Then i swing along that path. I don't hold off on the release because that tends to get me having swing mechanics thoughts during my swing.

Bryan A
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I hit my fades by opening my stance a bit and keeping the face aimed at the target. Then i swing along that path. I don't hold off on the release because that tends to get me having swing mechanics thoughts during my swing.

I set up very similar as well. I just have to really be thinking to not hit a draw. I don't hit many fades and if I do, I really have to focus on not letting that face close through impact, the dreaded double cross. I was playing with a really strong grip which I just changed, seems to make it a little easier.

Brian


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My teacher says that a perfect golf swing on a perfect plane will result in a draw. Now you can take a+b=c and suggest that the perfect ball flight is a draw.

That's true, because the clubface closes ever so slightly during impact.

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That's true, because the clubface closes ever so slightly during impact.

I think it was Jack that said when asked about his club address it's slightly open, because it squares up just at impact...or maybe it was Hogan???

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After having (several) lessons my instructor is happy with me hitting my natural ball flight which is a fade with my driver to 5-6 iron & straight with 7-SW.

Before lessons it was a slice but I now have it as a controlled fade. Although my handicap says 21 i'm actually playing now to around 10-12 over par, just not played in any comps to reduce my handicap.

I can draw the ball by closing my stance a bit (mainly turning upper body to the right) but it is very diificult to control, sometimes 5 yard draw sometimes 25 yard (hook?) I prefer my fade, the difference in yardage to the green between a fade & perfectly timed draw with the driver is only one club at the most, with irons I find it easier to hold the green with fade or straight shot rather than a draw.

  • Moderator
After having (several) lessons my instructor is happy with me hitting my natural ball flight which is a fade with my driver to 5-6 iron & straight with 7-SW.

If you have a "controllable fade", I suggest sticking with it. That is a very consistent shot!

Bryan A
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If you have a "controllable fade", I suggest sticking with it. That is a very consistent shot!

I have finally accepted there is nothing wrong with hitting a fade.

For months (prior to lessons) I tried to change my fade into a straight shot or even the fabled draw, convinced I was losing distance off the tee. I'm now at the point where I realise the difference between 10 yards is nowhere near as much as the difference between rough & faiway. I've been playing for around 2 & half years, this year I've knuckled down & really tried to improve, if I can get a settled tempo I will be very happy with my progress so far.

Note: This thread is 5618 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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