HItting a draw???

[zebrasinamerica]

I've always heard that if you strengthen your grip with your left hand and keep your right hand the same as before (assuming you're right handed) that this will create a draw. However I was at the range last night and tried this with no success at all if anyone could give me some pointers on this I would really appreciate it. I'm really looking for a draw swing to help me out off of the Tee Box.

thanks

ZEBRA

[BeRight]

I have a natural draw which if anything is as a result of a weak left hand and a strong right.. Plus a slightly flat left arm plane. The best way to see if you're getting you club face to close is to experiment with your grip and take a full power practice shot, Then return to the centre and see what your clubface has done.. if it's closed then it should stay closed...

[iacas]

I believe two things:

1) The purpose of a grip is to deliver the clubface square to the target line.
2) The purpose of your swing path is to swing the club on the proper path. For a draw, that's from the inside. For a cut, that's from the outside.

I'm not a big fan of changing my grip to hit different shots. It's much easier to change your stance and thus your swing path, I believe.

[Rafcin]

  iacas said:

...It's much easier to change your stance and thus your swing path, I believe.

that's exactly how my teaching pro had me try to work the ball - just with open and closed stands... Problem is - draw works for me about 3 out of 10 times

[cdriver]

If, and that is one BIG word, if I don't try to swing so hard I unlace my shoes, just bringing the clubhead from an inside path with a slightly closed stance will get that nice 5 yard draw. Once I swing too hard, I either get a dead block or a smothered duck hook. Neither of those is very pretty. My best advice is to swing in to out slightly and close your stance slightly . Too much in the way of changes and you will get too far out of whack to hit anything.

[Finn07]

I saw something on the Golf Channel and Fuzzy Zoeller was explaining how he hits a draw on the course when he wants. Say your at address and looking at the golf ball. Look at something on the ground about two inches in front of the ball and at 2 O'Clock. Now when you swing take your normal swing but just aim the ball over that thing on the ground. Your ball should draw, ive tried it and it does work.

[iacas]

  Finn07 said:

I saw something on the Golf Channel and Fuzzy Zoeller was explaining how he hits a draw on the course when he wants. Say your at address and looking at the golf ball. Look at something on the ground about two inches in front of the ball and at 2 O'Clock. Now when you swing take your normal swing but just aim the ball over that thing on the ground. Your ball should draw, ive tried it and it does work.

Yes, that's just affecting your swing path to come from the inside more.

If I'm helping someone fight a slice (by hitting a draw or coming more from the inside) I'll often put the ball's logo on the ball on the back, inside quadrant and tell them to try to hit the logo. That also forces you to come from the inside. Same idea as the Fuzzy tip. Personally, I hesitate to take advice from a guy who addresses the ball off the hosel of his driver.

[prutkows]

it's been a few months since ive seen my former teaching pro, but he taught me two different ways to purposely play a draw/fade.

the first is just to focus on either slightly closing or opening the clubface at impact using your hands. of course, slightly closed will produce a draw, open a fade.

the other had something to do with ball position and hip/shoulder turn. i dont quite remember how to do it that way, but 9 times out of 10 i can shape the shot how i want to.

the problem with changing your swingplane is if you try to hit a fade by coming from the outside, i've found you lose a lot more distance than if you hit a fade by just leaving the clubface a little open while staying on a proper swingplane.

all that said, however, im about a 13 handicap so i dont know how accurate any of that is, haha. i just know it works for me.

[You're Away]

One quick tip I learned a while back was to take your normal stance then drop your right foot back 6-8", which creates more of an in-to-out path and assuming you don't change the club position you should hit a draw. This isn't a replacement for a proper swing but it helps if you're needing to draw around a tree or something.

  iacas said:

Personally, I hesitate to take advice from a guy who addresses the ball off the hosel of his driver.

Off topic, but I've noticed a few pros do this and it seems strange to me. The only reason I can come up with is that they are compensating for the downward flex of the club at impact. Obviously it works for them but I'd hit hosel shots all day...assuming I even hit the ball

. Chris

[NCGolfer]

  iacas said:

If I'm helping someone fight a slice (by hitting a draw or coming more from the inside) I'll often put the ball's logo on the ball on the back, inside quadrant and tell them to try to hit the logo.

That's exactly what I do with the same type of people. It is easy to visualize the club travelling through the ball at that angle.

[Wood]

  iacas said:

Personally, I hesitate to take advice from a guy who addresses the ball off the hosel of his driver.

I stopped listening to that prick after Tiger's first Masters win. If he comes on Golf TV, it's Sportscenter Time!

Sorry to get off track.

[SubPar]

Strengthen your grip, play the ball a little back in your stance, close the clubface slightly, swing away! You can really make a sharp turn if you swing a little inside-out. The more the face is closed and the more you swing inside-out, the more sharply the ball will turn over.

The best way to get a draw going is to hit a big exaggerated draw at the range, then experiment with it to reduce the magnitude of the result. Having some confidence in turning the ball right or left really helps when I am in trouble. Many times I've been able to advance the ball well, or even hit a green when blocked by trees. Particularly useful is a low "stinger" type fade or draw... unless you are always in the middle of the fairway.

Always make a point of hitting some "crooked" shots at the range. If you are knocking them straight onto a target, hit a few coming in from right or left. This will give you confidence when you are trying it on the course.

[Fusion]

I have practiced on the range and can get varying degrees of draw but its more of a hook in that it starts straight and ends up left. How do you start the ball right and end up center. Thats my issue.

[Guest]

You might be shutting your stance down and it's causing you to have a closed face at impact.


What is the natural flight of your ball?

[fredloves2golf]

  zebrasinamerica said:

I've always heard that if you strengthen your grip with your left hand and keep your right hand the same as before (assuming you're right handed) that this will create a draw. However I was at the range last night and tried this with no success at all if anyone could give me some pointers on this I would really appreciate it. I'm really looking for a draw swing to help me out off of the Tee Box.

There's been a lot of good advice already in this thread about different ways to hit a draw or hook. I only want to make one observation from the OP, and that's if you DO decide to try to hook or slice with the manipulation of your grip, you can't just strenghten or weaken ONE hand. The hands must always work together, palm to palm.... that's what I've always been taught and most importantly, it works.

I've hit 5-10 yard draws or fades with a minor change in stance, but when you're really in trouble and need to rope one around 40 yards or so, I'VE gotta also move the hands. For a severe hook like that, I've gotta almost have 4 knuckles showing on the left hand and the right hand gets set underneath. Then when you take your normal swing and respect the back of the left hand facing the target at impact, that clubface is hooded over BIG TIME!

[Fusion]

  wateryoudoin? said:

You might be shutting your stance down and it's causing you to have a closed face at impact.

My natural flight is straight to fade. it varies. I do have to use a strong grip to keep the driver straight. lately though my irons are fading which is probably due to the jumbo grips I was convinced to purchase.

[Iowa Hawkeye]

I step my right (back) foot backwards, keeping my same square stance. Forces the club to travel inside out. I'm proud to say I figured that one out on my own while figuring out my slice a few years ago.

[DBake]

  Rafcin said:

that's exactly how my teaching pro had me try to work the ball - just with open and closed stands... Problem is - draw works for me about 3 out of 10 times

It only works for the pros 5 out of 10 times.