HItting a draw???

[Williamevanl]

I know changing you stance works but is that always considered the right way to draw and fade.

Curious though, aren't other adjustment required along with changing your stance? If you tilted iron byron *the swing machine* to the right would it go from hitting perfectly straight shots to hitting perfect push draws. Or would it hit blocks to the right? My guess is blocks to the right. So then it gets more complicated line up right but also use a stronger grip or release more aggressively?

I always see people lining up right to fight a slice but then they end up avoiding the issue of learning how to drop the club on plane or in the slot properly.

My guess is that when pro's change there stance it's by centimeters but when amatuers do it its more like 30 degrees.

[NotAStick]

Personally, I prefer to close and open the clubface a bit to handle a controlled draw or fade.

An old tip I saw on TV when I was a teen was to aim your feet roughly down the plane you want the ball to start at and the clubface to where you want the ball to end up.

This is overly simplistic, but it's the basis for a great deal of my ability to work the ball, and I would say I'm better than most with my handicap at working mid-long irons.

This approach rarely works with a driver. The length of the club and flex, and other things makes my draw/fade with a driver more of a swing plane and "release timing" thing, and less about club face angle at address.

[Mizzy57]

Basics of working the ball, purely from my expierences and what I've been taught.

Straight: square club face at address (or slightly open if you have active hands), square shoulders and feet, imagine 2 railroad lines- 1 line is the ball to your target, the other is your feet to just left of target. Swing on plane with the ball railroad.

Draw: slightly closed clubface (or moderate if you have late hands). Closed stance, as in railroad lines aimed to the right of your target. How much right depends on how much you have your clubface closed. Swing online with your ball railroad. Path of ball should follow the railroad line to the right of target and draw back.

Fade/Cut: Open clubface. Open stance aiming left of target. swing path is on ball railroad line to left. etc etc.

Condensed easy to remember version: keep the clubface perpindicular to the ball in relation to the target. Open or close your stance for Fade/Draw respectively. Swing on plane to left (fade) or right (draw) of target.

There's a nice diagram in last years Golf Digest with Lorena Ochoa explaining this.

target

........... _!_ ................................ _!_ ........................... _!_ ......
.............................................................................................
............................................................................................
........ | ... | ........................... \ ... \ ................................. / ... / ........
........ | ... | ............................ \ ... \ ............................... / ... / .........
........ | ... | ............................. \ ... \ ............................. / ... / ..........
........ | ... | .............................. \ ... \ ........................... / ... / ...........
........ | ... | ............................... \ ... \ ......................... / ... / ............
WWWW o WWWWWWWWWWWWW o WWWWWWWWWW o WWWWW
__ feet __ ball ______________ feet __ ball _______ feet __ ball
___ Straight ________________ Fade ___________ Draw

Keep clubface aimed at target. Remember, swing parallel to your feet, not AT the target. Sorry for the welfare drawing


DOH! I found the link.
http://www.golfdigest.com/instructio...aking90_gd0704

[Bauer]

I have been reading contradicting things regarding strength of grip and what it does... I was under the impression that a strong grip, too strong, will cause a fade/slice. Is this incorrect? I thought that Erik said this when I did a search of grips on the forum.

[iacas]

  Bauer said:

I have been reading contradicting things regarding strength of grip and what it does... I was under the impression that a strong grip, too strong, will cause a fade/slice. Is this incorrect? I thought that Erik said this when I did a search of grips on the forum.

Generally:

Strong grip = draws/hooks (hands to the right for righties as you look down at them). Weak grip = fades/slices (hands to the left). Of course this refers to the position of your hands, not how hard you squeeze the club. I'm assuming you know that, but it bears mentioning just about every time anyway.

[RC]

And in general, I agree fully with Eric about the strong/weak grip shot tendancies. But there are differences for different people. My normal draws are neutral grips. I don't change grips often and try to stay the same for long periods, except maybe for low punches or huge shape changes out of trouble. I also find it slightly easier to both cut and draw the ball with an open stance. Tiger opens up sometimes to hit a draw. A square stance tends to signal "hit it straight" to my brain. Open, I can think of a fade, or a push draw. I don't expect this to make much sense.

One thing that does help teach one how to hit a draw. But I do not recommend it for normal play. You need an in to out swing path, and at the top of your back swing try to hold your left hand the opposite of cupped... pull the palm down a little toward your inside forearm. This will shut the face, causing a hooded position on the way down. You can hook it around a street corner doing this. Still, if you cannot draw the ball anyother way, try it just to get the feel of coming from the inside -- and keep doing it until you can hit a push draw. I almost hate to tell some one to do this because they will invariably learn to hit a hook, and it will often turn into a pull hook, and plague them at inopportune moments the rest of their lives.

[NotAStick]

  Bauer said:

I have been reading contradicting things regarding strength of grip and what it does... I was under the impression that a strong grip, too strong, will cause a fade/slice. Is this incorrect? I thought that Erik said this when I did a search of grips on the forum.

If you strengthen your grip slightly, it will promote a closed clubface.

But if you strengthen your grip A LOT, it causes what swing coaches often call "blocking" your swing, which means getting your right hand UNDER the club (often with your hands out in front of the ball) which causes a bit of a chopping motion at the ball... Imagine chopping wood. This is a common cause of a wicked slice. Try it sometime. Turn your hands slightly strong and it should close the clubface. Then turn your hands REALLY strong and feel how you start feeling that chopping motion through the shot.

[j-vex]

Draw-if you want the ball to start right and come back in to your target with a mid iron (8-4) get your swing path going right of the target then aim the club face half way between the target and your swing path....so if your target is 12 o'clock...swing path is at 2 o'clock and club face is at 1 o'clock. If you want a bigger sweeping draw swing path 4 o'clock and club face 2 o'clock. When drawing with longer clubs 3- driver the relationship will be different you will need a 1/4 relationship....swing path 3 o'clock, face at 2 o'clock and target at 12 o'clock. With a short iron or wedge (9 iron-wedges) it's a 3/4 relationship....swing path at 3 o'clock, club face at 1 o'clock, target at 12 o'clock......same rules apply for fade For a power fade or draw that has more of a turning effect than a sweeping effect.....pick a target right of your intended target for a draw, line up to it normal, aim club face in the same relations as mentioned above and take a normal swing....same for a turning fade or power fade.

[Phil McGleno]

4 oclock is swinging so far to the right you're actually swinging backwards away from the target.-Lets be a little less generous with the clock stuff and talk about it in perhaps 12:15, 12:30 kind of numbers.[quote name="j-vex" url="/t/2877/hitting-a-draw/18#post_970697"]Draw-if you want the ball to start right and come back in to your target with a mid iron (8-4) get your swing path going right of the target then aim the club face half way between the target and your swing path....so if your target is 12 o'clock...swing path is at 2 o'clock and club face is at 1 o'clock. If you want a bigger sweeping draw swing path 4 o'clock and club face 2 o'clock. When drawing with longer clubs 3- driver the relationship will be different you will need a 1/4 relationship....swing path 3 o'clock, face at 2 o'clock and target at 12 o'clock. With a short iron or wedge (9 iron-wedges) it's a 3/4 relationship....swing path at 3 o'clock, club face at 1 o'clock, target at 12 o'clock......same rules apply for fade For a power fade or draw that has more of a turning effect than a sweeping effect.....pick a target right of your intended target for a draw, line up to it normal, aim club face in the same relations as mentioned above and take a normal swing....same for a turning fade or power fade.[/quote]

[j-vex]

Hahaha!! So true....wasn't thinking correct....but you get what I'm saying as far as the relationship to swing path, club face and target?....lol that's funny, totally wasn't thinking