Learned a lot about my golf swing this afternoon

[Bullitt5339]

I went to play 9 holes after work today with the sole purpose of practicing on the course without a scorecard. It was 100 degrees, so I figured the course would be empty, and I was right.

I just bought a new driver, and took it out last weekend for a round without ever hitting it. Needless to say, it was a bad round off the tee. I really liked the way the FT-9 felt though, so I decided to go work on it today, but didn't want to sit at the range, so I practiced on the course, hitting 2 balls on each hole.

My typical shot is a draw, which every once in a while turns into a low hook. I decided today that I was going to work on tee height and ball position to lessen my draw and reduce the chance of the low hook. So I started and was pleasantly surprised to see that without much effort, and with no lessons on how to do so, I could hit my standard draw and just by changing the ball position, I could turn my draw into a dead straight shot, and then after working a bit more, I could even hit a fade and if I was too aggressive hitting a fade, it would turn into a slice, which I haven't hit in years.

By just sitting on the course and hitting the ball on the actual course, not at the range, I was enlightened on how changing my swing and ball position slightly changed the results at the end. I couldn't believe (and I know some of you don't either) that with my handicap and ability that with just a few holes, no pressure, and figuring some things out, I was able to shape the ball the way I wanted. Sometimes my wanted fade turned into more of a slice, but I have the idea of what I'm doing and what it affects with the ball flight.

I seriously had a great time on the course today, and learned a lot, especially after reading the ball flight laws a couple nights ago, I knew what was going on and why. It was like someone hit me in the head with a brick, and the lights turned on.

I'm going to try to play 9 again tomorrow and work on it a bit more and see if I truly understand what I'm doing, or if today was a fluke. Before today, I knew I could draw the ball, but could not hit a fade on purpose to save my life. I guess all this reading I'm doing here on the forums is finally paying off.

Disclaimer: I know all the low handicappers are going to scoff at me for trying to learn how to shape the ball at a 22 handicap, and say learn to hit it straight, which was my intent. But through a few mistakes, and then purposely repeating those mistakes, I think I learned a lot about ball flight today, and while I probably won't try to fade the ball on the course usually, because as of right now, it's a bit unpredictable, I think it really helped my understanding of why I get that hook, why my ball draws, and by understanding, I'm on my way to hitting much better shots.

[acegolfer]

Congrats!

Even at high handicap, it's worth knowing how to shape the ball. I sincerely hope it's not a fluke. Keep working on it.

[BallStriker]

Good stuff.....always good to hear things like this.

I am a loner at heart and there was a time when I worked weekends and had all week off...I played alone on empty courses all the time and absolutely LOVED it........I really think you can only gain confidence by hitting good shots on the course...the more you have the chance, the more you do it, the more confident you become (and become a better player as a result).

[elvis14]

Good post, thanks for sharing. I'm in Raleigh and played 9 after work today. It was hot and I walked. I was playing in a 4-some but we were all taking extra shots (not counting them) because there was no one in front or behind us. I'm a high handicapper and I try to shape shots sometimes. Tonight I was behind a tree and had to hit a hook to get to the green. I gave it a try and hooked it right up in front of the green. Another time tonight I hit a draw off the tee on a dog leg left. That one hooked a bit too much and I ended up under a tree on the left. Do I want to be shaping shots all over the place? Heck no, I'm too busy trying to hit it somewhat straight But the more I try the more I'll learn.

[RC]

Low handicappers seldom "scoff" at anything because no matter your handicap, we have all hit the worst kinds of shots and we are always learning. At least that is how I think about it. As long as the actual contact with the ball is fun, who cares what anyone thinks but you.