To draw or not to draw?

[Bogeyondown]

I'm just a novice who is taking lessons and my instructor is telling me that hitting a draw consistently is a good thing. I know what the difference is between a draw/hook and a fade/slice but I'm a little confused. I've gotten to the point where I can do it with my irons about 80% of the time but I don't quite understand why it is necessary or even a good thing. If someone could enlighten me I would be appreciative.

Devin

[bkoguy07]

IMO It's a pretty ball  flight.. but it rolls out a little bit farther.  It's usually personal preference.  Some people like hitting fades because they come in softer so you can be a little more aggressive to the pin.  I think they're ugly soooo I try to avoid them lol

[Zeph]

  bkoguy07 said:

IMO It's a pretty ball  flight.. but it rolls out a little bit farther.

A pull-draw perhaps, but a push-draw can land just as softly.

[saevel25]

Depending on the height of your shot, but a push draw only bounces a bit more than a push fade. There both good shots..

Pick one your comfortable with and go with it.

[ChrisSP]

  Bogeyondown said:

Originally Posted by Bogeyondown

I'm just a novice who is taking lessons and my instructor is telling me that hitting a draw consistently is a good thing. I know what the difference is between a draw/hook and a fade/slice but I'm a little confused. I've gotten to the point where I can do it with my irons about 80% of the time but I don't quite understand why it is necessary or even a good thing. If someone could enlighten me I would be appreciative.

Devin

I think the goal with most beginners is to figure out how they can move the ball right to left because that means they're typically approaching the ball from the inside, which is critical to being able to consistently hit solid, powerful shots. But approaching the ball from the inside doesn't automatically result in a draw. Players who really "get left" with their body turn through the ball will almost never hit it right to left. You'll figure out what's best for you as you move forward with your game, but your instructor probably wants you to understand proper path, which is a good thing.

[JoelCochran]

I don't remember which famous instructor it was, but I saw a video once where they said that a correct swing plane should naturally produce a slight draw.  They weren't saying you should never hit a fade, just that (all other things being equal) if the swing path was on line then it should produce a slight draw.  I'm not sure I totally agree, but I understand the idea.  A good inside-to-inside swing plane can produce either a draw or a fade based on the angle of the clubface at impact.

For a variety of reasons, swing path chief among them, the vast majority of players struggle with a slice: I play with a lot of mid-high handicappers who marvel at seeing a draw because neither they not their friends can produce one.  As for benefits of a draw, the ball will tend to fly a little lower with less backspin so you might get more roll.  It seems to me that a lot of courses are really setup for a draw, so you may find some long term benefit there as well.

Truthfully, though, I would not recommend a draw as necessarily better than a fade.  I would rather see good swing mechanics that produce a fade than bad habits trying to force a draw.  With good mechanics you can learn to work the ball in either direction, which will ultimately open your game up to a whole new dimension.  Keep taking those lessons, sounds like you're doing great!

[Bogeyondown]

Thanks for the answers, that really cleared it up. The instructor did one of those explanations that skirted around the question talking about centrifugal force and physics of the swing rather than just saying why its a good thing.