Drawing and ball position

[sker]

Hi Logman.

If you try this simple exercise it may help to illustrate why playing for a particular shot shape is 'easier' to work with.

Take a soccer ball and try and hit a firm straight shot at a target say 20 ft away. To keep it straight you'll have to hit it with the top of the foot, not either side.
Try it 10 times or so.

Now try and hit the target with a slight draw using the inside of the foot. The results should be that you will get more on target and, if you try and do it with any type of power, the ones that miss will be closer, and more predictable. The attempted straight shots can go all over the place.

My kids used to think it was amazing when they curled a soccer ball. Doing this once, showed them hitting a straight shot is much much harder.

[David in FL]

Originally Posted by logman

G daddy, that's a scary prospect starting the ball down the right and drawing it into the centre. And if I block it? or hit a straight one i'm in the place where elephants go to die. My "logic is if I hit it straight I might get a draw......left side of fairway(playing as a righty). I might hit it straight(a rare beast) or I might hit a little fade......right side of fairway. I'm in play, maybe not good posi but in play.

I'm gonna have to agree with you a little here.  In order for any of this to work, you have to either have a standard ball shape to begin with, or must be able to create one at will.

If you cannot do that, until you can, I'd say that you should be aiming down the middle because your miss could go either way.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by logman

G daddy, that's a scary prospect starting the ball down the right and drawing it into the centre. And if I block it? or hit a straight one i'm in the place where elephants go to die. My "logic is if I hit it straight I might get a draw......left side of fairway(playing as a righty). I might hit it straight(a rare beast) or I might hit a little fade......right side of fairway. I'm in play, maybe not good posi but in play.

Originally Posted by David in FL

I'm gonna have to agree with you a little here.  In order for any of this to work, you have to either have a standard ball shape to begin with, or must be able to create one at will.

If you cannot do that, until you can, I'd say that you should be aiming down the middle because your miss could go either way.

I agree too!  Certainly you can't play for a one-way miss if you don't have a one-way miss.  In that case, absolutely ... aim down the middle, close your eyes, swing, and pray.

But, Logman, wouldn't it be nice to not have to do that?  That's my goal, and I believe that it should be a goal of anybody out there like us who wants to improve!