Do you "work" the ball or have a consistent shot pattern?

[Burg]

I've become a better player this year by finally learning to consistently work the ball and shape my shots. I've never had a consistent shot shape (fade or draw) and I still don't. Accordingly, I find that I'm much more accurate when I try to hit a fade or draw as opposed to my old "try to hit it straight" approach.

Couple of questions for the crowd.

1. Do you shape your shots consistently?

2. If you do work the ball, at what club do you start? For example, I take dead aim with a nine iron on down but try to work the ball with an eight iron on up.

Just curious.

[StrmStlkr]

Heh, ask me again in two years.

[williethekid]

I actually have been practicing working my clubs, the x-20's are near worthless for anything less than a 6, but I can get a draw, fade, and straight shot out of the rest. In a round only club I try to work is the driver. And it's more of a "can't go right, so lets put the ball back a little in the stance, and focus on coming a little inside" So that if I hit a crappy shot it's either straight or a hook. I'm fairly new to golf though so I'm sure people can do more. Also players irons are supposedly better in terms of workability. Lastly if you can spin your wedges (or buy spin milled and a soft cover ball) I think you could work them to make them spin in different directions, hit a draw to spin right and vice versa? I'm not sure about the wedges but it seems like it would make sense. Anyone know about that?

[CG031]

I can't really shape shots, to be honest. But, I never really try, not even on the range. I want to become such a consistent ball striker that I can hit almost every club straight, then I'll work on trying to work the ball.

[iacas]

I can't really shape shots, to be honest. But, I never really try, not even on the range. I want to become such a consistent ball striker that I can hit almost every club straight, then I'll work on trying to work the ball.

Don't try to hit the ball straight. It's virtually impossible, and it cuts out your margin for error. You don't know if the ball's going to go left, right, or straight.

It's better to have a consistent shot, whether it's a draw or a cut, so you can plan on it moving a certain direction.

[tdinneen]

I'd agree with Iacas, used to try and hit the ball straight. Then got lessons, now I always push-draw the ball (so the ball lands on the target line, well that's the intention )

Much more consistent and repeatable, not to mention I can hit it further with less effort. Now if I'm having a bad day then the ball will either go less of a draw or more of a draw but it's always a draw.

[duffer]

iacas/tdinneen,

At what point do you recommend starting to move from just striking the ball consistently to focusing on playing a draw or fade consistently?

I have to say that I'm still a little confused as to exactly why that's the best choice. I'm not delusional enough to think that I'll get to the point of hitting it perfectly straight every shot, but is it still that hard to keep it at least somewhat on line even for the sub-10 handicapper?

[Burg]

iacas/tdinneen,

Not either one of them but I would say the sooner, the better. Hitting a consistent draw/fade eliminates one side of the course and makes planning shots much easier. For example, if the pin is on the right side of the green, I'm going to aim at the center of the green and hit a fade. If I mishit it, more than likely it just goes straight and I'm still on the green. However, if I'm attempting to hit it straight I now have to guess where I'll miss, left or right.

Being able to eliminate one side of the course is a huge help in lowering your score IMO. If I were you I would experiment with working the ball and find out which shot shape suits you the best. Use that as your normal shot. For me, I play a cut with my woods and a draw with my irons.

[Mitch Cumstein]

iacas/tdinneen,

I think that is one of the bigger misconceptions around "working the ball," specifically that it is a skill you should only start working on once you can consistently hit the ball straight. Thing is, nobody consistently hits the ball straight. The idea is to reduce the margin of error in your shot. In other words, if you try to hit a draw and you aim down the right side of the fairway, chances are you will go left, worse case straight, but you are not very likely to go right. In my opinion, once you start making decent contact on your swing (i.e. you're not too worried about whether you will get the ball in the air), you should start trying to learn to put a little draw and/or fade on the ball during your practice sessions.

[CG031]

Don't try to hit the ball straight. It's virtually impossible, and it cuts out your margin for error. You don't know if the ball's going to go left, right, or straight.

I have a natural fade with driver, and fairway woods but no consistent shot pattern with my irons/wedges...The point of my comment was that I don't think I'm at a consistent ball striking point to try to shape the ball...I just try and hit it straight right at my target.

[tdinneen]

Yeah, I'd agree with the previous two posts. As soon as you're consistently getting the ball in the air start playing with it, so hitting a draw (so clubface is closed relative to it's path, ie. you hit the ball on the right making it spin counter-clockwise) and hitting a fade (clubface is open relative to it's path, so you hit he ball on the left making it spin clockwise).

What you need to look out for as well is the path of the club, 'cos it's really how open or closed the clubface is relative to this path that makes the ball spin one way or the other.

So do you swing inside-out (which is ideal, or at least that's what my pro tells me, and pretty much every book I've read). What you are looking for is a 15-20 degree inside-out swing with a slight draw. Swining the club inside-out like that will push the ball, but the draw will bring the ball back to land on the target line.

As the previous posts mentioned, taking out one side of the fairway makes is so much easier to plan your approach and reduce that error factor (trying to hit it straight and sometimes it goes left, sometimes right).

Also, you do this for all clubs, from driver to lob wedge. My short game used to suck (well it still does ), but I've recently moved over to this inside-out push-draw with my short game and it's making a big difference. Along with hitting down and taking a divot it's giving me heaps of confidence over the ball.

[duffer]

Much appreciated on the replies...

I've been getting the ball in the air pretty consistently, so looks like it's time to start on that draw. Now the only thing I'm worried about is if I'll be able to pull it off given that I just bought a set of game improvement irons (Mizuno MX-19s).

Thanks!

[tdinneen]

A mate of mine has MX-19's and I've hit them, very nice clubs and good game improvement irons. For me (and this is my experience, so it may or may not be the general case ) is that with game improvement irons you have to exaggerate the effort required to draw or fade the ball but they will draw and fade just as well as players clubs... so rest assured what you have is prefect for your first foray into working the ball.

When I ever learn something new, it feels quite exaggerated anyway, with time and experience it becomes subtle. If you were to start with players clubs the ball would probably end up going all over the shop ('cos closing or opening the clubface even 2 or 3 degree's would impact the ball flight). With game improvement irons you have a bigger window so to speak (well 2 or 3 degree's will impact the flight as well, just not as much, it all has to do with an increaed MOI (perimeter weighting) and a COG further back from the clubface). At least this is my understanding/experience, I'll leave it to better golfers to correct me if I'm wrong.

[beung]

I never play for a straight shot I always play a fade or a draw, always. I may aim right in the middle of the fairway but I am always play for the ball to either move left or right, depending on the hole.

If you can play a fade, no matter if it's little or borderline slide, you have essensially eliminated the left hand side of any fairway or green. Now granted that fairways or greens that call for a draw are holes that you may not setup great for scoring but if you play a straight shot, the chances of missing left or right come into play on every shot.

When you start the ball down the left side of the fairway that is 30 yrd wide and you under or over "fade" the ball then chances are you are still going to land on the fairway because you have say 25yrd of fairway. If you aim down the middle and hit the same shot you only have 15 yrds of fairway to work with. For me I usually start the ball at the trouble and work the ball away from it.

This goes for greens as well, I usually start the ball at the "fat" part of the green and work the ball towards the flag. If I over or under fade/draw the ball then I hope at worst I am going to be in the middle of the green. I hate when they put the flag in the middle of the green because it gives me too many options and too much to think about.

[Burg]

I never play for a straight shot I always play a fade or a draw, always. I may aim right in the middle of the fairway but I am always play for the ball to either move left or right, depending on the hole.

Even with your wedges? I've always aimed right at the stick with a PW on down. Do you fade/draw your wedges?

[Dent]

I just always try to hit it straight. I only work the ball if i need to get around something. Something i really like is how i have this ability to get over trees. If a tall tree is 10 feet infront of me somehow i can still get it over with an 8 iron. Its impressive to me.

[Leek]

I work to eliminate the right side. Everything is either straight or right to left.

[tdinneen]

Even with your wedges? I've always aimed right at the stick with a PW on down. Do you fade/draw your wedges?

My pro has been trying to get me to swing the same way with my wedges as my long irons. So a push-draw, even for chips. Albeit there's not much of a draw for chips, but he wants me to have the same swing with all clubs. So he gets me to open my stance by 15-20 degree's to counteract the 15-20 degree inside-out path.