Theories on shaping shots....

[oregongolfguy]

While reading the GI/Blade discussion here it has started to wander a bit towards shot shaping.  This got me to thinking about how people approach or don't approach this.

I used to try to hit the ball straight.  It just seemed to make the most sense to me.  I knew that "low" cappers moved the ball a lot, and even though a lot of internet golfers seemed to move the ball at will they don't seem to score....So I decided that straight made the most sense.  And I would hit the ball pretty straight at times.  And I would miss to the left, and I would miss to the right....and I really didn't hit a lot of shots that were "dead" straight.  And after a while I came to the conclusion that trying to hit the ball straight just was not going to work for me.  Fighting a two way miss makes trying to score very difficult for me....

Know I am working on trying to get my flight more consistent moving in one direction.  If I only miss one direction the vast majority of the time then I feel as though I can do a better job of shrinking my shot zones.  I have also learned to work on these things at the range, but I take my swing for the day to the course.  I am not going to fight my swing on the course.

I feel as though I am going to score better long term playing for one type of ball flight.

I also see and hear a lot of talk about lowering the ball flight all the time.  Personally I find this interesting as I prefer to play a high ball whenever possible.  I feel as though with most of my clubs I launch the ball pretty high.  I can hit a green and have the ball stop pretty quickly.  I used to flip a lot which accounted for some of the height and a lot of spin.  But I have found that I still throw the ball up in the air quite a bit without flipping.  If I absolutely need to hit a low shot I usually club up, take less of a swing and hit basically a partial shot with less spin.  But I rarely feel compelled to hit this shot.

It really kinda hit home for me last fall with a gent I got paired with.  He hit a big push fade.  Every shot, every club.  The longer the club, the more the curve.  He told me that he spent years trying to figure out how to draw the ball, shape different shots etc, but finally gave up.  Now he just aims left and watches the ball go right.  I am sure that there were some swing faults that could be corrected, but ultimately the goal is to shoot the lowest score.  And I watched him card a 76 on a tough windy day....

[MrDC]

My theory on shot shaping is it's fun, and something everyone should work on at least off the tee with driver, because you never know what shape may come easy and if you can learn to move the ball both ways a bit it can help on some holes.

[saevel25]

While reading the GI/Blade discussion here it has started to wander a bit towards shot shaping.  This got me to thinking about how people approach or don't approach this.

Golf is hard enough, stick to one shot shape.

Majority of PGA Tour players hit one shot shape.

I also see and hear a lot of talk about lowering the ball flight all the time.  Personally I find this interesting as I prefer to play a high ball whenever possible.  I feel as though with most of my clubs I launch the ball pretty high.  I can hit a green and have the ball stop pretty quickly.  I used to flip a lot which accounted for some of the height and a lot of spin.  But I have found that I still throw the ball up in the air quite a bit without flipping.  If I absolutely need to hit a low shot I usually club up, take less of a swing and hit basically a partial shot with less spin.  But I rarely feel compelled to hit this shot.

Typically you want the ball to go 27-30 yards at peek height for all clubs. If you go too high you can loose distance. Same with too low. I would say most amateurs hit their shots too low for their swing speeds.

[Golfingdad]

Golf is hard enough, stick to one shot shape.

I agree, but there is certainly a plus side to at least knowing the dynamics involved in curving shots, especially for guys like us who get lost in the woods often. ;)

Majority of PGA Tour players hit one shot shape.

I'm being a little pedantic here, but I think what you meant to say is that ALL PGA Tour players hit one shot shape a MAJORITY of the time.  As you wrote it, it sounds like there are a few pros who hit it every which way.  Then again, that might be entirely true, and also might be exactly what you were going for. ;)

Typically you want the ball to go 27-30 yards at peek height for all clubs. If you go too high you can loose distance. Same with too low. I would say most amateurs hit their shots too low for their swing speeds.

Come again??  If you go to high, you can what?

[saevel25]

Come again??  If you go to high, you can what?

Fall with style.

[Golfingdad]

Come again??  If you go to high, you can what?

Fall with style.

To be fair, I should say that the "to" that should be a "too" in my post where I make fun of your grammar was not intentional.  I wish I could say it was and I was just being clever, but alas, I was just being a dummy. So I take back my and replace it with a

[Grinde6]

Shaping shots is fun and I think its something everyone should learn how to do or just take a bucket of balls at the range and try hitting the 9 shots.  The person that plays a draw has a heck of a time getting to those back right pin locations, where hitting a nice fade into the green and letting it release back to the hole would be very beneficial.  Same with the fader to the back left pin location.  If you can work the ball both ways with the driver it can help immensely as well.  Its an out to in path for the fade and in to out path for the draw, then exaggerate it more or less for more draw/fade or less draw/fade...try it next time on the range and I guarantee you will find it fun!!

[trickyputt]

I shape shots but in the minor way. I dont try for hero shots unless I am in trouble, and then I have to account for the very real chance I will hit straight instead of hooking or slicing as I intended, and having the ball go into the woods on the other side of the fairway. The reason I shape is distance. If I need to stop a ball in the shorter range of a club, a small cut will not only lose a few yards, but will check up better for me. I can max a club with a draw. This is predominantly on longer sticks as wedges are acting like cuts for me anyway. It is especially prevalent in my fairways, where I try to draw and my long irons/hybrids, wher I am trying to stop on a green or par 3 from the tee.

[mvmac]

It really kinda hit home for me last fall with a gent I got paired with.  He hit a big push fade.  Every shot, every club.  The longer the club, the more the curve.  He told me that he spent years trying to figure out how to draw the ball, shape different shots etc, but finally gave up.  Now he just aims left and watches the ball go right.  I am sure that there were some swing faults that could be corrected, but ultimately the goal is to shoot the lowest score.  And I watched him card a 76 on a tough windy day....

Yep, focus more on developing a reliable pattern than "working" the ball both ways.

A Quick Word on Shaping the Ball

95% of the shots a pro plays (Tiger Woods may be one of a group of very small exceptions, and even he isn't as different as many think) are their stock shot. They don't curve much, but if a player is a drawer of the golf ball, 95% of their shots draw. It's the most reliable, dependable way to play - with a pattern.

Kenny Perry (a pronounced drawer) was playing at Doral a few years ago and someone asked him what he does with a pin on the right side of the green. He said he aimed at the flag and if his ball didn't draw, he got lucky, but otherwise he was content to have a 25-footer for birdie.

Then the person asked him what he did when the pin was on the left side of the green. "I make birdie" he said. :)

You'll get better, faster if you develop a pattern. Shaping the ball is over-rated - not even the pros do it all that often. Shaping the ball can get you out of trouble. It can be a good shot when the ball needs to be worked around an obstacle (reaching a par five in two, the tee shot on a dogleg, etc.). But if you've got a look at the flag, take the Kenny Perry approach: aim for your shot cone and play your pattern.