Choosing a stock shot

[Apollo]

Hi! I'm a new member... Been lurking for a bit and decided to come out of the shadows :) I used to play some golf from the age of 10-16 (before worldly distractions came along) and got to an 18 handicap. Back then I just used to try to swing the club straight and make decent contact, with no ideas or thoughts about swing paths and ball flight laws. After almost 2 decades (I'm 34 now) I decided to get back into golf... This was about 2 months ago. My ball striking is decent and getting better, but my shot shape has been all over... Some straight, some draw, some fade... Without any real predictability. So after studying countless threads and videos here I've been trying to put shot shaping into practice. It didn't really come together until today! I was at the range, not having great success until I just really over exaggerated the stance, club face, and swing path. I went from hitting big fades and draws (borderline hook/slice) to very nice, easily controlled shaped shots. It was great hitting a draw with my driver instead of my usual BIG fade that would end up in the woods on a course. So my question... Is it a good idea to choose a stock shot shape and work on it rather than mixing it up? How many of you switch between fade/draw on the course just for the hell of it? This place has been a goldmine of information... THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!! Chris

[DaveP043]

Hi!

I'm a new member... Been lurking for a bit and decided to come out of the shadows :)

So my question...

Is it a good idea to choose a stock shot shape and work on it rather than mixing it up? How many of you switch between fade/draw on the course just for the hell of it?

First, welcome to TheSandTrap, I hope you enjoy it here as much as I have.

Second, Yes YES YES!!!  Most good players have a shot shape that they use on nearly every shot.  I think much of the discussion about intentional draws and fades does a lot more to sell magazines than it does to actually help golfers play better.  Its good to understand how to hit the "other" shot, for times of emergencies, but in my opinion its best to have a shape you can depend on for every other shot.

[saevel25]

My ball striking is decent and getting better, but my shot shape has been all over... Some straight, some draw, some fade... Without any real predictability.

Which is understandable from a bogey golfer

The ability to get a consistent ball flight comes from getting better at the 5 keys to golf.

So my question...

Is it a good idea to choose a stock shot shape and work on it rather than mixing it up? How many of you switch between fade/draw on the course just for the hell of it?

This place has been a goldmine of information... THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!

Chris

Majority of PGA Tour players hit a stock shot. Very rarely do they mix it up from shot to shot.

For me I try to fit my stock shot shape to the hole I play. If it's a hard dog leg right, or a tree obstructs your standard ball flight then I'll change it up.

Example would be for those of us who played Moon Valley a few weeks ago. A big tree blocks the whole fairway except for the part that leaves you 200 yards into the green. There is water straight away as well. In this example, for those of us who draw the ball it would be tough to play because you can't aim far enough right to get any good distance off the tee, or you would hit the tree. Most of us had to play a big cut around the tree to leave ourselves with a mid to short iron.

Unless your @kpaulhus who just takes a big sweeping west coast draw (AKA a hook) around the right side of the tree going over houses.

I would start a my swing thread so you can get some good advice on improving your swing. This will allow you to develop a more consistent ball flight.

http://thesandtrap.com/f/4180/member-swings

[Apollo]

Thanks for the advice guys! 5SK looks like a great place to start. I've also got a lesson booked for this week where I'll get a swing video analysis. Hopefully I'll get a copy of the video so I can upload it here too!

[Patch]

A stock shot is a good thing. It's a dependable shot. One a golfer can use over, and over, while knowing where the ball is probably going most of the time. I also believe that having a stock shot helps with course management, and other mental aspects of a golfer's game.

I might also recommend having a "Go To" club in your bag. A club you know you can hit well most of the time. A club you have confidence in, and  can depend on to get yourself out of trouble. In my case it's my 7W.

Knowing how to work a ball one way or another, in different situations is also a good thing, but only after the golfer gets their stock shot ball flight down pat.

[SavvySwede]

My advice would be to not choose your stock shot but to let it choose you. As you work on your swing keys and contact becomes consistent your natural tendencies will present themselves and then you can hone them. Too many guys get obsessed with hitting a draw or fade and change their natural shot shape based chasing myths likes a draw going further or a fade landing softer.

[DaveP043]

My advice would be to not choose your stock shot buy let it choose you. As you work on your swing keys and contact becomes consistent your natural tendencies will present themselves and then you can hone them. Too many guys get obsessed with hitting a draw or fade and change their natural shot shape based chasing myths likes a draw going further or a fade landing softer.

+1

I thought about suggesting this when I read the thread title a second time, but @SavvySwede beat me to it.  Learn to hit consistently solid shots, then cultivate the shape that is the most natural for you.

[Golfingdad]

My advice would be to not choose your stock shot buy let it choose you. As you work on your swing keys and contact becomes consistent your natural tendencies will present themselves and then you can hone them. Too many guys get obsessed with hitting a draw or fade and change their natural shot shape based chasing myths likes a draw going further or a fade landing softer.

Great advice.  A stock shot is fantastic to have, but it doesn't really matter which way it ends up being, just keep it simple.  No reason to fight a nice fade just because you really, really want to hit draw (or vice versa, as the case may be).

FWIW, I don't really think about what my stock shot is, BTW.  I just work on my swing and hone it as much as I can.  Right now it's at the point where I'm kind of starting to see a consistent draw pattern.

[dkolo]

You don't choose your stock shot; your stock shot chooses you.

[JazzFatCat]

My advice would be to not choose your stock shot but to let it choose you. As you work on your swing keys and contact becomes consistent your natural tendencies will present themselves and then you can hone them. Too many guys get obsessed with hitting a draw or fade and change their natural shot shape based chasing myths likes a draw going further or a fade landing softer.

I've always thought that a draw went further but I guess that has been proven by Trackman to not be true.

http://www.andrewricegolf.com/andrew-rice-golf/2012/05/trackman-exposes-golf-myths

[Pretzel]

I would agree that your stock shot should choose you. I'm glad that mine turned out to be a draw, because I struggled with a slice for quite some time and found a shot that curved the opposite direction desirable. If I happen to be fading the ball on a particular day though, I go with it as long as it is consistent. The biggest thing is just curving to the left or curving to the right consistently.

[mvmac]

So my question...

Is it a good idea to choose a stock shot shape and work on it rather than mixing it up? How many of you switch between fade/draw on the course just for the hell of it?

Yeah pick a pattern and stick with it.

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.

[Apollo]

I've always thought that a draw went further but I guess that has been proven by Trackman to not be true. [URL=http://www.andrewricegolf.com/andrew-rice-golf/2012/05/trackman-exposes-golf-myths]http://www.andrewricegolf.com/andrew-rice-golf/2012/05/trackman-exposes-golf-myths[/URL]

Speaking only about my driver, my draw definitely goes further than my fade. But I assume that's because I'm not hitting a true "power" fade... More of a small slice i.e. a glancing blow. After fighting a slice with my driver, a draw is a much more satisfying shape. I'm less concerned about draw vs fade with my irons, so which ever seems like my natural shape I'll go with.

[Apollo]

Yeah pick a pattern and stick with it.  [CONTENTEMBED=/t/61391/shaping-the-ball layout=inline]​[/CONTENTEMBED]

That thread is pure gold and is what got me on the right track! What I had been trying before was close, but my club face wasn't positioned correctly. So what was an attempted draw ended up a straight push.