How to Draw the Golf Ball (or How to Stop Slicing)

[Jakester23]

That is a big shift in swing path and not really that easy to do. The feel would be something you need to develop.

So I need to develop a feel to swing out a lot more than I currently am.

[saevel25]

So I need to develop a feel to swing out a lot more than I currently am.

To hit a push draw you need to swing outward with a closed face to path.

To hit a pull draw you swing inward with a closed face to path.

Really the only way to swing change between the two is to change your swing to produce an outward path.

I went from hitting a pull draw or fade to a push draw with my irons and a straight fade or push draw with my driver. This took 2 years of work to do. I had a lot of things I needed to change.

[Jakester23]

To hit a push draw you need to swing outward with a closed face to path. To hit a pull draw you swing inward with a closed face to path.  Really the only way to swing change between the two is to change your swing to produce an outward path.  I went from hitting a pull draw or fade to a push draw with my irons and a straight fade or push draw with my driver. This took 2 years of work to do. I had a lot of things I needed to change.

Thanks for the reply. I'm in the slight pull fade to pull draw category currently.

[mvmac]

So is there a feel or something I can check with video to change a pull to a push? I can get a pull draw basically anytime I want but I can't seem to get a push draw.

I'd review some of the posts related to this from last year. @iacas 's advice to feel like you start the ball out to right field with your path.

[JonMA1]

So I need to develop a feel to swing out a lot more than I currently am.

Like you, I thought my path was fairly in to out, but the ball flights proved otherwise.

What's helped me of late is to really exaggerate the in-to-out path. If at the top of my backswing my hips are at a 45 degree angle to the target line, that's the angle I think of for my swing plane. It isn't really close to that, but that feel helps me achieve a better path to the ball. It doesn't make sense logically because you think the ball is going to just push way to the right (of course if you leave the face open it will actually do that).

There are a lot of other things going on as I develop this. But the bottom line is that I now hit more push draws and my distances are pretty good (relatively speaking). I'm cautiously optimistic that it will remain simple and easy to repeat.

You likely know this by now @Jakester23 , but take any advice I offer with a grain of salt as I'm not very good. These are feels I'm describing and just because they work for me may not mean much.

[Jakester23]

Thanks Jon. I hit a few shot in the back yard tonight and for some reason when I actually do hit a push it fades. When I finally get a draw it's a pull. I need to go to the range and spend some time working on this hopefully I will get time this weekend.

[united]

I have only started golfing recently and do not know much. What I do know is that since I started I had the most egregious slice on my driver. Today when I went to the range I changed one thing and everything clicked. This thread is full of so much comprehensive information. I was slicing the ball a good 40-50 yards right every single time I hit it. I couldn't figure out how to explain it but the description on the first page about revving downward on a motorcycle handle is EXACTLY it.

I would hold my driver like normal. I'm a right handed golfer so the left/top hand was essentially cupped around the club. The handle laid in the top part of my palm, just below the start of the fingers. My knuckles were facing the ground. By rotating my hand so that my wrist was not laying comfortably along the path of my arm and cupping the handle of the club, and making it so my knuckles were facing outward toward the target (the revving of the motorcycle), I was able to hit everything straight and with a slight draw.

I know very little about the technicalities of the golf swing. All I know is that as someone who was slicing the ball 40-50 yards right every single time that this tiny little change was immediately effective. It feels strange and a little uncomfortable at first. But once you get used to it the results are amazing.

Just rotate that top/left wrist out toward the target with the knuckles facing out. It's incredible the difference I've seen.

[mvmac]

Some good stuff here. Especially the A4 pic and the bit about how golfers typically fail on HOW they go about hitting a draw. I've heard stories from instructors that have had clients come to the after a lesson with another pro where the advice they received to draw was to just "swing out to the right". The outward path is more of the result of doing things properly. If you just "swing out" your contact is probably going to suck and you'll go back to swinging across it in order to try and hit the ball first.

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/fitness-friday-how-to-train-to-hit-a-draw?mbid=social_facebook

Quote:

Trillium Rose says many amateurs are told that if they shallow their downswing path and get the club to move from in-to-out in relation to the target line, all these faults will go away. The advice isn’t bad, she says, if it’s not misinterpreted.

“Hitting a draw does mean that your club direction must come from the inside,” says Rose, an instructor at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. “But all too often players focus on getting the club on this path by forcing the arms to steer it in that direction. When they do this, they end up making a weak, unreliable, armsy swing and even if the ball does draw, it goes nowhere.”

Instead of worrying about steering the club on the correct path, it’s better to get the body set during the transition in such a way that a good downswing is the unconscious result, she says. “The transition from backswing to downswing is really the last point when our brains can control the swing with any consistency. The downswing happens too fast to make adjustments. So it’s better to get the body set in transition so the club comes down on that in-to-out path almost automatically.”

How do you do that? Before the club starts down, make a lateral bump with your hip toward the target, she says. This shallows the path the club will take to the ball and also clears enough room for the arms to swing down on an in-to-out path without interference from the body.

"The key is to keep your head and upper torso back while the lower body shifts forward,” she says. “This creates the tilt in the body you see me demonstrating.”

[iTzJordyyyy]

Hello. I've been playing golf around 7 months now. Have got a handicap of 24 and have adapted and overcome a fade/slice. Whilst on holiday in the south of france i came across this post and it made complete sense i know basic ball flight theory from my work as an aircraft engineer so aero dynamics is common to me. Anyway i come back from holiday. Skipped to the range and got out my 4 hybrid and was hitting shots taking account the basic steps. Moving hands around, sliding the right foot back, stetching out after and i was hitting straight shots! Miracle!! With all my clubs! Even my elusive G25 which likes the dark side(deep rough right side). So i like to thank you for the advice. But..... I want the draw. Just casually hitting the ball and i was talking to a pro that was about to do a lesson about general stuff, i found out he was peter dawson who played the ryder cup on 1977. English team i'll add. I told him my predicament and he sat down still chatting and i guess watching my form. He said; Do you like dancing. No. Keep you legs still your playing golf. Slide you feet back 6 inchs it's gonna feel like your stretching now. And say the words 'Seve Ballesteros'. I took my swing. Draw. Took another. Draw. Once more. Draw. All around the 200+ yard mark with a 3 wood. His words after. By streching out your brain instinctivly knows you need to stay stretch out through the swing so there no room for excessive hip and leg movement in the back swing and you encorporate a natural in-out on the downswing. Also you extend the length of of the club and incorpate more torque. Anyway. Your thoughts. I went to the range again and used this and all clubs from a PW to my Driver. All the things you said but get in your normal postion for a swing then push the club forwards six inches. It works for me. This is my first post sorry it's a little long :) take care

[pl3cky]

People! 

I hope you're all well!

juat looking for a bit more information on hand path and how that relates to the club head and also the club path 

how can this be applied to playing a draw etc 

peace! 

[mvmac]

People! 

I hope you're all well!

juat looking for a bit more information on hand path and how that relates to the club head and also the club path 

how can this be applied to playing a draw etc 

peace! 

Hi @pl3cky, moved your post here, check out the first post in the thread.

[alleztom]

How do you do that? Before the club starts down, make a lateral bump with your hip toward the target, she says. This shallows the path the club will take to the ball and also clears enough room for the arms to swing down on an in-to-out path without interference from the body.

 Thanks @mvmac - this explanation articulates a feeling I got in my last lesson which really helped me. The way I was trying to think about it is that the lateral shift (part of Key 2) creates space behind you (ie roughly the yellow line in the picture) for your arms to swing through and attack the ball from the inside. If you don't move forward at all your arms swing around you and necessarily are more out to in and not drawing the ball.

[mvmac]

If you don't move forward at all your arms swing around you and necessarily are more out to in and not drawing the ball.

Right and the "space" that the arms will seek if that happens can lead to an "over-the-top" move.

[colin007]

question - would this be a good video?  it seems like it makes sense to me, but im not that smart so ill ask you guys.

 

 

[iacas]

15 minutes ago, colin007 said:

question - would this be a good video?  it seems like it makes sense to me, but im not that smart so ill ask you guys.

There are worse videos out there, and @cbrian is a good dude. It relies on the "path is instinctual" idea. Sure, give that a try. You should see the picture change quite a bit. Sometimes not the right way necessarily (shallowing and swinging right with the shoulders rather than the hands/clubhead), so that's a caution, but still… worth a shot.

[George180]

I did play with a natural draw,but have developed so my many swing faults that has become very frustrating for me,so im greatful for the advice on this thread.

Edited November 9, 2015 by George180

[pl3cky]

Hi guys!
I've tried implementing some of the above discussed tips but still struggling with hitting a straight slice / push slice. attached a video, comments and criticism welcome, all i can think is maybe it's club face related?

 

[iacas]

6 minutes ago, pl3cky said:

Hi guys!
I've tried implementing some of the above discussed tips but still struggling with hitting a straight slice / push slice. attached a video, comments and criticism welcome, all i can think is maybe it's club face related?

Could you please upload the video to YouTube or Vimeo and embed it here on the site?

Thank you.