I can now draw the ball.....

[Khamelion]

....i should be pleased but,

I tend to slice quite badly, but I'm working hard on fixing it and with the lessons I'm getting I'm making good progress to reducing the severity.

I can make the ball go straight, it takes a lot of concentration and a lot of things have to come together for it to happen, but it does occasionally occur.

So this evening at the range I try to draw the ball, never been able to do it, well not intentionally anyway, and I draw the ball, I send it out right and it comes back left, fluke I thought, so I try again and lo and behold another draw.

Now I know draws go further than fades but should my draw be going another 15 to 20yds further possibly more?

I try to hit a straight shot, success and the ball flies out to the front of the green marked at 190yds, set up again and draw the ball and it goes over the green.

Success some may think, but not for me, I want to be able to hit the straight shot regularly, have the face square at impact and my left arm straight banishing my chicken wing, do I keep working on the aforementioned ailments, or do I know just go with what I've got, knowing that if needed I can fade or draw the ball as the situation requires?

Slightly irritated by the new development in my swing but also a little bit pleased.

 

[Mattyboy]

Ideally you want to be able to move the ball both ways at will. If the pin is on the right start the ball at the centre of the green and fade it to the flag and vice versa. Just don't over do the shape. A shaped shot that goes further left than the pin is for a draw for example is a bad shot (as you wil probably miss the green and short side yourself).

A fade with a 7 iron for me goes 156 which is the same as a drawn 8 (so its about 11 yards difference for me).

Why should you learn to shape shots? Apart from the obvious that you can attack more pins, IMO it helps with the mental side as you are not just trying to hit the ball at a target, leaving room in your mind for bad thoughts. Your mind should be full of how to draw/fade the ball (i.e. fill your mind with the process as opposed to negative thoughts). So you picture the shot, practice swings with the required shape and fire.

Once last thing - I find it mighty hard to shape range balls.

 

[chrisd]

I saw Gary Player at Golf Live recently and his opening line was that no tour player in the world hits a straight stock shot, especially off the tee. The reason - it cuts your fairway in half. if you fade or draw the ball you can aim down one side in the knowledge that you have the entire span of the fairway to use.

Embrace the draw and use it would be my view, it's a great shape the have!

 

[Khamelion]

Once last thing - I find it mighty hard to shape range balls.

I'll be back at the range tonight after work, for another 50 balls and more practice, as will be the case for the next two weeks until my next lesson and round.

I might have to bite the bullet and go to another range where the balls there are of better quality and are more likely a two piece ball rather than the solid yellow range balls where I go on the way home and see if the shape is still present.

Think I'll take the driver and 3 metal to see if I can still hit a draw with them, as I only practice with my 6 iron.

 

[Andy808]

So can I but I'm net very good yet the line is always a little off a perfect circle.
I can sometimes draw my shorter irons nost of the time but anything bigger than a 7 iron I'm knackered.
I'll keep practicing.

 

[DaveM]

I saw Gary Player at Golf Live recently and his opening line was that no tour player in the world hits a straight stock shot, especially off the tee. The reason - it cuts your fairway in half. if you fade or draw the ball you can aim down one side in the knowledge that you have the entire span of the fairway to use.

Embrace the draw and use it would be my view, it's a great shape the have!

100% agreement. Use the whole fairway. I have a slight, push fade and I sometimes keep it on the fairway.

 

[Khamelion]

100% agreement. Use the whole fairway. I have a slight, push fade and I sometimes keep it on the fairway.

Well I have a huge slice, fade, cut, call it what you will and hitting the fairway is not the norm for me. I tend to play anit-social army golf, zig-zaggin up the fairway from one srt of trees to another, hell if I wore camo gear the only time you would see me would be on the tee box or green

 

[DaveM]

Well I have a huge slice, fade, cut, call it what you will and hitting the fairway is not the norm for me. I tend to play anit-social army golf, zig-zaggin up the fairway from one srt of trees to another, hell if I wore camo gear the only time you would see me would be on the tee box or green

Just out of interest, what is your handicap? You have a great set of clubs in the bag there. I use to use the R11's in driver etc. But have just dumped them from my bag. As I was very inconsistent with them. Gone back to my old CallyX, driver,3 and 5. Now a nice little push/fade. More or less every time. Guess they just suit me better.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I find a HB pencil is good to draw the ball with

 

[Ethan]

I saw Gary Player at Golf Live recently and his opening line was that no tour player in the world hits a straight stock shot, especially off the tee. The reason - it cuts your fairway in half. if you fade or draw the ball you can aim down one side in the knowledge that you have the entire span of the fairway to use.

Embrace the draw and use it would be my view, it's a great shape the have!

Although the modern golf club and ball are easier to hit straight than the old persimmon and balata. The old ball/club combo also started the ball off low and then it soared. The new equipment hits it on an initially higher, but then flatter, trajectory.

 

[BTatHome]

I try to hit a straight shot, success and the ball flies out to the front of the green marked at 190yds, set up again and draw the ball and it goes over the green.

Think I'll take the driver and 3 metal to see if I can still hit a draw with them, as I only practice with my 6 iron.

With 6 iron going 195+ with crappy range balls I'd be happy.

 

[Khamelion]

Just out of interest, what is your handicap?

I don't have a handicap, I'm not a member of any club, I'd like to be, but because I'm on-call every other week I only get to play normally once a fortnight, but with the odd other day thrown in when I take a day off. That said over the long bank holiday weekend I played two rounds on the Friday and one on the Sunday

I did try playing one Sunday while I was on-call, but while putting out on the 15th my phone rang and I had to curtail the round to go home and get logged in.

 

[Khamelion]

With 6 iron going 195+ with crappy range balls I'd be happy.

I can hit a ball a good distance, but as the Pirelli advert said a while back "Power is nothing without control" and I'd be very happy sacrificing distance if I could hit the fairway from the majority of my tee shots.

Hopefully with the practice I'm putting in and the lessons I'll be able to make more FIR and GIR per round and get my scores down and being able to knowingly draw or fade the ball is going help.

Had another ephiny moment where what I'd been doing at the range suddenly clicked with what I have been taught and that's the beauty of lessons, you get taught the correct way of doing something and then with practice you get the moment where the light comes on and it all makes sense. Had a three of those moments since I started my lessons in March and each time I have progressed, it is truly a great feeling of accomplishment.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I may be in the minority, here but as a mid-handicapper I am not trying to shape my shots and I'll take every time. I tend to have a right to left shape if anything but don't set out to draw it. I prefer to keep it simple and hit it as straight as I can. If there is danger left or right I'll set up on that side of the tee and play away from it. From the fairway I'll take a straight shot towards the centre all day and take my chances from there

 

[DaveM]

I may be in the minority, here but as a mid-handicapper I am not trying to shape my shots and I'll take every time. I tend to have a right to left shape if anything but don't set out to draw it. I prefer to keep it simple and hit it as straight as I can. If there is danger left or right I'll set up on that side of the tee and play away from it. From the fairway I'll take a straight shot towards the centre all day and take my chances from there

I agree with you 100% Homer. Its just with the driver my natural shot is a push fade. So I play with it rather than fight it. It goes anywhere if I try to hit it straight.