Moving the ball

[Alex1975]

Moving the ball

Hi all,

I have been trying for some time now to have more control over my ball flight, both height and shape. I have started to make sure that I have the shafts in my club that have a large impact on the ball height and it has worked well for me.

My natural shot, the lazy stock shot is a fade and I have always seen it as a weak shot, the last few games though I have seen the merits of it for certain holes. The elusive draw shot on demand is something I have always struggled to do on demand. It has sometimes happened by proxy but never on demand.

I have gained a greater understanding of this shot and what the ball needs and in doing so have started to be able to play it by design. I would say I can now hook or slice the ball on demand and that feels like a few steps away from draw and fade (I think I am just a little aggressive with my wrists still).

It struck me on the way home from the range last night that I have spent months and months trying to make this part of my game and what I have actually gained from all this work is that now I can miss the target 15 yards left or right of the flag now and that’s a net gain of nil!? Although the process has given me huge enjoyment and feeling of fulfilment it is not quite the game breaker I had allowed myself to believe it was.

Should I have just been working on my putting or making sure my swing was repeatable rather than this? I do feel more in control and I also feel I have a greater understanding of the way the ball needs to be hit so it’s not all for nothing and let’s face it; I am not done with the process yet. Is this a project for someone who can already chip and putt with the best of them?

Al

 

[USER1999]

Understanding the swing is a good thing, it means you can fix it when it goes wrong.

 

[Region3]

Each to their own but I don't believe at our level we need to.
There's too much that can go wrong unless you've worked on it for hours and hours and are confident in your ability to produce it on demand.

I'd be willing to wager that on all the shots I've tried to draw or fade the ball around an obstacle, I'd have scored better advancing the ball as far as common sense allows and leaving a wedge to the green rather than trying to hit the green with a curved flight.

I still sometimes try though, closely followed most times by wishing I hadn't.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Each to their own but I don't believe at our level we need to.
There's too much that can go wrong unless you've worked on it for hours and hours and are confident in your ability to produce it on demand.

I'd be willing to wager that on all the shots I've tried to draw or fade the ball around an obstacle, I'd have scored better advancing the ball as far as common sense allows and leaving a wedge to the green rather than trying to hit the green with a curved flight.

I still sometimes try though, closely followed most times by wishing I hadn't.

Agreed, shaping shots for most of us is not necessary. The times I have tried it and messed up far outway the times it has worked out and like Region3, I reckon I would score better laying up and playing from there.

Understanding your swing is definitely important, but understanding it enough to hit your natural shot is as much as most of us need.

 

[Imurg]

I find that having the ability to fade or draw around a tree/obstacle to be a life saver. With my erratic driving I can end up anywhere and k.owing how to get out of the trouble can produce a par from very unlikely position.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Eratic driving with a 910 Imurg, that's slander in these parts

My driving tends to be pretty darn good so I don't often find myself having to manufacture that much, maybe that's why I don't see a massive need.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I tend to be quite wild at time but more often than not the lie dictates getting it back out anyway. I would fancy giving it a go and trying to cut it into a right hand pin or drawing it into a left sided placement from the fairway in a bounce game but to be honest our greens aren't too big and so find the middle stilll gives a good birdie chance. If I needed to in a match I'd take the shot on and shape it but doubt I'd try it in a medal. There is to much risk for someone as inconsitant as me

 

[Alex1975]

Ok but is it the case that a draw is a (I'm not sure how to put this) better/more user friendly stock shot?

 

[griffgolf]

I have played with a fade all my golfing career and generally the only time I play a draw is when I am out of position.

I would say as a 19 handicapper you should concentrate on trying to play your natural shape into the fairway and greens and your short game will get you into the hole.

My thinking has always been dont make the game any harder than it already is

 

[ScienceBoy]

I find it useful for the odd strong draw round a tree but I am not going to attempt the long fade to a tight pin over a bunker just yet...

One day maybe

 

[Region3]

Girls with straight hair want curly hair and girls with curly hair want straight hair.

Whatever shape you've got, go with it and learn it inside out. If my natural shape moved both ways in the same shot I'm not bothered, as long as it's every time so you know where to aim and where the ball will end up.

Lots of very good pro's play(ed) with a fade without it hindering them. It's all about knowing where the ball is going not how it will get there imo.

Having said that I've played with both over the years (not by design but by going from one fault to another) and if I had to choose would go with the fade.

 

[Alex1975]

Thanks all. Region3 great reply and point taken... Out of interest why the fade?

 

[Fyldewhite]

I have been trying for some time now to have more control over my ball flight, both height and shape.

I'm honestly am not trying to be flippant here but I've been trying this for about 30 years..... without too much success really. Straight is good.

 

[Imurg]

Thanks all. Region3 great reply and point taken... Out of interest why the fade?

The fade is easier to control. It stops quicker, unlike a draw that can get away from you very easily.

 

[Smiffy]

Thanks all. Region3 great reply and point taken... Out of interest why the fade?

The fade is easier to control. It stops quicker, unlike a draw that can get away from you very easily.

You can talk to a fade. A draw won't listen

 

[Region3]

Thanks all. Region3 great reply and point taken... Out of interest why the fade?

I don't know to be honest. I just felt more in control of the distance and the amount of movement when I used to fade the ball as opposed to (more recently) drawing it.

For what it's worth, I mostly try to hit the ball straight.
Some days it goes well and others I'll have brought a shoddy swing that moves the ball one way or the other. You just have to go with what you've got on the day.

 

[EZprophet]

I try to hit pretty much every shot straight, as I dont see the need to make a shot more difficult than it already is. I naturally hit a slight draw, so thats usually what happens when I try to hit it straight. I only ever try and "shape" the ball when I absolutely have to, and even then I allow for the fact that I might not shape it at all...

In my opinion without a shadow of a doubt you should focus on just hitting it straight. You can use a straight ball flight successfully on 99% of shots. You might find yourself wishing you could shape the ball at will once or twice per round, but my guess is that for 99% of players, trying to shape the ball does more damage than good.

In terms of whether a fade or draw is better it really doesnt matter. The best players of all time have played with both as their stock shot. The key is making sure you can get a consistent good strike, and make it repeatable.