Any one working on shot shaping?

Any one else starting to work on shot shaping? I have really never tried until the last couple weeks. I just started really playing again last year after 5+ years and was focused on control and hitting the ball straight. I play with a slight draw and my bad miss is a pull hook. I have been mainly working on fading the ball more. Where I hit a slight draw most of the time I can really put a hook on one most of the time when I need to. But I’m finding it difficult to control the fade as to how much fade I’m getting. Any one else working on shot shaping? Any tips or drills you like to use?

I usually do some shot shaping at the end of my range session. Nothing amazing but small draws and then some fades.

I don't change anything other than the aim of my feet and where I square up too so no drills unfortunately.

Lol! I've spent my entire golfing 'career' trying to limit a fade. Almost got it under control this last year. But every now and again I want a fade so I open my stance. Open the club face and make sure to swing on a path well left of the target line.

What happens?

The ball goes straight left every single damn' time.

Try leaving the face square to the target. Sounds like you might know that its going way right and then you close the face hard.

Square face, open stance, swing down the foot line works like a charm. And likely need to go up 1 club.

My usual process is to first align the club face to the target line (ie; as if I was going to shoot straight). Then I relax my grip on the club and shuffle my feet anti clock-wise to open my stance while allowing the grip to rotate in my fingers. Then I re-grip the club and pick a new 'fake' target to the left of the real target. Then I swing, thinking only of the fake target. I wonder if it's thinking about the fake target that causes me to apply the correction?

Next time I need a fade (and it'll probably be on the 15th tomorrow at Feldon Valley because I always end up behind that blasted hedge) I'll give that a try.

I will still keep working on it, but probably more on the practice range. I hit a couple fades when playing today and wasn’t trying to.

Try increasing the grip pressure in your trail hand ring finger only.

I been shot shaping for years, and still working on it every time I attempt to move the ball left or right. Its a skill that, IMO, NEVER gets perfected, just practiced. Good Luck

If you regrip to a fake target that's your issue I believe. It's a SMALL adjustment with the swing plane. Remember we are talking degrees here. Too much and it'll be a nice banana for you

I have always understood how to draw and fade the ball but I never was able to work the ball both ways. I always had a slice or a fade. I got some new irons last winter. For some reason they do not like my old cut swing. My old ones were Ap1 714 and the new ones I got are JPX 900 Forged.

It was a HUGE adjustment on my part. After tinkering with them, after many nights of frustration, I found out that they work better for me if I swing in to out. That is the complete opposite of my swing. I have been practicing hitting them that way for a few months and I finally was able to draw the ball. What I did mostly was to stand square or a bit closed then feel that my swing is in an extreme in to out path. Of course when I took a video of myself, it was nowhere close to extreme but just enough.

Because of this, my new swing transferred to my woods and hybrids and driver. To my surprise I am able to hit straight and draw shots with those clubs. I tried to hit a fade and I was able to as well. I just open up my stance and aim the face at the target and swing along my set up. I still do not have the confidence to do it often on the course but I am slowly trying out the draw every now and then on holes that are not that tight.

I believe beginners should be taught how to curve a ball but so many don't learn it till way later..... so many are flailing away with no idea why they curve it or how to fix it

There are a lot of ways to do it. I generally just alter address position rather than change the swing or swing path. I 'turn the club in the chuck' so to speak. My standard drill is a 5-ball drill -- straight, low, high, draw and fade. It's an abbreviated version of the usual 9-ball drill, but I can't hit that many balls anymore. If nothing else, I find it hugely helpful in finding the neutral position from where I play most of my shots.

In the old days, we used to feel that you had to work the ball one way or the other, because balata balls didn't want to go straight. Today's balls seem happier going straight, so curving them isn't as necessary. It's fun, though, and continuing to try works around the margins of your technique.

Like most people starting out I had a wicked slice. As such my goal was to learn to draw the ball. Now the easiest shot shape for me to hit is a draw, followed by a fade. Generally I have better control over a draw though, most time with a fade I don’t start it far enough left. But I do shape my shots intentionally while playing, sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad. Fades for me are really push fades, trying to hit a pull fade is asking for disaster. For a push fade I open my stance way up, swing inside out with an open club face.

Anyway, shaping shots is fun, and when they turn out how you planned, it’s all worth it.

What in the...that whole process sounds absolutely insane.

What in the...that whole process sounds absolutely insane.

Seriously, what fake target?

Did you read OPs post? He specifically stated he regrips to a fake target to the left of his real target. Aka he aims the club face left of where he wants the ball to go

That's the point. Regripping to a "fake target" is absolutely insane. I suppose there is someone out there who has found a way to make that work. My apologies if this is that moment.

Actually, that wasn't even the OP. I was responding to your response to andrue.

I do it a bit, but I do it via body movements and the release of the club. Works for me and I’ve had good results so far.

I also do a bit of extreme shot shaping towards the end of the range session, so that would be hitting massive high sweeping hooks and low punch slices and everything in between. You never know when you may need one of those shots on the course and it means that I can fix any ball flights that I don’t like.

I agree. That's why I think that's where his problem is.

Good call on it not being OP though!

Please, too much ball flight confusion. Today, NEW Ball Flight Rules exist. Once a person understands how their ball flight happens, he/she can then move towards shaping shots. Until then work on hitting the ball straight. Having said that, though the desired outcome may be realized but your ball flight may not be what you perceive it to be. That was the case with me. I been working the ball for a long time. However, I had it in my mind what was happening, only I was miss understanding.

Instead of changing the whole swing or how you address the ball, which freaks people out, change the club face angle at address and see what happens. Another reason I play 620MBs, and slightly open the face at address, aiming right of my target. IMO using the club face angle to control the ball trajectory is easier and more exact than how my body and feet address the ball.

Some light reading: Simple Explanation of the New Ball Flight Laws

i like this drill and plan to give it a go next range session... see how it compares to my usual circus shot routine when i get bored of working on other stuff. could also be fun to turn into a range game. e.g. keep score in a little notebook and compare results over time. or play it in the style of "around the world" with others.

No I did not. You miss-read it. What I wrote was:

'Then I relax my grip on the club and shuffle my feet anti clock-wise to open my stance while allowing the grip to rotate in my fingers.'

then I wrote:

'Then I re-grip the club and pick a new 'fake' target to the left of the real target.'

Since reading English appears not to be your strong point I'll break that down for you:

Regripped the club.Picked a fake target.Note the order. The fake target is fake because it's not where the club face is pointing. It's purely so that I swing at an angle to where the club face is looking. The club face will be aiming somewhere between my foot line and a line toward the actual target.

Next time you think someone is insane try considering that it might you that is misunderstanding something.

"Since reading English appears not to be your strong point I'll break that down for you"

Mate, no need to go on the offensive straight away because someone didn't understand what you wrote. Chill out and stop being so inflammatory.

He misunderstood what you wrote, not stole your clubs and broke them all. Relax.

Well shit. Who pissed in your Cheerios. Good luck with your swing

Perhaps there's a cultural language gap. I was using insane loosely as in:

insane

2.

informal•USshocking; outrageous.

On that note, I'll concur with BirdieDoc. Good luck with your swing.

On the range, sure. On the course, no way. I’m not good enough for that.

Thats how I feel at the moment. I was thinking my game was at the point I could work more on finessing the ball. I want more workability with out completely ruining my ability to hit straight shots. The course I play has an almost 90* dog Leg left to the right and down hill. It’s probably around 250 yards and has trees and OB all down the right side until the fairway opens up and the green sits at the bottom of the hill. I really need a fade on that one. That’s the main reason I have been tinkering with fades.