Draw Ball Flight

[def]

Where do I aim (at the pin, right of pin)?

I hit a natural draw (I'm a righty). Where should I be aimed? If I aim at the pin I find that the ball starts on the target line and draws left of the flag. Also, if my amount of draw varies, how do I ever become consistent at getting it close? Thanks for any insight.

[PurePursuit]

The obvious thing to do would be aim right of the pin. I used to draw my Irons but find that a draw really doesn't hold the green as well as a straight shot or fade. Teach yourself to hit either of those shots or compensate by aiming right.

[Dixie Flatline]

I used to have the same ball flight. If the flag is on the right half of the green, aim at it. If you hit it straight, it's on the flag. If it draws, middle of the green.

 

Flag on left, start at the middle and let it fall towards the flag. If you happen to hit it straight, it's pin high middle of the green.

 

If you have a pretty consistent ball flight, you know you are only going to miss it by overcooking it or hitting it straight. So aim where a straight shot doesn't hurt you, and let it drift a little.

 

I play a cut off the tee now. I very rarely pull or hook it. If the fairway is a three lane high way, I am at the middle of the left lane. If I miss a little, it doesn't fade and I get fairway, if I hit the shot I like, it fades to the middle and if I overcook it, it ends up in the right half of the fairway or just in the right rough. I still hit them in the rough, but very rarely do I hit it in the trees.

 

Spalding

[jcjr34]

Here's the conservative approach.. If I always drew the ball then I would aim always to the right edge of the green if it were up to me.. That way you're pretty much guaranteed to hit the green regardless of where the flag is. If it happens to go dead straight then the worst that can happen is that you'll end up few feet off the green. If there were a bunker there, I would am a few feet into the green on the right side.

Here's the more aggressive approach.. Start gaging how far left your balls go a majority of the time and then aim right of your target accordingly to match that degree of draw.

[d0n]

Question, if the ball starts down the target line and then goes left is that a hook or is it a draw or does it matter? What about a ball that starts right and then comes back left? So confusing....

 

My draws always seem to go right and then curve back to the left and end up fairly close to the original target line. Not sure if it will help you or not but for me when my draw turns left to much it's usually because I took the club inside to much on the backswing.

[atlanta golfer]

Your swing path will determine the direction the ball initially starts on. Inside to out will make the ball start slightly right because you are contacting the ball on the inside. Outside to in will make the ball start slightly left because you are contacting the ball on the outside.

 

Your clubface angle will determine how the ball curves. Slightly open and the ball will eventually turn right. Slightly closed and the ball will eventually turn left.

 

This should help you diagnose your flight pattern. It sounds to me like you have a moderate inside to out swing path and your club face is square to slightly closed. imho this is desirable assuming total side movement is not more than 5-10 yards.

 

There are plenty of swing gurus on here who can advise what to do to change any of this - ball position, release, swing plane, grip, open or closed stance, etc. There are several alternative methods to hit draws or fades.

 

But these basic physical laws about club head direction and face angle will still hold true.

[KMeloney]

Question, if the ball starts down the target line and then goes left is that a hook or is it a draw or does it matter?

 

That's a hook (although I think a "hook" has commonly been recognized as a ball that really goes hard left as opposed to just a little left -- but left of the target is a hook).

 

What about a ball that starts right and then comes back left? So confusing....

 

That's a draw.

 

My draws always seem to go right and then curve back to the left and end up fairly close to the original target line. Not sure if it will help you or not but for me when my draw turns left to much it's usually because I took the club inside to much on the backswing.

 

Makes sense!

 

/< / /2 /<

[press007]

I hit a natural draw (I'm a righty). Where should I be aimed? If I aim at the pin I find that the ball starts on the target line and draws left of the flag. Also, if my amount of draw varies, how do I ever become consistent at getting it close? Thanks for any insight.

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Everything in golf starts with the target line. Producing a draw the simplest way I know of is with your set up. Your club face needs to point to where you want the ball to finish, you then set your body a bit closed, draw the right foot back from the target line. What you are accomplishing is a swing parh that is slightly across the line through impact with a face that is square to the target line, hence a draw. How much you close your stance is a matter testing at your practice sessions. A fade is accomplished in the opposite way.

 

 

A draws flight path is just right of the target line, then it draws on to the target. Fade is the opposite. If a ball tracks down the target line then goes left, thats a hook because it finished left of the pin. A slice is just the opposite...........jim

[pggolf66]

your description doesn't meet the definition of a "Draw" - what you have is a hook or pull - a proper draw would start out right of the intended line and draw back to the target

[atlanta golfer]

There are several different ways to produce the desired affect. My favorite is the simplest. To hit a draw (or fade) take a square stance which aims directly to the left (or right) of the target. But always aim the club face directly at the target. I like this because it is easily repeatable. You don't change your stance or swing. You only modify the point you are aiming at, and the place on the club that you grip in order to slightly close (or open) the clubface.

 

All that said, many people will hit a natural draw (or fade) by virtue of their existing swing path, ball position, stance, or grip. Other people will do it by feel and the way they hold off, or release, the club head.

 

I think if you do some searching and reading, you will find quite a few possibilities.

 

I like to take a club like, say, a 7 iron, and just play on the range with it, trying to make the ball do different things - left, right, high, low. . But for me, given my 12.9 handicap, almost always on the course, I am just wanting to hit the ball straight, or to minimize the effect of an existing imperfect swing.