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Idea - shouldn't I "always" use Draw and Fade?

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Orsettosnow

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Hello mates,


i have a question: i'm practicing with a "weight shift" on the left side of my downswing, and now i'm shooting much better (even if i still make some mistakes, i'm not Tiger Woods eheh), BUT:


- tested on the course: hitted 10 drives thinking about a "straight shot", and i got 5 fairways out of 10 (2 out and 3 rough)


- tested on the same course: hitted 10 drives thinking about a "draw or fade shot" (i'm not talking about hook or slices), and i got 9 faiways out of 10 (1 rough),


So, shouldn't i prefer to use these kind of shots comparing to a "straight" shot? Psychologically i'm more confident because i know where i will hit my shot. I know where my ball will flight.


What do you think about mates?

Let me know,

Thank you
 
Hey, if it works...
 
I just hit it straight off the tee, because drawing and fading the ball never works off the tee for me. Whatever works for you.
 
Spiritomb said:
I just hit it straight off the tee, because drawing and fading the ball never works off the tee for me. Whatever works for you.
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Hello,

thank you for your answer,

isn't "drawing or fading" much simpler? I mean, i just need to point my club to the target, open/close my stance, and then make an outside/inside swing. I feel it MUCH simpler then keeping myself always on a straight line. What do you think about these idea?
 
The best thing for you may not be the best for someone else, if you find it more comfortable and more successful to either draw or fade tee shots then that's what you should do. Dont worry about what others say...if you feel comfortable doing it and you are hitting 9/10 fairways...then stick with it!
 
TripleBogieTim said:
The best thing for you may not be the best for someone else, if you find it more comfortable and more successful to either draw or fade tee shots then that's what you should do. Dont worry about what others say...if you feel comfortable doing it and you are hitting 9/10 fairways...then stick with it!
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Thank you for your answer,


Do you know what? I have never had that feeling. When i try to hit straight shot, i'm always thinking about "how the hell can i do to keep my ball in line, i'm coming too much inside, too much outside, ecc. ecc.). I'm always struggling with my swing.


Instead, when i tried to "draw or fade" my ball i know EXACTLY what i was doing and where my ball was going. That's a feeling that i have never experienced. And i'm more fiducios and consistent. do you think that's a bad idea? :) i'm thinking of what people will say to see me always playing draw or fade LOL
 
Orsettosnow said:
Thank you for your answer,


Do you know what? I have never had that feeling. When i try to hit straight shot, i'm always thinking about "how the hell can i do to keep my ball in line, i'm coming too much inside, too much outside, ecc. ecc.). I'm always struggling with my swing.


Instead, when i tried to "draw or fade" my ball i know EXACTLY what i was doing and where my ball was going. That's a feeling that i have never experienced. And i'm more fiducios and consistent. do you think that's a bad idea? :) i'm thinking of what people will say to see me always playing draw or fade LOL
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To heck with what other people say or think. I'm trying to play a controlled fade as hitting it straight, for me anyway, just doesn't work. Yeah, it's gets out of control from time to time but it's a thing of beauty to me when it works. As long as you're comfortable with it, let 'em talk or think what they want. Hater's gonna hate!
 
As long as you're consistent, there isn't a thing wrong with it. I can't do that. If I try to play a fade or draw, it's just as likely to go straight or the opposite direction and leave me in a bad spot.
 
If you can hit a controlled and repeatable shot that works for you and gets the ball to where you want it, go with it. The scorecard doesn't care.
 
Orsettosnow said:
Hello,

thank you for your answer,

isn't "drawing or fading" much simpler? I mean, i just need to point my club to the target, open/close my stance, and then make an outside/inside swing. I feel it MUCH simpler then keeping myself always on a straight line. What do you think about these idea?
Click to expand...

I think you should do what you like. To me drawing and fading off the tee is too risky.
 
Like some of the others have said....if your swing is fairly consistent and your ok with playing a fade or draw, then go for it. You don't HAVE to hit it straight. If you can hit the fairway more often with a small fade, then do that. You'll play better golf if you know where the ball is going each time, right? If you step up to hit your driver, trust your swing and know "if I swing normally, then this should be in the middle of the fairway with my small fade off the tee," then you'll be in the fairway. Then your next shot is "ok, so I have a pin on the right side of the green, that works great for my small fade. I'll just aim to the left side of the green and I should be in the middle of the green or near the pin." Then hit THAT shot.
There are a LOT of professional golfers on tour that don't always hit it straight, but play a fade or a draw...but they are still on tour!

You'll be fine hitting the shot that works best for YOU. If you can control it, use it to your advantage.
 
Thank you again mates,

that's something consistent for me because i know how to hit the ball (i mean, i know that by hitting a fade i will go "outside" in the backswing and then coming from inside in the downswing). And that's something natural for me. Instead, it's not natural for me the straight path. i'm always struggling about hitting it straight. That's something weird, i don't know how to explain it, but i know that it works for me :D
 
I play to a draw most of the time. If you can eliminate a miss (right in my example), why not play to that? Now, there are overcooked draw issues, but it's nice to be able to play down the right side of a hole and be confident that it's not going to turn right on me.

The proof is in the pudding here.. You hit 5 of 10 as a straight shot and 9 of 10 with the draw. I know what I'd do.
 
Canadan said:
I play to a draw most of the time. If you can eliminate a miss (right in my example), why not play to that? Now, there are overcooked draw issues, but it's nice to be able to play down the right side of a hole and be confident that it's not going to turn right on me.

The proof is in the pudding here.. You hit 5 of 10 as a straight shot and 9 of 10 with the draw. I know what I'd do.
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Ever thought of working on the fade, now that you've mastered the draw?
 
Thechosen1 said:
Ever thought of working on the fade, now that you've mastered the draw?
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I struggle to generate a fade because i am in-out and relatively steep (play a 'pull-draw'). Creating a fade produces some solid spin and distance loss if I can even accomplish it.

May as well play the strengths, right?
 
Matthew said:
To heck with what other people say or think. I'm trying to play a controlled fade as hitting it straight, for me anyway, just doesn't work. Yeah, it's gets out of control from time to time but it's a thing of beauty to me when it works. As long as you're comfortable with it, let 'em talk or think what they want. Hater's gonna hate!
Click to expand...

Agreed completely...there is nothing wrong with playing one shot shape for most or all of your shots. Golf is about getting the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible and if hitting a fade or a draw consistently allows you to do that, then I would stick with it. As far as receiving criticism for it, those people will quiet down with the trash talk once you start beating them every week.
 
Shawn Clement teaches that one should always be visualizing a shot shape. Hitting a perfectly straight ball is nearly impossible, so we shouldn't be trying he says. Most "straight" shots have a slight draw or fade, so we should be embracing that.

With that said, I think it depends on the player. If you're good at working the ball both ways, I think it would be good to play a shot shape on every shot. However, I think especially for less-accomplished players, you can get too caught up in how to accomplish the shot shape and hit a poor shot as a result.
 
wasn't it sam snead that said something to the effect of i can hit 100 draws in a row, but i can't hit 10 in a row straight? I think if you can consistently play one flight (draw fade), you eliminate half of your misses.
 
Every spring, after a winter off, my swing somehow changes. This particular year, I've been hitting fades. So I consistently aim as though I'm going to fade. Not much, if it goes straight, I want to still be in the fairway, but I expect the fade, and I do not fight it.

~Rock
 
I've never been able to hit a "STRAIGHT" ball. I've always played a natural draw and as such aim for the right half of the fairway and let the ball come back to centre or at worst the left side of the fairway. I can play a fade off the tee but very few holes where I play that they're required. It's always best to have a precise target off the tee as it'll help you focus on the shot a lot more. I think the worst thing that a lot of golfers do is stand on the tee and go, "Anywhere other than right will do". Aim at a target and make sure if you miss that you don't do so to the point where you are unable to have a decent next shot.
 
Don't be afraid of shape. Be afraid of inconsistent or unexpected shape. That's my motto. That and everybody Wang Chung tonight.

[solid movie reference there. High five for anybody who knows what I'm talking about]
 
Nicklaus once said "a prefecture straight shot with a big club is a fluke" and I think it was Hogan who responded once when asked about working the ball, that hitting the ball straight was the hardest shot in golf.

Point being, there isn't a lot of room for error when trying to play a straight shot. Much more so when it's being shaped. Your little experiment proved that true for your game, so work that ball and keep hitting fairways and greens.
 
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