I have been playing this horrible game of golf for 2 (most miserable years of my life) years now.. I am starting to be able to shape the ball with some consistency... my question is, do you shape the ball towards or away from a hazard? For instance I’m hitting off a tee box that has an OB on the left side of the fairway and right side is wide open.. would you hit a draw or fade of the tee box?
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Acesteve
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I have to be honest. If your handi is roughly right you don't worry about shape. You worry about taking a fault out of play. If you slice the ball and are right hand, you drive everything down left edge. If you hook (which is rare for high handi) you work right edge. If you can shape shots with your stated handi then forget shaping and work on the short game. I had my 18 year old son out on the green tonight. He has played one round in his life on a full course and shot between 100 and 110. He would have broken 100 in a heartbeat if he had any experience in putting or chipping. That does not come naturally at all to him
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No my handicap is no where near that.. I was wondering how you knew my handicap but I now see it under my name.. I think I put that in because I had no clue what mine was.. I can shoot in the low 80’s on the harder courses and mid to upper 70’s on the easier courses.. had a friend tell me my handicap is around 10, but I have no clue what it is or how to figure it.
Acesteve
Well-known member
Actually depending on course rating you are a 7 to 8 handicap
I’d try to hit so the ball lands away from danger. So if right is open and you are right handed, try a fade..
Qualify this opinion with the fact that I am not a consistent shaper of the ball, but I do have a common shape to my shots (draw to hook to straight pull). So in that case, I will usually line up to move the ball away from a hazard. For example, no. 9 at my home course is a par. 5 with water along the right side. I will usually line up to the edge of the water, knowing that the ball will likely move left and land somewhere in the fairway. Unless I miss and it goes in the water. :bulgy-eyes:
rollin
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yet agin. I apologize to all as I keep doing this. But it just constantly amazes me just how many people ( think ive done this like 3 or 4times in the past couple to few weeks) but it truly amazes me how fast so many people get good at this game. I mean 2 years and already low 80's to high 70's. recent others mention playing months and already 90's. then yet another a short while and already 80's. It truly amazing just how easy this game for some people seems to come. I mean just how many lucky people are pout there. Im playing decades and all kinds of lessons and practice and not even close to this. Just wow....I mean I often get disheartened with what efforts time and money I put in and little to no return. Then I see this and it like takes it to another level of more than disheartened. It just says "I suck" written all over it and "im not one the lucky ones" like so many others. IDK sorry but it truly amazing.
Anyway my answer for the question (and who am I to say sionce I suck and only been playing for decades) but is to not swing away from trouble because so many people do that and actually then turn the ball back towards it via too much an opposite swing path. Just swing your swing at desired target zone and forget the trouble is there. But I mean at upper 70's and low 80's and shaping shots ...how can you (and Im not trying to be rude at all) but how can you not know what to do with this? That's just not consistent with a player whos basically about single digits. It just surprises me is all because with the kind of consistency in ball striking you posses at that level you should be having no real troubles at all staying away from trouble areas of play.
Anyway my answer for the question (and who am I to say sionce I suck and only been playing for decades) but is to not swing away from trouble because so many people do that and actually then turn the ball back towards it via too much an opposite swing path. Just swing your swing at desired target zone and forget the trouble is there. But I mean at upper 70's and low 80's and shaping shots ...how can you (and Im not trying to be rude at all) but how can you not know what to do with this? That's just not consistent with a player whos basically about single digits. It just surprises me is all because with the kind of consistency in ball striking you posses at that level you should be having no real troubles at all staying away from trouble areas of play.
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DG_1234
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Remember that typing on a key board is much different from actually playing golf.
I’m of the mind set that you play your normal shot shape regardless of where the trouble is. Of course you might aim a little more left or right depending on the trouble, but if I hit a fade, I’m embracing a fade and not trying to hit a draw just to avoid the hazard.
ntanygd760
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It took me a while to figure this out on my own.
widespot
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I aim away from the trouble. If ob is left, I aim right to draw, which is more comfortable for me. If there is a pond on the right I'd aim left and fade, ideally. I'm right handed. Not aiming where a straight shot hurts you is a good way to think about it. If trouble is on both sides I want to hit it low.
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My first true round of golf was at my club championship.. I had only been playing for about 1 month.. my goal was to break 100.. the first day I shot a 92 which put me in the last flight for Sunday’s round.. my goal for Sunday was to break 90, I shot a 104.. that’s golf right!! Now I have been hitting some kind of ball my whole life, mostly tennis balls.. as a kid us boys would go play golf while the life guard took her breaks so golf was not completely foreign to me.. I have continued playing tennis in which I have always played competitively.. I personally think golf is kinda easy considering you can stand over the ball and take your time. Your essentially standing still when you hit the ball. Tennis on the other hand your having to get to the ball and your body is never in the same position when hitting a ball, not being able to replicate the same swing.. in golf you just replicate the swing because there is very little variation (other than your lie).. I think golf is more mental and discipline than swing mechanics.. I think people put way to much thought and effort into how they swing the club.. I’ve never had a golf lesson in my life..
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I forgot to answer your question in my previous reply.. I don’t know what to do with this because I’m new to golf and don’t know course management.. I don’t have trouble with ball striking/hitting, my trouble is I just haven’t learned the do’s and do nots of golf.. what are the best way to approach challenges on the course.. decisions that increase my odds of better outcomes.. limiting mistakes with conservative play, this is the tid bits of knowledge that I seek..
Querstion
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Which one do you feel more comfortable hitting? I like to have a stock shape of fade or draw that I want to play essentially all of the time unless needed otherwise. Takes a lot of the guess work out of it and just aim where it should take trouble away. Some shots/holes really force one way or the other, but in that case, there isn’t much thought with those if it’s forcing it. If both options are available, I’d play my stock shot shape. I’ve heard it from numerous people, but one of the best things to do is to pick a shape and stick with it. It’s why you can basically name players that hit fades or draws in the pros, because they all have a main shape they hit, but can hit the other way if needed.
Querstion
Which one do you feel more comfortable hitting? I like to have a stock shape of fade or draw that I want to play essentially all of the time unless needed otherwise. Takes a lot of the guess work out of it and just aim where it should take trouble away. Some shots/holes really force one way or the other, but in that case, there isn’t much thought with those if it’s forcing it. If both options are available, I’d play my stock shot shape. I’ve heard it from numerous people, but one of the best things to do is to pick a shape and stick with it. It’s why you can basically name players that hit fades or draws in the pros, because they all have a main shape they hit, but can hit the other way if needed.
A thousand times this.
rollin
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and hence exactly what im talking about. You think golf (outside of mental input) is fairly easy. Why? because it came easy to you. I dont care about tennis or anything. I played hockey for years and "was" always an agile athletic person. The fact that we address and hit a stationary ball is exactly what makes it more difficult vs other games in which we react to moving object. That imo is so much easier to do than this. One is reactive while this requires precise repetitive motion. In that sense its what makes it so hard for most people. But you (like many) are one the lucky ones. Your physical gate (the way your body moves about at all its joints) just so happens to better sync up up with what is required for making consistent repetitive contact with that stationary ball. Most people have to spend years and even a lifetime trying to do that. They physically just do not line up well with it regardless how well or not they mentally get in their own way. Im playing this game for far too many years and trust me it is not at all just the mental issues that prevents people from progressing. To you it seems thats the biggest detriment because your lucky where as you can physically repetitively hit the ball consistently well fairly easily from the start. But very many who dont get in their own way mentally still cant repetitively strike the ball consistently.
I generally wouldn't worry too much about shot shape, and would just align myself to a target (i.e. a spot in the fairway, away from trouble), and try to hit that target. Not important to me whether the ball draws or fades as long as it hits target. If you have a normal shot shape, you may favor one side of the fairway or the other just to allow for your normal miss.
When I've been to PGA events I'm always amazed at how little the pros curve their shots - especially tee shots. Outside of Bubba, most players out there generally hitting the ball dead straight, with a couple of yards of movement left or right at most.
When I've been to PGA events I'm always amazed at how little the pros curve their shots - especially tee shots. Outside of Bubba, most players out there generally hitting the ball dead straight, with a couple of yards of movement left or right at most.
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Like tahoe says.
I always like this video as well when thinking about better management;
[video=youtube;_f9-KLDVCtk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f9-KLDVCtk&list=LLuxRRbOuEMxgD4KTX7WS1Gw&index=97&t=0s[/video]
Rollin, I like you have been playing for quite some time and like you find reactionary sport like hockey, skiing etc easier than golf. While i am trending downward it has been slow. After years of minimal golf I have been practicing and playing regularly for about 2-3 years and still struggle to break 90. But I do see it happening.
For years I sucked at pool, it was a game I never played much and I was terrible at it. Then I started playing more frequently and slowly got better, then something kinda all worked and I was pretty good. That gives me hope at golf. Lets hope it is not a false one.
Course management is placing the ball where your next shot is easier. Where is the flag? If it is straight ahead, hit it straight. If there is a dogleg, try to hit a shot through the dogleg, draw if left, fade if right.
If you want to be sure to stay away from the OB, fade it, but don't aim left to fade. But it would be better to try to hit straight.
Acesteve
Well-known member
#17 on Saturday was a hole with water all the way down the right and a dogleg just 50 yards in front of the tee. My buddy wanted to be conservative so he hit a 1 hybrid. I watched him line up directly down the line of the water. He drew it back and looked brilliant. I made the comment I did not like a conservative play that required you take big risk. I stand by that for my level of play. My draw/hook can become straight as an arrow and routinely does. This is why I'm not a zero.
If OB is left, I'm generally teeing the ball on the left side of the box.
As to shot shape, particularly with driver, I don't often try to shape the ball one way or the other. A standard swing with a solid strike may yield me a straightish ball flight, fade or draw.
If I need a draw, I drop my back foot back a few inches. If I need a fade, I simply firm my grip up a touch. But again, I'd rather not do either so I rarely do.
I tee left side of tee box and aim center to center-right of fairway and let 'er rip.
As to shot shape, particularly with driver, I don't often try to shape the ball one way or the other. A standard swing with a solid strike may yield me a straightish ball flight, fade or draw.
If I need a draw, I drop my back foot back a few inches. If I need a fade, I simply firm my grip up a touch. But again, I'd rather not do either so I rarely do.
I tee left side of tee box and aim center to center-right of fairway and let 'er rip.
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Great video, thanks for sharing