Shot Shaping.... Dogleg left

[malemotives]

My Home course has 3 Par 5s... all dogleg left. One starts the turn at 190 yards. The second at 210, and the third at around 260.

As a right hander who started playing golf with a wicked slice and has learned to hit straight or a slight fade, I can't hit a hook or draw to save my life. So, I have to cut the corners on the first two and hit to the right side of the fairway on the third, so as to have an angle toward the green. If I fade too much, mostly I just end up adding 40 or 50 yards to my 2nd shot. I play with many guys who can bend their shot around the corner on those 200 yard turns, and I envy that shot. Many lefties have a natural fade or slice around those corners.

How's your shot shaping on doglegs?

 

[Just_Brad]

Anything left is kryptonite for me.

What do i do? Play as far as I can to the corner, and play the 2nd shot in. I don't try to force a shot I can't make, I just take the shot that will get me in a straight line to where I want to be.

 

[TheHeez]

My shot shaping consists of hitting the ball straight and getting past the dogleg so I have a clear approach. Threatening OB and or trees is not good management and I therefore avoid it. I can hit a draw but trying to sneak it around a corner is asking for greater issues than an extra 20-30 yards on the next shot.

For your course I'd likely hit my 210 club on the first, 230 club on the second and driver on the third.

 

[fupresti]

Why not just aim for the turn itself and hit to that distance if we are talking Par 5's? You should be in a great position to lay up to a short wedge and guarantee at worst a par, maybe a birdie. the alternative is much worse.

 

[McRock]

I try shot shaping sometimes. I probably have a 33% success rate with it. If I were you, I'd appreciate your straight/slight-fade shot. But that's just my opinion.

~Rock

 

[JonD]

Why not just aim for the turn itself and hit to that distance if we are talking Par 5's? You should be in a great position to lay up to a short wedge and guarantee at worst a par, maybe a birdie. the alternative is much worse.

This. I've got a hard dogleg left par 5 as the first hole in league. I hit anything from 4H-3w depending on wind, just trying to get myself to the turn so I can set up my layup shot.

 

[Brianbigoats]

I have a slight draw to my normal shot so dogleg lefts set up good for me

 

[inthehole]

I'm just learning shot shaping both ways - it may be the most fun part of the game for me. I've found ways through trial and error that allow me to curve it right or left ... BUT ... I can't yet control how much it's going to curve. If I'm moving it left to right - sometimes it's a baby fade, other times it's a banana slice. Nothing better than when it works out as planned though ...

PS - the most important thing I've learned is that you must announce your intentions before the shot - otherwise when you bend it just right for position around a dogleg, your buddies will say you just got lucky !!

 

[Hawk]

My ball just goes left or maybe straight, so I like those holes. Long dogleg right is a guaranteed three shotter, whether it's a par 4 or par 5.

 

[JRod]

If it goes left it's 3 shots for me. Me trying to turn a ball left with my g20 is a snap hook.

 

[Hawk]

If it goes left it's 3 shots for me. Me trying to turn a ball left with my g20 is a snap hook.

Pssssh. I convinced you to play the 3w draw at Fyre Lake and it paid off big time

 

[O'Carroll]

Dogleg left is GO TIME for me. Dogleg right, and I'm scrambling to find a club to hit out to the corner.

 

[blugold]

I don't. I play a natural draw as it is. But even if a par 5 doglegs right, it's still a par 5. Hybrid off the tee. Short iron. Wedge. And then putt it out. No shame in that. Even a three putt bogey is better than attempting a shot that brings a double into play.

 

[JRod]

Pssssh. I convinced you to play the 3w draw at Fyre Lake and it paid off big time

True. I can turn my 3 over great so if the hole is short enough I can do that. Just a big nono with the driver

 

[golfinFF]

Play to the center of the dog leg if you can't turn it over(draw it).

A narrow stance for me ends with a draw

Wider equals fade

We are talking half a foots width to a foots width

 

[staticline]

Depends on the trouble. If lot of trouble, just hit to the dogleg and make it a 3 shot hole. If very little trouble, blast driver. If you don't hit the fw, punch out to wedge yardage. If you hit the fw, go for it in 2.

 

[DaBuckBoys]

I love trying to hit a big draw around a dogleg left. I try to flatten out my swing and really step on it. One of the common misses is a high pull left, that flies straight for a mile. Often it will get over the dogleg obstacle or have enough on it to get thru the trees. Another miss is just a low running hook that comes up short but doesn't usaully get me in trouble. Usually the worst that happens is I hit one dead straight and blow thru the far side of the fairway.

Its really fun in a scramble if you have a partner safe in the fairway.

 

[inthehole]

I love trying to hit a big draw around a dogleg left. I try to flatten out my swing and really step on it. One of the common misses is a high pull left, that flies straight for a mile. Often it will get over the dogleg obstacle or have enough on it to get thru the trees. Another miss is just a low running hook that comes up short but doesn't usaully get me in trouble. Usually the worst that happens is I hit one dead straight and blow thru the far side of the fairway.

Its really fun in a scramble if you have a partner safe in the fairway.

Thats how I do it too ... I "Kuchar-it" to get it to draw

 

[SkiBumGolfer]

90% of the time on a dogleg par 5, I'm laying up with a hybrid. Gotta play to the percentages.

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[Agent Jay]

When I'm hitting the driver well, moving the ball right to left isn't much of problem for me. We have a par 4 here at the local club that sounds similar to your holes you mentioned. Hitting a straight shot is usually the best idea. Hitting right opposite the turn gets you in tree trouble and to far left will too. There is a massive tree about 50 yard off the left edge of the box that you either have to hit a large slice around and back into the fairway, or hit it straight....unless you can hit a draw. The last time I played there, I hit a nice right to left draw that moved about 30 yards like it was programed to do it.

If I'm not hitting the ball well, then I'll throttle back with a fairway wood or long iron.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

My Home course has 3 Par 5s... all dogleg left. One starts the turn at 190 yards. The second at 210, and the third at around 260.

As a right hander who started playing golf with a wicked slice and has learned to hit straight or a slight fade, I can't hit a hook or draw to save my life. So, I have to cut the corners on the first two and hit to the right side of the fairway on the third, so as to have an angle toward the green. If I fade too much, mostly I just end up adding 40 or 50 yards to my 2nd shot. I play with many guys who can bend their shot around the corner on those 200 yard turns, and I envy that shot. Many lefties have a natural fade or slice around those corners.

How's your shot shaping on doglegs?

I can tell you what it takes for me to hit a draw, but if I were you, I would locate a PGA Teaching Pro in your area and let him/her teach you that shot with your swing.

 

[Nebgolfer]

I either try and cut a little off or lay up. I cant curve the ball left so i have to play it more conservative.

 

[wadesworld]

I'd agree with the others: don't try to force things by hitting a shot with which you're not comfortable. The odds of a poor shot go up dramatically.

Certainly one can learn to hit a draw on-command. However, if your swing tends to produce fades, it's not going to happen without a lot of instruction and work.

 

[Tadashi70]

I guess I would ask myself what club can hit that will hug the corner but not go through the fairway. If I could draw the ball and played a straight fade or fade, I would find my distance to the edge of the fairway and play the club that just left me short.

If you can't hit a draw on demand then that is your most aggressive solution. The smart play is to play to the dog leg, layup on 2nd shot and make it a three shot hole.

If you want a short cut draw then you need to do the following.

- set up down the right side of your intended target
- hood the club a few degrees
-swing down your target line
-release the arm through impact
-hold the hips from clearing

This is a short cut for faders to hit draws. It's not an every swing, swing. It's also not the way to play a draw. But if you want to turn it over this is a good way to achieve

 

[dizzyg12]

I used to have a slice until I taught myself how to hit a draw. Once I learned what to do, it was easy. Eventually draw turned into wicked hooks and pulls. Now I just play it straight unless I have a fairly safe hole to hit a draw.




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