Talking to a hook?

[McKillian]

So I had sort of a breakthrough today, I almost controlled the ball both draw and fade. I´ve taken lessons which mostly have dealt with my stance and spineangle - now I´ve topped/thinned/shanked you name it through bucketloads of balls and now I´ve come out of it with a new stance and better spineangle. One of the things that I´ve noticed is how much easier it is to control the ball with better posture and angles. Long story short:

How do I control the amount of draw and fade? What I´ve done so far is simply adjusting my front leg and swing along the feet with either a slightly closed or open clubhead and it works, but its very easy to overdo it: draw becomes a hook and fade/slice. Am my fundamentals sound(In shaping) and I only need to hit more balls or should I do it some other way?

Man, the feeling when you execute a draw or fade away from a hazard at will is amazing!! Now If I only could control the amount a little better I´d be over the moon.

 

[justhackin]

No expert here so take this advice for what it is worth :act-up:

When I had that ability, many years ago, I put a stake about 10 yards in front of the ball so that I was sure it was starting where I thought it was. Once I got them started over the stake the majority of the time it became easier to control.

hackin

 

[JB]

This is the Ask the Pro Section. Please keep the section free of responses until GolfTEC has had a chance to respond.

 

[coolbreeze]

This is the ask the pro section, please keep the thread clear until GolfTec answers.

 

[bobcat]

"You can talk to a slice, but a hook won't listen"

Lee Trevino

 

[Smallville]

"You can talk to a slice, but a hook won't listen"

Lee Trevino

Please refrain from posting in the Ask the Pro section until the Golf Tec pros can get here to answer the OP. Thanks.

 

[McKillian]

Bump it?

 

[GolfTEC]

You've probably heard "golf is a game of inches," it also applies that it is a game of degrees. And half degrees. Tiny adjustments can make for rather large differences in outcome. Hence the fade that turns quickly into a slice.

Because the shape is a result of face/path AND angle of attack, changing each one on it's own will make incremental changes. But as soon as you throw in changes in 2 or 3 of them, the effect is compounded, almost exponentially.

So my easy answer is: yes, it's just plain hard and you need to practice it.

That being said, I tend to work on just three variables to shape shots, all independently, eventually being able to integrate all together:

Please note these adjustments make a large assumption- that all of your other motions are consistent (we all swing like robots, right?)

1. Direction of stance - use an alignment stick or a club to make minor changes to stance direction (which in turn should change shoulder alignment) while keeping the face precisely at a distant target. Make mental notes (where does it start, where does it end up, all relative to the stick) of what happens when the face stays square, but the path (based on changing foot/shoulder alignment) is varied.

2. Direction of face- maintaining a square stance (use those same sticks), make incremental changes in the face angle (the absolute best way to practice this is using lines drawn with a fine-tipped Sharpie on a clear impact board). It's worth noting that you MUST re-grip after you slightly open or close the face; simply rotating your hands open or closed from a neutral setup will do very little in that they will just return to square.

3. Shaft lean- never go into "negative shaft lean" (butt of club behind clubhead at setup), but moving the hands progressively forward will change the shape. This one is a bit tricky though, because it technically is changing both the face and the alignment (imagine starting neutral, then enacting a forward press where the butt of the club points well left of the left pocket- the shoulders would open and the face would open.) Experiment with changing the forward press in "half belt loop" increments; for example the butt of the club points half way between the first and second belt loop.

Shaping shots is great fun and quite rewarding when executed correctly. Those incremental changes listed above, especially when co-mingled will lead you in the right direction. Pun absolutely intended.

Hope that helps,

Trevor Broesamle, PGA
GolfTEC Santa Barbara, CA

 

[McKillian]

Thanks! I´ll keep experimenting with these tips in mind - it´ll be fun!!