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Working the ball the way you intended it thread

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Mystery Meat

Ben Hogan Fan
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The last 10 years as a mill foreman and turning mid 40 has really taken a toll on my body. Really struggled with modern golf instruction as my body just can't function like I was 20 again. Been very fortunate to have found some great teachers the last few seasons who have developed a motion that enhances what my old body can handle. I'm slowly realizing that I will never look like Ben Hogan or Rory .. Etc .. But doesn't mean I can't play great golf. Just recently I have acquired a ball flight that goes lower but falls off slightly to the right just before landing. A ground fade i guess is what I call it.

anyway , just thinking ball flight how many shots can you hit in a round (percentage wise) that fly exactly the way you planned it. You don't have to be an Internet 300 yard hitter to reply here , anyone can work the ball properly. I would say I'm about 75% which is leaps and bounds from where I was this spring

What is your shot and how often does it work out for you during a round ?

heck, I even know guys who play a slice and do well with it
 
< 12%

I, admittedly, do not try to work the ball all that often
 
Internet golfers can work the ball. I don't work the ball. I play what is natural, which is as straight as possible, because trying to get fancy is when I get into trouble. It works 0% of the time for me. Take my medicine, don't attempt the hero shot, and eliminate double bogeys.
 
My natural shot is a fade so that is easy with any club. I'd say when I must hit a draw, it is easier with longer clubs and more so off a tee. I can draw a driver, woods and hybrids off the tee 4 out of 5 intended times I'd say and it gets harder as the clubs get shorter given the amount of offset in them. Off the turf on a tight lie with a wood or hybrid I might be 3 out of 5, maybe. Depends on the day.
 
My natural shot is a draw,being a lefty but swinging right enhances this at times. I can hit a fade but not on command, believe it or not an Internet golfer cannot place his ball on his intended line most of the time


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tpluff said:
Internet golfers can work the ball. I don't work the ball. I play what is natural, which is as straight as possible, because trying to get fancy is when I get into trouble. It works 0% of the time for me. Take my medicine, don't attempt the hero shot, and eliminate double bogeys.
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Ok say I gave mr. Tpluff $20 for every drive in the fairway out of 20 on a random par 4 using a driver. What would your go to shot be to take all my money this day ? Pull/push/Fade/ slice/hook/draw.. Doesn't matter which one . What do you fall back on ?

so you hit dead straight? Does it tend to leak any certain way ?
 
If I need a draw? 0% of the time. My natural shot is straight to fade, but if I need to absolutely fade it, I'd say 30% for what I want to actually see. 70% of the time it will either go straight, push, or over fade on me. Typically I play for a straight shot and try to leave room to miss a little right with the fade
 
Mystery Meat said:
Ok say I gave mr. Tpluff $20 for every drive in the fairway out of 20 on a random par 4 using a driver. What would your go to shot be to take all my money this day ? Pull/push/Fade/ slice/hook/draw.. Doesn't matter which one . What do you fall back on ?

so you hit dead straight? Does it tend to leak any certain way ?
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I wouldn't be taking more than a couple Jackson's unless we are in Carolina fairways. It does tend to leak both ways, into the rough. Which is why I go for the straight shot. I know, I should work on it.
 
I'm going for straight before I worry about working the ball.


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I don't try to work the ball. Most if the courses i play I can get away with a relatively straight ball. My normal flight is straight with a little draw. When I try to work the ball it doesn't always go in my favor so I try to keep it simple. If I had to put a percentage on the shot in I I tend to play it's probably <30%
 
I only try it when I either have to or I only hav to work it a little and the miss is low risk. Maybe once a round, more like every other. Success is 50 50 at best.
 
I naturally hit a fade. I can produce a draw most times but I understand that a pull/hook is possible so if I can avoid it and just swing normally I will.
 
I assume a slight fade because that's what my ball flight typically does. I work hard to extend through the ball to make sure it doesn't pull or (worse) hook on me.

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I can't find the quote, but there's a famous golfer who said he only hit like 1 or 2 shots per round that he hit the way he intended. so 75% is pretty freaking good.

for me, I really like working the ball. the fact is I shouldn't, because I either don't shape it at all, or not enough, or too much. but I can't help trying. I really should focus more on straight shots.


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When I hit driver down too short irons I typically try to shape the flight, left or right depending on...a lot of things. Lol. If I need to hold a fairway and there is room to fade, I'll do (try) it. Or if I want some roll, or have to bring it around an obstruction, I'll do it. I have found when I have to attempt a specific shot rather than just try to hit it straight, I am more successful.

wedges...well, I can't shape those as much, I work on distance and stopping them where I want.

using this approach makes me concentrate more, I am really having fun with it. But I have a long way to go!
 
The only time I work a ball is when there's trouble between me and my target, otherwise I find it over complicates things. (K.I.S.S)
 
If I'm hitting the ball well, I hit it lazer straight. When I need to I can fade it pretty well, draws...not so much. I struggle mightily with hitting a draw.
 
Nice honest posts. When I say 75% I saying 75% have a slight fade tail on them. Which makes golf more predictable for me instead of aiming straight like I used and hoping it goes in that vicinity

awesome stuff for the guys who draw it all the time. That is one shot i would be overly joyed to hit 75% of the time of more. Only witnessed a handful of local amateurs in my golfing days do this consistently. Fun to watch the draw shot
 
Mystery Meat said:
Nice honest posts. When I say 75% I saying 75% have a slight fade tail on them. Which makes golf more predictable for me instead of aiming straight like I used and hoping it goes in that vicinity

awesome stuff for the guys who draw it all the time. That is one shot i would be overly joyed to hit 75% of the time of more. Only witnessed a handful of local amateurs in my golfing days do this consistently. Fun to watch the draw shot
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The draw for me is a beast that is hard to tame. When I am hitting them consistently the misses tend to be more like line drives that land hard left of target and keep running straight into what ever bush, tree or hazard is left if the fairway or green. The good shots appear mostly straight but with draw spin upon contact with ground.

I am usually trying to hit it straight.

I am a higher handicap guy though, so a fade day off the tee is not out of the question. I just can find my fade balls easier!

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Can hit a reasonably controlled draw (talking general shot shape not that I necessarily start it or finish it where intended) with 8 iron through wedges about 2/3 of the time. The remainder are usually some sort of straight push which with the higher lofted wedges often finish OK. Couldn't hit a fade on purpose to save my life with these clubs.

4 thru 7 iron the draw all too often turns into an uncontrolled hook and as an approach into the green is a pretty low % shot for me. I can hit a bit of a low right to left stinger off a tee with the 5 & 6 iron often enough that this has become my go to tee shot on many short par 4's. Again really struggle to hit these clubs left to right (or even straight) if I need to do it. If in trouble I can occasionally hit a low cut punch shot with the 4 or 5.

Driver (it is set-up open) is a complete crap shoot. I try to hit it straight but it can move either way with little consistency. If I try to move it one way or another the high fade seems to be slightly more predictable but given my general right to left tendency it is tough to commit to it with confidence. Have given up on my 3-wood for the year.
 
Off the tee or on a flat lie, my go to shot is a straight ball with perhaps a touch of draw. After that I tend to not force the issue, so if the ball is above my feet I will play the draw and if its below my feet I will allow the fade to play. If I'm not swinging well a blocky fade creeps into my game and its finger crossing time.
 
On a good day I hit maybe 4 shots exactly as I intended, on a bad day it's more like 0-1. If I'm trying to shape the ball right or left, I can normally pull that off more than 50% of the time, but rarely is it exactly as I intended. If it was I'd have a lot of 5 foot birdie putts every round.
 
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