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Tight little draw, golf's little black dress

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Tadashi70

Tadashi70

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I think at least three to five times a day I read, 'tight draw' or 'tight little draw' everyone seems to play the same shot. I never read I hit a lazy fade or hit a low fast cut. I often wonder why people love this shot and always seem to play it.

What is it about the draw that is so attractive to people? Why does it always happen when a good shot it hit? I like the power fade as much as I like the draw, but I seem to be in the minority.

What say you?
 
Because people want to hit the ball far and have been taught a draw is longer than a fade.
 
Tight little draw, golf's little black dress

God I wish I could hit a draw.

I play a fade, a weak pansy fade lately.

I think it's just one that's always talked about on tv and such so it sort of self perpetuates. People repeat what they hear a lot of times to try to keep up with the jones. Just my take.
 
The ball flight is pleasing to my eye.

Something about a fade just doesn't feel right.
 
I love it when I can hit that shot, when I WANT to hit that shot. I only try when if I hit my normal fade is not going to kill me!

I love seeing a nice little draw. Jacqui hits one a lot. I am quite jealous. But I learn to live with the fade.
 
I play either a straight push or a low fade. They get to about the same place, generally.

Right now the guys who absolutely crush the ball are either Bubba Watson or hitting a draw. We've been told it's the way to get the most distance off the tee, and the shot shape of choice for distance.

Anytime I get too wound up about, "I don't hit a draw" I try to remember Ken Venturi saying that for practice rounds he used to play one ball where he'd only hit draws, and another ball he'd only hit fades...and the fade ball always won. Hitting a fade on demand, he said, spins more, so it holds more firmly to greens, and it's easier to hit a little fade, a medium fade, or a slice on purpose, whereas the draw is either a little draw or a hook.

One other thing is the mindset or idea that a "sexy little 5 yard draw" is the result of going through all the permutations of a slice, to a fade, to a hook, back to something else...I think a lot of people see a little draw and presume they have a lot of those other shots in their bag, since they can hit what a lot of people think of as the toughest shot to hit, when that's not always the case. A friend of mine worked his hook into a draw, and those are the only shots he can hope to hit on purpose.
 
I think some of it is distance, and some of it is hearing more than once that a small draw is naturally built into a "good" swing. If we're not hitting draws with our irons, then we're not swinging "good".

My best drives are ones where I have a small fade at the end. Drives where I hit a draw end up running out into the rough (if not further) or hooking. With irons, I still don't have a predictable curve yet, although I'm far more likely to hit a small fade with those. I'll hit some draws, try to plan for it, and go right back into hitting fades.
 
Personally, when my shot is moving left to right; Something horribly went wrong with my swing and I'm 2 fairways over on a drive or in the woods with an iron. When i hit a draw, it's less likely to be a major issue for me. Also it's the only one i feel have have ANY control over.
 
When I hit the ball longer, a 30y fade was no biggie. Hell, that was my repeatable go-to ball for years.
As distance decreased, I've gone to a draw. I like a "tight little draw" because it certainly seems to roll further, and because a "tight" draw will stay on the fairway. Can't say that for the big swingin' hook or the push slice, which I can also hit on occasion.

7/10 times, I'm just trying to hit the fw. Fade, draw, straight, all good. I'd prefer the tight draw, because that's what I think I'm playing for, but safe works.
So, I play for a tight draw. I wind up hitting all manner of shots. Frankly, gimmie back the 25-30y I used to have and I'd go back to the repeatable fade in an instant, esthetics be damned. It wasn't pretty but it worked.
 
Paladin said:
, Anytime I get too wound up about, "I don't hit a draw" I try to remember Ken Venturi saying that for practice rounds he used to play one ball where he'd only hit draws, and another ball he'd only hit fades...and the fade ball always won. Hitting a fade on demand, he said, spins more, so it holds more firmly to greens, and it's easier to hit a little fade, a medium fade, or a slice on purpose, whereas the draw is either a little draw or a hook.
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That might be more of an indication of Venturi's ability to play a draw. Which is fine.

Spin is spin. A high draw will hold a green plenty well.

To answer Freddie's question, for me, I fought a slice for years. Once I got the ball to go left, I never wanted to see it go right ever again.

Now that my mechanics are tighter, I've only seen misses to the right and haven't pulled a shot it weeks {jinx?}. As long as I am produce a consistent shape or a predictable shape, I'm good with whatever I may be.
 
I think it is because most people hit a cut/slice and have a high handicap and a draw is a shot they perceive a draw as a shot played by better players. However, I grew up playing a draw and wish I would have never learned to play that way due to the fact that when it goes bad I fight a hook.
 
I suppose many people like the draw because it's the controlled opposite of the most common miss: a slice. And because draws are equated with distance. But I hate to draw the ball. I love the look of left-to-right ball flight.
 
No draws here. Straight, or most likely, a cut/fade. Managed to work the slice out of the main body of work, now it sometimes appears as a footnote. "Great overall round. Bad slice on final hole allowing for the blow-up that soured the whole day."

A draw is sexy. The pros hit them. I don't.
 
Tight little draw, golf's little black dress

Used to crave it after slicing for years but once it turned into snap hooks I gave the game up for awhile. Now I'm straight or fade on good shots with only an occasional draw. That's good enough.
 
I swing flat and grip strong so a draw is easy, the problem is when I get a case of the little knuckle balls that dive down and hard left.

I wish I could go back to my old fade. I hit it plenty long either way and the fade found more fairways overall.
 
I associate fade with a bunch of historical swing flaws, so it seems negative.
 
I like them both. A sexy slider fade is just as sexy as a tight little draw. The problem is, when you have too much of them. The ugly over fade isn't as ugly as the hard running hook or snap hook that comes out to play sometimes.
 
A draw was my natural shot. I would give anything just to hit it straight every time. Sometimes I can try hitting a fade if I open my stance and club face a bit and think about it through my whole swing, but sometimes my draw turns into a lovely snap hook and ends me in the trees. If I could go straight my game would be so much easier.
 
I play the butter fade and I don't mind it. There's just something about a draw that is really appealing though. Maybe because most golfers myself included believe it's a tougher sbot to hit. I'd love to have both shots in my bag, but right now I'm just focusing playing what my game is giving me. I will say this though, there's nothing like watching you hit those baby draw wedges into greens Panda it's a thing of beauty.
 
Six4three5 said:
I play the butter fade and I don't mind it. There's just something about a draw that is really appealing though. Maybe because most golfers myself included believe it's a tougher sbot to hit. I'd love to have both shots in my bag, but right now I'm just focusing playing what my game is giving me. I will say this though, there's nothing like watching you hit those baby draw wedges into greens Panda it's a thing of beauty.
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If you change that fade I will come up there and hurt you. You missed 1 fairway when we played. 1. It was by a step.
 
Mward said:
If you change that fade I will come up there and hurt you. You missed 1 fairway when we played. 1. It was by a step.
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Haha trust me I don't plan to change a thing! It'd just be nice to have the draw swing in the bag for certain shots. Like dog leg lefts and or hitting around an obstacle type deal.
 
I think there's a stigma that a fade is the result of an overall bad swing and looked down upon because of that. For me, I'm happy to keep the ball in front of me.
 
All of my longest and best flighted drives have just a touch of a draw to them. The draw shot for me also seems to come with much better contact. The fade just feel less solid and fluid. That usually means something isnt right with my swing. It plays well, but it isnt optimal.
 
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I prefer the power fade as well. The only time I ever try to draw it is when I have to.
To me the draw is great if you are looking for extra distance.
But it is harder for me to control and be consistent with.
 
Probably because a lot of people start out by hitting large slices, a tight draw is the opposite. Little movement, but enough to notice. Moving left instead of right. Maybe a way to feel like they hit it better?
 
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