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Hitting it straight vs Baby draw/fade

Chunkylover77 said:
I started golf with a nice consistent fade. Worked my tail off to get a pretty consistent high draw. Now all I want is a baby fade again. I'm a mental case

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Dude I'm the same freaking way. My fade was the result of an ott move though and once I eliminated that I started hitting little draws. Now I want to go back to the fade, just without the over the top move

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bahester said:
Dude I'm the same freaking way. My fade was the result of an ott move though and once I eliminated that I started hitting little draws. Now I want to go back to the fade, just without the over the top move

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I realize this falls into the "easier said than done" category, but it's all about knowing how the clubface at impact relates to the path, and you'll know how you can hit draws and fades. I can hit a draw much easier than a fade because my swing is more in-to-out than straight down the line, and the path in relation to the clubface determines the curvature of the ball. In other words, square clubface at impact with in-to-out path equals ball that starts straight and draws. You can hit a draw with an open club face, ball will start to the right (for a right-hander) and then draw back if the path is more in-to-out than the clubface at impact. I'm sure you could go back to hitting the baby fade by trying to feel slightly over the top, even though you probably would be close to neutral with it.
 
I play a soft fade, for years I played a nice draw but my misses were always a hard left and got me into some high numbers on holes, since going to a fade as funny as it sounds, I feel like I have more control over by ball. It's an easier shot to repeat
 
Well, this is always a feel thing for me. My natural shot in my irons is dead straight with the miss being a pull. This gets me in some trouble no doubt, but I work on my short game so much that I can make up for it with good putting and chipping. I completely understand the idea if taking a side out of play, as my driver tends to be a high fade so I can overlook most of the trouble on the left, but it's a game of risk and reward and sometimes you have to put a draw on a driver too. I would love to work it both ways with consistency and it behoves all of us hackers to do so, but there is a reason we don't get paid for it.
 
I have found that lately I have really improved my game from the tee since working on lining up down the left of the fairway and allowing my swing to bring the ball back to the right. I have spent some time on the range working on my stance and position and have found with adjusting my front foot slightly back and opening my stance just a bit, that I am getting a very consistent shot and seem to be able control my shot a lot better.

I still have my misses, but taking one side of the course out of play has been something that has helped a lot. Before I started working on this, I was really struggling with my game, as it was one of three shot results; pulled left, sliced right or somehow down the middle. Trying to find that consistent swing and shot has been a challenge, but step by step I am getting where I need to be.
 
I try to keep it straight but when I give it a whack I know my shots draw so I aim right.
 
I need significantly more time working on my game to consider anything but my natural straight-to-baby-fade. I would love to be one of those players with that flexible ball-flight pattern.
 
Don't hit many shots without trying to shape the ball, use cuts to take some distance of, land it soft and get some spin, get to some tucked pins etc and a draw is my natural shot. If I would ever hit a straight shot it would be if say a pin were on the left side of the green and I aim middle green, and if I do hit my natural shot, a draw, which usually happens then it's going at the pin. Man, Golf sounds easy-.-
 
I aim down the right portion of the fairway ill get a draw,straight,pull, or pull fade with my 3w and usually all land on the short stuff

Just tappin away
 
Didnt want to start a new thread, so figured I would put this here...

So, me embracing my ability to fade the ball with the best of them has been working out quite well for me. Taking the entire left side of the course out of play has been quite beneficial for me.

One of the guys I was playing with today asked me something and I had absolutely no answer for him. He asked why I am able to hit a small draw with my irons, but my fairways and drivers I play a large cut. I have never really thought about it this way, but started thinking about it today during my round. With my irons and wedges, I play everything slightly to the right and have the ball come to the left just a bit. With my driver and fairway woods, I play them way off to the left and bring them back hard right...

I dont work the ball, as in, I dont try to draw or fade it, it's just what ends up happening with my swing. I play it well, and have become quite dependent on my ball flight as I know what I am going to get out of it.

Just curious if anyone else does anything similar to this?
 
War Eagle said:
Didnt want to start a new thread, so figured I would put this here...

So, me embracing my ability to fade the ball with the best of them has been working out quite well for me. Taking the entire left side of the course out of play has been quite beneficial for me.

One of the guys I was playing with today asked me something and I had absolutely no answer for him. He asked why I am able to hit a small draw with my irons, but my fairways and drivers I play a large cut. I have never really thought about it this way, but started thinking about it today during my round. With my irons and wedges, I play everything slightly to the right and have the ball come to the left just a bit. With my driver and fairway woods, I play them way off to the left and bring them back hard right...

I dont work the ball, as in, I dont try to draw or fade it, it's just what ends up happening with my swing. I play it well, and have become quite dependent on my ball flight as I know what I am going to get out of it.

Just curious if anyone else does anything similar to this?
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I used to do this but opposite. I would draw my driver and fade my irons. After a swing eveluation with Golf Tec, we realized I was coming over the top with my irons and inside with my driver. This might be the case with you or it might be something else.

One question about the fade. How does it do in the wind? Do you find it getting carried away or holding?
 
War Eagle said:
Didnt want to start a new thread, so figured I would put this here...

So, me embracing my ability to fade the ball with the best of them has been working out quite well for me. Taking the entire left side of the course out of play has been quite beneficial for me.

One of the guys I was playing with today asked me something and I had absolutely no answer for him. He asked why I am able to hit a small draw with my irons, but my fairways and drivers I play a large cut. I have never really thought about it this way, but started thinking about it today during my round. With my irons and wedges, I play everything slightly to the right and have the ball come to the left just a bit. With my driver and fairway woods, I play them way off to the left and bring them back hard right...

I dont work the ball, as in, I dont try to draw or fade it, it's just what ends up happening with my swing. I play it well, and have become quite dependent on my ball flight as I know what I am going to get out of it.

Just curious if anyone else does anything similar to this?
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If you do it consistently man, just play it. If you don't like it, put it on video and ask GolfTec what it may be.
 
GrantD said:
I used to do this but opposite. I would draw my driver and fade my irons. After a swing eveluation with Golf Tec, we realized I was coming over the top with my irons and inside with my driver. This might be the case with you or it might be something else.

One question about the fade. How does it do in the wind? Do you find it getting carried away or holding?
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Im a low ball hitter, Grant. So, with that, it's rare that my shots get held up in the wind. My drives start low and rise up a bit to a mid/mid-high flight and then go down. Rarely gets up in the wind to be too affected by it.
mward2002 said:
If you do it consistently man, just play it. If you don't like it, put it on video and ask GolfTec what it may be.
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It has become quite predictable for me, so I am playing it.
 
Hi! I asked my golftec coach a very similar question earlier this summer. His answer was something along the lines of how I turn. I get through better with irons which promotes being on plane and releasing the club. On the driver as its more violent I tend to hang back on the right foot a little which causes the face to hold open every so slightly, hence the fade.
 
War Eagle said:
With my irons and wedges, I play everything slightly to the right and have the ball come to the left just a bit. With my driver and fairway woods, I play them way off to the left and bring them back hard right...
Just curious if anyone else does anything similar to this?
Click to expand...

This is generally how I play. In my case it isn't and in to out and out to in swing, it has more to do with the length of the club and abilty to get the face closed. This is my tendency, but I am working on the ability to shape the ball as I want. Bringing it back to the original post, it is much easier to fade or draw the ball than to hit it straight.

If you build a game based on the ball going straight where you body is aligned you will hit the ball away from the target a lot. Why? Because your chances of perfect aim for every shot is minimal. This is why players control the curve rather than hit it perfectly straight. As others have posted the target is bigger when you work the ball than it is when you hit it straight. When you hit the ball straight you have two shots....At the target or away from the target. When you curve the ball, as long as I start the ball away and work it toward the target it is moving towards the target.

The result of my efforts to follow the approach is more fairways and greens being hit which utlimately results in lower scores.
 
Shawn Clement gives the same advice.

He explains the problem with trying to hit it straight is, it's almost impossible to hit a straight shot. Your clubface has to be perfectly square at the instant of impact. If you're trying to hit it straight and your swing isn't perfect, you don't really know what kind of shot you're going to get.

In theory, if you hit fade or draw, even a baby one, you know the shot is either going to go where you want, or if you miss, "straight." Of course it's easier said than done. People who aren't good at shot shaping might block an attempted draw out right, or come over the top on a fade and yank it left.

In my view, I think the strategy is sound. But if you're not that good at controlling your shot shape, you should line up for a small draw or fade, not a big one, unless there's no other choice.

For example, if you have trouble down the left side, the thinking of the theory would be to aim down the left side and hit a fade. That way you have the whole fairway to catch your fade and if you miss, you're just on the left side but safe. But if you're not good, your miss on the fade might not be straight, it might be left. So, for me, the right play is to aim just left of center, and try to play a baby fade. That gives me maximum room for a miss. This is in essence a "straight draw" or a "straight fade."

The better and better you get at shot shaping, the more risk you can take.

Just my thoughts..

Here's part 1 - there's also parts 2 & 3 for those interested.

 
SW said:
Hi! I asked my golftec coach a very similar question earlier this summer. His answer was something along the lines of how I turn. I get through better with irons which promotes being on plane and releasing the club. On the driver as its more violent I tend to hang back on the right foot a little which causes the face to hold open every so slightly, hence the fade.
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Interesting stuff, Danny.

Thanks for the replies guys. One of the reasons I decided to embrace the movement of my ball a few months ago, was because when I aimed straight, I brought in the unknown. Didnt know where the ball would end up.
 
I still just want it to go straight. I play around with shot shaping on the range and from time to time on the course still not much success so straight it is.
 
I'm drunk right now so my thoughts are hit the effing ball, find it then hit it again. Simplest way your gonna enjoy this game
 
dhjkelly said:
I'm drunk right now so my thoughts are hit the effing ball, find it then hit it again. Simplest way your gonna enjoy this game
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:laughing: Get a tree wood and a chainsaw and the bloody thing in the hole somehow.
 
Scrap Iron said:
:laughing: Get a tree wood and a chainsaw and the bloody thing in the hole somehow.
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Lad chainsaw's are very aggressive, just learn to play awesome recovery shots
 
I generally shoot a baby draw/draw with my irons, usually. Fade with woods. But what I do on the course nowadays, is this:

- based on range / first couple of holes I work with what I got. If I shoot fade with irons I aim accordingly. Driver & draw doesn't happend :)
- Within 150 yards I go for the flag, unless there's some hazards.
- Within 120 yards I go for the flag. No center green thinking, just sink it. Hazards or no hazards. I don't think about wind, trajectory. Target, aim, shoot. Of course this can change if its a team comp. and you get advantage by tactical maneuvers and you just need safe things. The plus side in this is also the fact that if the hazard is between me and the flag and I miss, I won't hit the hazard :)

What I really try, and would want to do, is to forget all jargon and thoughts during the round, and as dhjkelly said, just hit the damn ball again and again. If you try to think, you'll over think.
 
There are times for each shot and I try to hit whatever gives me the safest options. But my big miss when I try and get aggressive with my swing is the dreaded S word with my driver or fw. When i try and do what dh said I am unpredictable at best. If i need more distance I definitely try to get the ball to draw or if the fairway is sloped one way or the other towards a hazard i try and turn the ball into the slope to avoid a bad roll out into said hazard.
 
Ideally, I definitely think it would be best if you could keep the ball from curving less than 5 yards either way on 95% of your shots. However, that is much easier said than done. If you're not an excellent ball striker and you tend to miss the ball both ways, I think that is when higher handicappers can get into a lot of trouble. If their stock shot moves one way, then they have an easier job of eliminating half of the course and attacking anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of the pins. But, the problem with playing only one shot is that when you're forced to hit the ball the other way, then you bring the possibility of a double cross into play. Trust me I know lol.
 
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