Do You Manipulate Ball Flight?

"Work in progress" and at least a little more comfortable with the attempt.

I can work it left to right and right to left. Going hi to low is only when im punching from under a tree or off the tee with a driver (into wind). Still need to work this since it is rather windy on the island.

darthweasel said:

too often. I will be hitting it nice and straight and run into a situation that calls for a draw. More often than not I will execute the shot...and become so enamored of the joy in having done so I start manufacturing excuses to try draws or fades and then I cannot hit it straight and struggle with direction for the rest of the round...

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Ouch! That sounds painful.

this is a work in progress. This something I am going to work on in the winter. I need the confidence to fade and draw the ball on command. Playing with trajectory of the ball needs more work the moving left to right or right to left. I know I could do it but, it is confidence thing.

T2GRN18 said:

After reading this thread. I better get to work learning this ball manipulation business. Seems like everyone is good at it.

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Supersport said:

I was thinking the same thing! I play with a bunch of guys who are mid single digit to low double digit (6-10hdcp) and for the most part only those that are at least mid to low single digits can actually shape shots effectively. Draw or fade is a lot more common and a little more predictable.
I am amazed at how many in the mid to high categories can control their ball flight high/low etc.

i see see the same thing with driving distance, even in really good groups, you may have one guy in my experience who really can drive the ball anywhere close to 300 yards, but when polled, seems like it is a pretty regular deal.

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I don't think its quite the same as some of the BS about distance. Fort some reason distance and the ego that comes with it will always top just about everything. As for shaping and manipulating ball flight? The question was not how good your are at it but simply asks if you do it. When one plays golf for long enough (certainly for years) they can (regardless of handicap which in itself may be due to any number of other reasons) but they can understand how to manipulate flight and even do it.

Not everyone's handicap is a result of collective steady golf but often (and also like me) can be combination of golf that can at times be that of a lower capper yet mixed with a lot of that of a highest capper and sort of a feast/famine type of golf. The end result is a cap that falls somewhere in-between. But take the better (the feast part) of all the play through the very many years and thousands of good swings that players has produced and certainly there can be an ability to successfully manipulate flight intentionally and also be successful at it.

They may be just as feast/famine at doing it as they are with thier general play but swing the club enough times through many years and understand the basics of what makes the ball flight a certain way and when that persons swing is working that day he/she can certainly be in the conversation when asked if they manipulate ball flight. For me, I have manipulated left, right, low, etc many many times successfully. My cap the last 3 years has gone from 17 to 12 to 15 to 18 to 13 and currently at 14.3. And also (especially for mid and higher cappers) being so inconsistent through the years results in so many more pooere situations that one simply improves at things simply by default of having to try to recover so many times. Attempt enough shots that require going around a tree, or under braches, or in windy conditions and regardless what ones cap is he/she can certainly obtain ability to be able to manipulate ball flight regardless of cap. It wont always work and may be just as inconsistent as they are with their general play but it still can work. And such may be the case with many players.

That said, there are different levels of ability to manipulate flight as well and also different reasons why and where one may chose to so. If one is talking about watching the pros do it on tv and comparing it or asking this question in that sense than virtually few to no amateurs can stack up. The same can be said about a single digit capper vs a mid/high capper where as the reasons and where and when and why they do it may not be comparable. But within each persons own relative world of his/her own rounds of golf you may find quite a number of players who can and (even if not often) manipulate flight without it being BS at all. Plus the fact (as said earlier) some players HC's are a result of very good and very poor play combined so some do actually have a good ability to do it well but of course not most the time. So I don't think there is a lot of internet BS at all about this subject such as there would be about things like distance.

I do. Especially in my wedges, the ability to flight up and down is huge for me in the Oklahoma wind.

On purpose? Not any more. When I was younger, sure, when my swing was better & more consistent. Now ... It's just by accident. I will play the ball straight & let my natural fade just happen. I can manipulate it high or low depending on the situation but that's not necessary for the most part.

Left / right - I'll try it sometimes but I'm only about 25% confident in my ability to execute an intentional draw or fade so I don't make many attempts on the course.

High / low trajectory - my confidence level is closer to 80% with these shots so I am more apt to use them on the course. I've played most of my rounds over the years on parkland courses and have had to figure out how to get under/over trees so these shots have come in quite handy and had (so far) more practical application than draws/fades for me.

I can usually hook or slice a ball around obstacles, punch out from under trees, and such, but I don't have good success trying to aim at the right side of the green and work it in with a slight draw. I'm not good enough to deliberately work the ball, although I am learning to flight my shots to a degree, especially with a driver.

I do somewhat since I've been playing more of a fade this year. For a long time, I couldn't hit it left to right at all. And I'm still not very good at flighting my wedges lower. A punch shot, I can do. A low wedge to get through the wind? Not as reliably as I should.

kb1042 said:

I am pretty good going high and low. Have not been able to do the left and right yet. Hopefully next year.


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I can hit it high. Low, left and right, I have problems.