How to Hit a Draw with Your Driver

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

I have studied the pros who changed from hitting a fade to a draw. We can learn a lot from them.

 

One of the things most of them did was to change their ball position. Players who hit a fade usually position the ball forward with their driver. Some position the ball in line with their heel. Others position the ball a ball length or two forward of left heel.

 

With your ball little more forward than normal, it prevents you to push the ball and makes it easier to hit a fade that starts left of the target and come back to the right.

 

If you like to change your ball flight to a draw, you need to change your ball position. You want the ball to be in line with your left heel or a ball length or two inside your left heel.

 

Some draw hitters position the ball in line with left armpit.

 

You might feel strange if you will hit the ball back this much. But by moving the ball back, it will help you hit it from inside out on the downswing.

 

The Initial Direction of the Ball

Draw hitters  really hate to hit it right with a push or slice. They are aiming right at the start. So hitting it even more to the right means trouble.

 

So what do they do to avoid right? They tend to position the ball forward in order to avoid a slice and push. If you place your ball forward than normal, it makes it easier to hit it left.

 

But if you place your ball too far forward, you will start to hit a pull-hook or duck hook. If the ball position is too far forward, the initial direction that the ball's travel will be left of your aim line.

 

Draw hitters want to start the ball right of the target and make it come back to the left.

 

If you position your ball too far forward and try to start your ball right of the target, what will happen?

 

You will be forced to open your clubface and hit a push-slice.

 

A push-slice is the worst shot to hit for draw hitters. So they try really hard to change their swing to avoid push-slice.

 

But the real cause might be the ball position that is too far forward.

 

What determines the swing path?

 

If you want to hit a draw with your driver, you need to pay attention to your swing path, also.

 

For a draw, the swing path should be inside out or inside in.

 

And the swing path is often determined by the shoulder line at address. If your shoulders are aligned left of the target, you tend to swing outside in. If it's aligned right, you will swing inside out.

 

So when trying to hit a draw with your driver, pay attention to your ball position and shoulder alignment.

 

Try to align your shoulders square to aim line (right of your target).

 

When I was in college, I was working so hard to get one thing right. If I was working on my grip, I was only paying attention to my grip.

 

That's fine. But to hit the shot you want constantly, you need to have all the things correct address.

 

The grip, ball position, posture, alignment and so on.

 

You have to do the right combination of your intended shots.

 

That's why golf is difficult. But it may also be the reason why lots of people fall in love with golf/

 

No matter how young or old you are, it's always fun to challenge something.

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/driver/how-to-hit-draw-fade-with-driver2.htm

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How to Release the Club to Hit it Straight with the Driver

Almost all the slicers fail tp release the clubhead through imapact. If you don't release the clubhead, your clubface will be open at impct slice or if you try not to slice it to the right, you tend to pull it to the left.

Driver only has little loft so that if your faceis open at impact even a litlte bit, it will cause lots of slide spin and the ball will  curve. With your irons, because they have more loft on the club, it will cause more backspin. The backspin kills some of the sidespin so that the ball tends to go straighter that the driver.

Lots of golfers have problems with their drivers, but the truth is that they have some kind of swing with their irons as well. But with irons, slide spin hides their problems.

If You Position the Ball too much Left.....

I suggest you play the ball in line with your heel with the driver. From there, you can try moving the ball little to the right or left to find the right position for you.

But lots of slicers tend to play the ball too far forward (much more than above.)

They need time to square the face at impact. They come to impact with their face open. That's why they hit it to the right.

They knew they have to do something coming into impact to square the face.

So they position the ball left to give themselves little more time to square the face.

But if you move the ball too much forward, it gets more and more difficult to release the clubhead.

If you release the clubhead to hit the ball, which is positioned too far forward at address, your ball will go left. You either hit a duck hook or pull it to the left.
If you try to fix this, you will have to leave the face open through impact, which will cause slice.

So positioning your ball forward will not allow you to release the clubhead correctly.

Move the Ball Back at Address
If you are slicer or having problems with releasing the clubhead, I want you to try to move the ball back at address.

Peace the ball 1 to 2 ball lengths to the right from the left heel with your driver.

If you move the ball more to the right, it gets easier to release the clubhead through impact. If you are slicer you might hit a big slice with this ball position at first.

When that happens, try to use strong grip to see if you can change the ball flight.

When you move the ball back, the ball will tend to go right. You will unconciously start trying to fix this problem by trying to release the clubhead unless you start moving the ball to the left.

Thumb and Index Finger

There is the cease between your thumb and index finger when you grip the clib.

At impact or just before impact, try to point the cease right toward the ball. This will make it easier to release the clubhead.

if you still hit slice, try to feel like the palm of your right hand is facing the ball at impact. It should prevent the face from opening impact.

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/driver/how-to-hit-release-the-club.htm

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How to Sweep the Ball Off the Tee with Your Driver

To hit your driver solid off the tee, you need to sweep the ball or hit it slightly on the upswing.

 

Golfers who slice the ball tend to swing down to the ball with a steep angle of attack impact. When you do this with your driver, it makes it easier to cut across the ball. This will produce slice spin and cause big banana ball to the right.

 

To avoid cutting cross the ball woth your driver, you need to swing little from inside the target line.

 

Another way to sweep the ball off the tee is try looking at the back of the ball at address and during the swing.

 

This will also keep your head back during the downswing.

 

Should You Sweep the Ball or Hit it on the Upswing?

 

If you need to increase distance of the ree, you need to consider three elements.

 

1. Clubhead speed

2. Launch angle

3. Spin

 

To maximize distance, you need higher clubhead speed, higgher launch angle and less spin.

 

But the most important thing is balance of these three elements. You can have less spin. But if you don't have higher clubhead speed, the ball will tend to drop and won't go too far.

 

You can have higher launch angle. But if you had too much spin on the ball, the ball will go too high in the air and won't go too far as well.

 

Anyway, it will be easier to achieve higher launch angle if you hit the ball on the upswing with less spin on the ball.

 

So when you need distance off the tee, you should tee it up little higher than normal and hit it slightly on the upswing. You can get more distance this way.

 

But there is a downside to it. If you try hard to hit up on the ball, the face tends to open a bit and cause slice or push.

 

To avoid this, you should keep eyes on the back of the ball. Again, this will keep your head back during the downswing. It will be easier to keep your face square at impact this way.

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/driver/how-to-sweep-the-ball-with-driver.htm

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How to Fix a Slice with Your Driver

 

The best way to fix your slice with your driver is to try to hit a draw. Unless you can hit a draw, you probably can't hit a straight shot.

 

Hitting a strong draw are as follows:

 

1. Change Your Grip

First, let's change your grip. When you look down to see your grip, make sure you see 3 or 3 1/2 knuckles of your left hand. Also, rotate your right hand to the right to match your left hand.

 

2. Pick Your Target

This is the point that you want your ball to land.

 

3. Pick Your Aim Line

The draw shot is the shot that turns from right to left. So you need to start the ball right of your target.

 

I want you to hit a big draw, so your aim line should be 30 to 50 yards right of your target.

 

4. Alignment and Ball Position

Make sure your stand square to your aim line. Your feet, shoulders and knees should be parallel to your aim line.

 

Your ball should be in line with your left heel or a ball-length or two right of that spot to hit a draw.

 

5. Tee Height and Clubface Angle

The higher your tee height is, the easier it gets to hit a draw. So tee it up as high as you can. You can also use the extra-long tee.

 

When you set up to hit the shot, hover the driver head above the ground just behind the ball. There are pros that set up like this, and I think it will make things simplier.

 

As you set up to the ball, you can aim your clubface at the aim line or at the target. If you point your clubface at the target, rotate your clubface to the left first and then grip the club.

 

If you grip the club first and then turn it left, the clubface will open at impact. So make sure you rotate your clubface to the left and then grip the club.

 

6. Ball Flight

Before taking the club back, try to form the mental picture of the shot that flies toward the aim line and then start s to curve to the left.

 

Try to see the shot in your mind at least twice before taking the club back.

 

This is very important. If you can't see it in your mind there is a very little chance that you can execute it. So try to see it in your mind first.

 

7. Backswing & Downswing

After seeing shot in your mind, take the club back slowly. During the backswing and the downswing, the only thing I want you to think about is the shot that you saw in your mind before starting your backswing.

 

Don't worry about hitting it solid or hitting it far. Focus on the imaginary shot or ball flight in your mind.

 

8. Impact

A little before impact, I want you to make sure your clubface is looking left of your aim line.

 

If you are able to do this, the shot will curve to the left (draw). If you can't do this, go back and check your grip again. Make sure you have a strong grip.

 

Another reason why you can't do this might be in your swing speed. You might be swinging too fast. So slow down.

 

Slow it down until you are able to close the clubface impact.

 

9. Follow Through

Don't worry about taking your follow through. Instead, try to limit your follor through.

 

Instead of worrying about your follow through, focus on your clubface angle at impact.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/driver/fixing-slice.htm

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Hitting the Ball off the Heel with Your Driver

The heel hits will cause distance loss the slice with your driver.

 

The reason why you hit your driver off the heel may be the outside-in swing or soming over the top.

 

When you come over the top, this will push your driver head away from your body causing the heel hits.

 

At the same time, the top move will cause you to add slice spin on the ball. So players usually try to pull it left in order to avoid right side with a big slice.

 

Teachers say You should swing from inside but ...

Golf teachers might teel you to swing from inside to fix your heel hits. But if you can do this easily, you woudn't suffer from a big slice.

 

The reason why slicers can't swing from the inside is that this will cause them to hit even bigger slices.

 

Slicers try to swing from outside and pull the ball left in order to avoid the clubface from opening through impact.

 

That's why swinging from the inside woudn't work well for slicers.

 

Change Your Grip at the Same Time

So you need to swing from inside to avoid heel hits, but at the same time, you have to do something to keep the clubface from opening through impact.

 

So I want you to change your grip first and try to swing from the inside.

 

Rotate your left hand grip to the right until you see 3 or 3 1/2 knuckles of your left hand. Rotate your right hand to the right as well to match your left hand.

 

Flatten Your Golf Swing

To fix your heel hits, you need to change your swing plane.

I want you to flatten your golf swing to fix your heel hits.

 

To do this, try the following.

1. Without the ball, take a practice swing

2. During your whole swing, don't raise your hands higher than your shoulders

 

You might feel awkward at first, but this is the feeling of a flat golf swing.

 

If you can keep your hands below your shoulders throughout the swing, you will probably hit a hook or a draw. (You nedd the correct grip, though.)

 

This flat swing will make you hit the ball more on the sweet spot or even off the toe of the driver face.

 

After taking some practice swings like above, try hitting the ball. You don't have to swing hard at all. I want you to swing easy. Remember not to raise your hands higher than your shoulders.

 

Hover the Driver Head above the Ground

If you tee the ball uo real high when hitting your driver, it could be causing you the heel hits as well.

 

If you tee it up high, you need to raise your driver head above the ground to hit on the sweet spot because if you just return your clubhead to the address position, you will pop the ball up.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/driver/heel-hits.htm

 

But if you raise your driver head off the ground roo much, the clubhead will move further away from your body causing you to hit it off the heel.

 

To avoid this, hover the driver head above the ground just behind the ball at address.

 

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How to Avoid the Hook Shot with Your Driver

Anthony Kim is known as one of the long hitters on the PGA Tour. He is famous for gripping down the driver. He said by gripping down on it, he plays his driver around 42 inches.

 

That's about the length of a normal 5 wood. But he hit it over 300 yards easily.

 

There are more than a few keys to his long driving. But one of the big reasons why he hit it so long is his commitment to working out. He spends a good portion of his practice time in the gym.

 

Growing up as a kid, he learned to hit it from the inside the target line with a closed clubface to gain more distance because he was playing against bigger kids.

 

That's why even after he became a PGA Tour pro, he hit hooks once in a while. In fact, his coach said that his fade swing still hooked about 15 yards.

 

You won't win a tournament with a shot like that.

 

To avoid hooks shots with his driver, he does 2 things.

 

1. He tries to open his clubface during the first couple feet of the backswing.

2. He tries to keep the club shaft just short of parallel at the top of his swing.

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How to Fix a Push-Slice and Hook with a Driver

Years ago, I was asked for an advice to fix a push-slice with a driver.

 

I asked him what kind of shots he was hitting with his irons and fairway woods. He told me that he was hitting a draw that curved a lot.

 

You could call this kind of shot  a hook. But he was hitting it on purpose. He said he wanted to make sure he didn't hit a slice. That's why he was hitting a big hook/

 

He wanted to get rid of his slice forever.

 

I think that his approach is good idea to fix your slice. It's good idea to try to hit a hook to fix your slice.

 

But his problem was his driver.

 

Hitting Low Hooks and push-slices

He was hitting low hooks that curved quickly to the left. When his timing was good, he hit it very far. But most of the time, he was hitting low hooks.

 

But the worst shot wasn't those low hooks for him. His worst shot was a push-slice that crept in once in every 10 shots he hit.

 

The interesting thing was that this push-slice and his hooks shots were closely related to each other.

 

The real problem was his hook shots. He was slicer when he started to play golf. His weak slice didn't go very far. And he was always the shortest hitter in his group.

 

That's why he hated a slice so much and tried very hard to get rid of it.

 

To do that, he tried to hit a hook. Like I said, this was a good idea to fix his slice. But the problem was he was curving the shot too much to the left.

 

This was ok with his irons. With irons, you can hit a hook that curves a lot. This shot will fly very far because you are delofting the iron so much.

 

Even with your fairway woods, you can try the same thing and still hit it far. In fact, he was hitting hs 3-wood past most players' driver shots.

 

But you can't do this with your driver because your driver has a very little loft with it. If you try to hit a hook that curves a lot with a driver that has a 10 or 11 degrees of loft, you will deloft your driver too much. (You will decrease your loft down to the point where it's impossible to hit the shot with it).

 

If you decrease your driver's loft so much, it becomes hard to add proper backspin. So the ball won't go high in the air. You won't get any kind of distance as well with the shot like that.

 

But he didn't stop hitting hooks with all of his clubs because he was hitting his irons and fairway woods so far and he was also hitting a push-slice once in a while with his driver. This kept him to try even harder to hit a hook.

 

Why he was Hitting a Push-Slice?

The real reason why he was hitting push-slices with his driver was that he was unconciously trying to avoid duck hooks. After hitting duck hooks with his driver, he tried not to close the clubface too much on the downsing and left the clubface open.

 

It was hard to square the clubface because he had a really strong grip (to get rid of his slice).

 

With his irons, he didn't have to worry about those low hooks like he was hitting with his driver because irons have enough loft. His shots were curving a lot to the left but was getting lots of distance.

 

But with his driver, the loft of the driver wasn't enough to hit the shot like he was hitting with his irons. That's why he sometimes left his clubface open with his driver. He was just trying to avoid duck hooks but end up hitting a push-slice.

 

The First Thing to Fix

In his case, the first thing he had to fix was his hook shots. But he tried to avoid slices because he hated the slice.

 

So I told him to try to hit the gentle draw or straight shots with his irons even though he might hit some slices.

 

He did so. His shots were going straighter than before. He was afraid that he might hit a slice with his new swing.

 

But I asked him to do the same thing with his driver.

 

He tried it with a driver. He hit some slices but now his normal shots were flying much straighter and much longer before.

 

All he was doing was to get rid of a slice that he hated so much.

 

And I think it's good idea to try hit a hook to fix your slice. For players who are hitting slices for many years, it may be necessary to exaggerate things a bit and try to hit a big hook.

 

But once you achieved that, it's time to go on to the nect step and try to hit straighter shots like gentle draw.

 

I'm glad that he finally realized that.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/driver/slice-hook-driver.htm

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