Basic draw question

BrianD3

I have read on several websites recently that to encourage an inside-out swing and drawspin on the ball the golfer should
"aim the clubface squarely at the target and aim the body right of the target"

Is this right or wrong. I was always under the impression that you should aim the body right of the target and aim the clubface somewhere between the target and where the body is aimed. Eg aim the body 20 metres right of the target and the clubface 10 metres right of the target.

ridonkulous

the clubface should always be pointed towards the target.

copacetic

as above, point your body where you want to start the ball, the club where you want it to end up.

Sandwich

Not sure about that guys. I thought the direction the clubface aims determines the direction in which the ball takes off, the path of the clubhead as it hits the ball, the spin (if any).

So aiming at the target and swinging the clubhead in to out will have the ball take off on line for the target but the draw spin imparted by the clubhead path will then draw the ball to finish left of target.

Piece quoted by OP seems correct to me. Aim a little to right, the ball will take off a little to right of target. Draw will bring it back onto the target.

copacetic

Sandwich wrote: »

Not sure about that guys. I thought the direction the clubface aims determines the direction in which the ball takes off, the path of the clubhead as it hits the ball, the spin (if any).

So aiming at the target and swinging the clubhead in to out will have the ball take off on line for the target but the draw spin imparted by the clubhead path will then draw the ball to finish left of target.

Piece quoted by OP seems correct to me. Aim a little to right, the ball will take off a little to right of target. Draw will bring it back onto the target.

definitely not, 100s of links online:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/skills/4244410.stm

Step 1: Set your clubface square to the ball. Make a strong grip


Hold the club more loosely in your left hand turning your grip clockwise so you can see an extra knuckle on your left hand thus creating a stronger grip.
Step 2: Aim your feet and shoulders to the right of the target, making sure the clubface is still square. (See above).
The ball might be slightly further forward in your stance.
Step 3: With everything aiming right of the target except the club head, you should automatically develop an 'in-to-out' swing path. (See above).

ShriekingSheet

the swing sends it, the blade bends it

stockdam

Like most things in life it's not as simple as that. If the ball always ended up where the clubface was pointing then golf would be so much easier.

The ball will tend to start out along the swingpath but I'd guess that it also is influenced somewhat by the angle of the clubface.

The one thing that is left out is whether you roll your forearms through the ball thus closing the face. If so then you may even have to open the clubface and aim it to the right.

So there's no real simple answer and each person needs to learn what is best for them.

Learning how to draw is the best way to cure a slice. It's all the things that a slicer doesn't do.

BrianD3

copacetic wrote: »

definitely not, 100s of links online:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/skills/4244410.stm

I have found one link that supports Sandwich's theory.
http://www.playperfectgolf.co.uk/Play%20Perfect%20Golf/lesson_10.htm

Set up your body with the shoulders, hips and the feet "Parallel to the Target Line" as if you are to play a golf shot that you intend to go straight.

Look down at the area where your feet are placed and also look at the position of the ball on the tee peg you will notice that if you draw a line between the two feet and then draw a line from the the ball to each of the feet, you will see that the three lines form a triangle.

Using the ball position as the pivotal point of the triangle and whilst strictly maintaining the angles between both feet and the ball, shuffle the feet around the pivotal point to the left until your whole stance is facing to the right of the original stance.

Your body position at this point will indicate that the feet and the shoulders are now both aligned to a point that is aiming to the right of the target area.

If you carried out your normal swing with out any adjustment to the club face the ball would fly in the direction that your body is aligned, which is to the right of the actual target area.

This is the correct set up in order to play a draw shot.

The actual mechanics of the golf swing required to create a draw shot is exactly the same as if you were to hit the ball in a straight line - you do not have to make any adjustment to your swing.

The only adjustment that you need to make is to close the club face a few degrees so that face of the golf club is aiming at a point that is in between the line that your shoulders and feet are aligned and the actual target area

The theory makes sense to me, with the golf shot (excluding shanked shots) the vector parallel to the target line is greater than the vector perpendicular to the target line. That's why you see 220 yard drives with 80 yards of hook on them not 80 yard drives with 220 yards of hook on them. The perpedicular component is from the in to out swing path which puts the hook sidespin on the ball. But this sidespin is far less than the backspin imparted by the clubface i.e. the parallel component. The sidespin only becomes significant towards the end of the ball flight as it loses momentum. Therefore it would seem that the orientation of the clubface at impact detemines the inital path of the ball with the in to out swing determining the hook sidespin and how far the ball moves left from its initial path.

That's my take on the theory anyway. I normally draw the ball anyway but sometimes I lapse into slicing/pulling so it is good to have something to try when this happens.

Patrick_K

So am I correct in thinking your swing path is in line with your feet/body setup - i.e. right of the target ?
The closed clubface is what brings the ball back ?

ShriekingSheet

Patrick_K wrote: »

So am I correct in thinking your swing path is in line with your feet/body setup - i.e. right of the target ?
The closed clubface is what brings the ball back ?

Yes, but as Stockdam says, it's not always that simple but you are right in saying the above.

Eg: Woods never closes his stance (aims it right). He opens to hit a cut and to hit a draw h stands square and opens the club face right slightly which he says sends a message to his brain to roll the arms through impact creating a swing from the inside and turning the ball over from right to left. But that's Woods...

Another example is Freddy Couple who only ever stands shut (aiming right) and hits it left to right!

So there's a wealth of contradictions out there but the text-book method is allign your body right to start the ball right and square your club to the target (left in relation to your body) which will bring the ball around.


All that (b*llox) aside, your best bet if you want to learn to work the ball either way is to take a bag of balls out on the course and drop em with a tree between you and your target. Just let your body figure out how to make the ball go round the tree. If you play football, it's the exact same principal as bending a pass or shot with the inside (draw) or the outside (fade) of your foot. And as any footballer will tell you, no one ever sits you down and says "right, here's how to allign your body to bend in a corner kick..." , you just figure it out.

keepherlit

I think things are being slightly overcomplicated. Set up closed; draw... set up open; fade. You need to practice the severity of the draw by adjusting your stance. You will soon be able to play deliberate hooks( helps cos Im always behind trees):D.
As a basic rule though always aim at your target. i.e. club face closed to body line.
If you think about it though a ball travelling 200 yards;
if your club face is half a degree off its intended target line at impact, the ball will finish 10 yards off target. If your muscles are to remember your swing, keep it constant, just open and close stance accordingly.

Thats my few pennies worth anyhoo.

keepherlit

Well Said Sheet!!! A bit of graft and you will figure what works for you.

Patrick_K

Sounds like good advice, cheers.