Using your own shape of shot - [follow on from Brian's "Draw" thread]

ShriekingSheet

I think it's worth saying that forcing a certain shape of shot into your game is not a must to shoot better scores. The truth in many cases for good players, is that they figure out where their particular shape of shot will go. So if they slice, they practice to reduce the amount of slice - not to turn it into a draw - and on the course, they aim everything down the left of each fairway and at the left of every green.

This means that should they happen to nail one straight, they're in the left fringe. But the majority of shots will either fade nicely onto the target or slice onto the right fringe -note- not into the sh*t on the right if the player had've been aiming down the middle.

Then you're left with a minority of rare hooks, pulls or huge slices which will miss the target significantly - these happen to everyone.

It's remarkable how common the misconception is that good and great players can hit all sorts of shaped shots with ease. Not so! Which gave rise to one of my favorite pieces of golfing commentry ever at the PGA the other week. Tom Lehman, in a 3 ball, looks on as one of his playing partners hits to a Par 3 and as his ball lands on the green there's another there about 3 feet from the flag which is back right. Alyss, without thinking and without actually seeing either shot by the other two of the group, immediately comments: "that'll be the ball of KJ Choi - Tom Lehman not being synonomous with back-right pins"

The point being that (as many know) Tom Lehman can't hit anything apart from a hard draw which makes it next to impossible to hit any pin tight to the right of a green.

Another good example I came accross recently is a guy in my club. He makes a quip after the first (Par 5) hole most times he plays. "Looks like I'm playing with a [draw/fade] today!". It drives some guys mad when he says it but basically, as someone who doesn't practice much, he knows that if he hits a hook for the first couple of shots, he'll score best by going with it for the day and using it (within reason) rather than trying to fix it during the round. In fairness, it works for him and anyone with a young family who doesnt really practice and still carries a 5 h'cap (heading toward 4) is worth paying some heed to!

And last little anicdote! A good few years ago I got a lend of a 3 wood, via my club pro, off Damien McGrane when he was pro @ Wexford. I was immediately surprised when I looked at the bottom of it - tee marks all over it that were bent like Nike logos (a sign of an over-the-top swing, usually the calling-card of a hacker slice!). I assumed McGrane had lent it to someone else before me but when I mentioned it to my club pro (laughing, thinking they might have been his marks!) he laughed back at me and said no - McGrane was the last one to hit it and shot 67 round Enniscorthy with it!

golfsocietyirel

another example is Thomas Bjyron at the K club, smurfit course... he can only play draw and went into the water 3 (or 4) times.....

Imhof Tank

I saw a Jack Nicklaus instruction video a good few years ago, and his theory was don’t waste time trying to hit shots straight, just develop a repeating draw or fade and set up for every shot on the basis that you will move the ball your usual way.

I myself would hit about 98% of my mid and short irons left (taking loft off the club face by starting it too far back in the stance I think) while most of my drivers and 3 woods off the tee would tend to go left to right.

This is fairly predictable and works fine for me except in cross winds where if the wind is moving the same way you are sending the ball, you see a hugely exaggerated result, so severe that it cant really be compensated for by setting up a little further to the left/ right.

ShriekingSheet

Imhof Tank wrote: »

I saw a Jack Nicklaus instruction video a good few years ago, and his theory was don’t waste time trying to hit shots straight, just develop a repeating draw or fade and set up for every shot on the basis that you will move the ball your usual way.
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Spot on. It really shows up the difference between the pursuit of aesthetically impressive technique and ball flight versus getting it in the hole in less shots than the other guy in any way you can. Obviously a blend of the two aspirations is ideal.

I was always striving for a better and better swing.

My bad swing tends to be over the top and a little steep. I found it hard to ignore when my technique was off it's best because divots would be so obviously chunky and pointing very left. As a younger golfer I'd immediately try to ensure the divot went at the target on the next shots. It took a long time to figure out that this was distracting my attention from the fact that golf is about where the ball goes, not about how it gets there and definitely not about where your divot points.