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Eliminating One Side of the Golf Course and learning to trust your natural shot shape
Posted on 8/10/20 at 12:12 pm
Posted on 8/10/20 at 12:12 pm
I kind of had an epiphany on Saturday.
We got paired up with this old baw from Zachary at Beaver Creek and on the first driver holes (1,2, and 4) I hit what I thought was a hook and went into a hazard on hole 2 and almost on hole 4.
The Old Baw looked at me and said "why the hell are you aiming down the middle of the fairway, take that same swing and aim right of the fairway and let that hard draw fall in the short grass"
I thought about this and realized I've always tried to hit the ball straight at the target and never really played a round allowing for my natural shot shape when aiming. I can hit a hard draw almost every time, its about a 15 yard draw.
I barely missed a fairway after this. Aiming to the right of greens felt insane but watching the ball draw back in was awesome.
I finally realized this is how good players play golf. Why the hell have I been trying to hit it straight all this time?
Moral of the story everyone has some curve, you are probably better off playing it than trying to hit a straight ball. You also have way more room to work with in the fairway if you allow for your natural shot shape.
We got paired up with this old baw from Zachary at Beaver Creek and on the first driver holes (1,2, and 4) I hit what I thought was a hook and went into a hazard on hole 2 and almost on hole 4.
The Old Baw looked at me and said "why the hell are you aiming down the middle of the fairway, take that same swing and aim right of the fairway and let that hard draw fall in the short grass"
I thought about this and realized I've always tried to hit the ball straight at the target and never really played a round allowing for my natural shot shape when aiming. I can hit a hard draw almost every time, its about a 15 yard draw.
I barely missed a fairway after this. Aiming to the right of greens felt insane but watching the ball draw back in was awesome.
I finally realized this is how good players play golf. Why the hell have I been trying to hit it straight all this time?
Moral of the story everyone has some curve, you are probably better off playing it than trying to hit a straight ball. You also have way more room to work with in the fairway if you allow for your natural shot shape.
6
Posted on 8/10/20 at 12:16 pm to CBandits82
If you can't miss it left, how the he'll could you miss it right?
Posted on 8/10/20 at 12:19 pm to CBandits82
Whoever you normally play with has done you a disservice if no one has told you before to play your "miss" or natural tendency. Surprised you haven't heard that before. That was Hogan's core philosophy; eliminate the left side of the course.
The good news is that is going to make a big difference in your game going forward.
The good news is that is going to make a big difference in your game going forward.
Posted on 8/10/20 at 12:23 pm to CBandits82
Wait til you get a case of the blocks and start piping balls OB right.
Posted on 8/10/20 at 12:26 pm to CBandits82
I hope it works out for you but when I try to accommodate my miss like that I end up hitting it straight 
I’ve heard before that you should never try to hit a straight shot because it will rarely happen and your miss will always be moving away from your target.
I’ve heard before that you should never try to hit a straight shot because it will rarely happen and your miss will always be moving away from your target.
This post was edited on 8/10/20 at 12:27 pm
Posted on 8/10/20 at 12:29 pm to Tyga Woods
Rarely will anyone have zero side spin. Generally, people would have a shape with spin either left or right. Playing that shape as often as possible is smart. Learning how to shape against your tendency and when it’s the right time to use it is another story.
Posted on 8/10/20 at 12:30 pm to CBandits82
quote:
I barely missed a fairway after this. Aiming to the right of greens felt insane but watching the ball draw back in was awesome.
Unfortunately that is what I have to do as well.
It seems crazy to aim at the right bunker on a par 3 to get the ball to drop on the green LOL
My playing partners still laugh when I start the ball right of the green, its crazy.
I said in another thread that I would kill to have a power cut instead of my draw. Most cut shots will try to sit down after hitting the ground, where the draw will run out sometimes and get into trouble.
Posted on 8/10/20 at 1:17 pm to CBandits82
Good advice, especially with the driver. But you still need to be able to hit irons straight or with a cut. Hitting hard draws into firm greens is pretty tough. You won't hold too many greens with that shape
Posted on 8/10/20 at 1:43 pm to GWfool
quote:
Whoever you normally play with has done you a disservice if no one has told you before to play your "miss" or natural tendency. Surprised you haven't heard that before. That was Hogan's core philosophy; eliminate the left side of the course.
The good news is that is going to make a big difference in your game going forward.
No doubt, its kind of hard to explain. I knew I should play my natural shot shape but I was obsessed with fixing it and trying to correct it instead of just playing it. I just had never looked at the game hard like that during a round.
It improves a lot of things subconsciously too. When I was lined up right my brain knew I could fully release the club and not worry about a hook off the map, my swing felt freer and faster. This thought was still there Sunday, went to Sherwood range and lined up about 10 yards right of the flags out there and could draw it in almost everytime. it fells insane though lined up 10,15 yards right of my target, that is gonna take a long time to get used to.
Lining up down the middle of the fairway and trying to hit is straight everytime is impossible.
Posted on 8/10/20 at 2:23 pm to CBandits82
quote:
Lining up down the middle of the fairway and trying to hit is straight everytime is impossible.
My miss now is a snap hook and a push (the slice is gone, praise be), so I typically will line up straight with the angle I want my second shot in. If It's a dog leg right I'm aiming for that right corner, dog left left, left corner and and if it's a straight hole then I'm trying to play the side that avoids hazards on the approach. Bunker front right of green, i'm trying to play the left side of the fairway so I don't have to flight that on my approach. My well struck drives with my driver are mid trajectory and straight as an arrow. My 3 wood draws 5-10 yards off the tee and I will try to play for that shape.
My game hasn't improved enough to where I have command (or much of an idea) of what my shot is going to do with each club, so for the most part I try to hit it straight and hope for the best
Posted on 8/10/20 at 2:38 pm to Riseupfromtherubble
I can turn one over or cut one with a driver if I have to get around a corner. I can hit a hook/slice from jail to get it back in the fairway.
I have 0.0% chance of cutting or drawing a shot into the green. I'm not even sure I'd accurately pick whether the shot should be a cut or draw. That's a completely different level of golf that I'm not sure I'll ever get to.
I have 0.0% chance of cutting or drawing a shot into the green. I'm not even sure I'd accurately pick whether the shot should be a cut or draw. That's a completely different level of golf that I'm not sure I'll ever get to.
Posted on 8/10/20 at 2:42 pm to icegator337
quote:
Good advice, especially with the driver. But you still need to be able to hit irons straight or with a cut. Hitting hard draws into firm greens is pretty tough. You won't hold too many greens with that shape
I play a high draw typically with my irons and my shots have plenty of spin and stop. Over generalizing here, but the only difference between a draw versus a cut regarding side spin is that a draw typically has less loft because the face is closed compared to a cut. In a vacuum with delivered loft being the same a draw and a cut could have the same amount of backspin and would go the same distance. The idea that a draw goes further for any reason other than the delivered loft because of open versus closed face is a myth by people not understanding that an open club face has more delivered loft.
Edit to add as stated earlier almost every golfer is putting some sort of side spin on the ball so the idea of hitting it straight is pretty unrealistic.
This post was edited on 8/10/20 at 2:44 pm
Posted on 8/10/20 at 3:06 pm to GWfool
quote:
play a high draw typically with my irons and my shots have plenty of spin and stop
I have a really high ball flight as well and thats what allows me to hold greens with this draw.
Posted on 8/10/20 at 3:54 pm to GWfool
quote:
The idea that a draw goes further for any reason other than the delivered loft because of open versus closed face is a myth by people not understanding that an open club face has more delivered loft.
You're right, but to me that's mostly theoretical. In the real world I'd bet 90% or more of amateurs hitting a draw have it roll out a lot further than a fade.
Particularly someone just starting to think about eliminating one side of the golf course.
This post was edited on 8/10/20 at 3:55 pm
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