All players want to know how to hit the perfect draw in golf. Doing so increases the distance of the ball and looks incredible when pulled off successfully, but more importantly, it gives players a better chance to hit the fairway on a dogleg hole, which is something many struggle with.
Mastering the draw is difficult but not as impossible as some believe it to be. Yes, it requires a lot of practice on the driving range yet understanding the technique behind a draw shot isn’t as complex as you’d assume!
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What is a Draw in Golf?
In golf, a draw shot is when the ball movement curves from left to right. It’s a technique that most beginners find difficult and many amateurs struggle to consistently hit a draw, while the pros can do it at the drop of a hat.
To create the curve that moves the ball in the desired direction, the player needs to hit the ball in a way that creates the necessary sidespin that moves it from left to right. This requires proper body alignment and positioning of the clubface, which needs to be closed rather than opened upon impact.
A draw is one of the core skills of golf and will seriously improve your all-round game if you learn how to do it!
Draw vs Fade
Draws and fades are very similar techniques, with the main difference being the direction of the ball’s movement. Whereas a draw is a shot that curves the ball from left to right, a fade is when the ball movement curves from right to left, moving in the opposite direction of a draw.
There is a lot of debate over which technique is better, most of which is down to each player’s preference and ability. For example, if an amateur can hit draws more consistently than a fade, then this technique is always going to be better for that person.
However, there are some points worth mentioning when debating what shot is better. The most notable is that a draw shot typically produces more distance than a fade shot, which brings an obvious advantage for most players.
Conversely, some players feel that a fade produces much better control over the ball movement, therefore making it a better technique. Again, it depends mostly on your own abilities and what shot comes easiest.
As the draw shot is a right-handed technique, most players find this the easiest to learn first.
How to Hit a Draw in Golf
Now it’s time for the fun part! As previously mentioned, hitting a draw in golf isn’t impossible. In fact, with the right understanding of proper technique and plenty of practice, you can learn the technique in no time!
Step One – Getting the Right Alignment
This is the part most people overlook – proper alignment.
For a draw, you want to align yourself to the right of your intended target. Now, this may sound counterintuitive as the entire goal is to hit a shot that curves from right to left, so why align-right if that’s the direction we are trying to avoid?
Don’t worry, it’s all part of the technique, as the idea is to create the curve when the ball is in the air, so when it starts flying right the curve will move it back towards the intended target on the left.
How far from the right of your intended target you align yourself depends entirely on the amount of curve you desire. Basically, the further right from the target the more curve should be created.
For now, let’s keep it simple and align yourself around 20 yards from the intended target on a drive.
Maintain the same setup as if you’d be hitting the ball in this direction, keeping feet, shoulders, and club all aligned to the right.
Step Two – Adjusting the Club Face
Maintaining your alignment from step one, now adjust the direction of the clubface so that it faces your intended target. Don’t move your body out of the starting position, just close the clubface very slowly until it is facing the target.
If facing you from behind, your body should be facing to the right while the club itself is facing the middle. Consider getting someone to photograph your position to see if you’re getting it right!
Step Three – Setting the Grip
If you follow the previous steps you will notice that your grip has probably changed. This is because you’ve closed the face, causing the left hand to move to the underside of the grip.
Keeping your alignment and clubface the same, slowly adjust the hand back around so that three knuckles are on the grip. This proper grip will reduce the chances of slicing your shot while increasing the likelihood of a successful draw.
So, to summarise, your body should still be aligned right, the clubface to the middle, and your grip now in the correct position.
Step Four – Swinging Alone the Line of the Body
You’re almost ready to hit the shot but there is one last thing to remember – swing along the line of your body!
The goal here is for the downswing and follow through to go to the right of where you want the ball to land. While it seems odd to swing along the line the body it’s necessary to create the draw!
Basically, the movement of the ball is influenced by the position of the clubface and the club’s overall direction when the ball is hit.
When the club direction is aligned to your body’s position to the right but the clubface is facing slightly towards the middle (i.e. your intended target), the ball moves from right to left in the air.
Step Five – Hit the Draw!
Now it’s time to put everything into practice!
Focus on a strong follow through to ensure that all your time and effort getting proper club position and body alignment count. Keep your chest out and always try to keep the right shoulder aligned towards the right of the desired target!
This helps to ensure that the swing compliments all the work done in the previous steps and you produce a nice swing, rotate properly, and get the correct swing path.
Always keep the shot smooth too! It’s understandable that players get executed and want to smash the shot to get a lengthy draw, but this rarely works out well.
Overhitting the shot usually results in importer rotation and causes the club to open, meaning the shot will only go right. The great thing about a draw is that the right technique will produce all the distance the ball needs, so don’t focus on smashing your shot!
When you hit the shot with the right technique, the ball has the necessary sidespin to produce lots of distance while moving the from right to left.
Follow all the above steps and you have the groundwork in place for hitting the coveted draw. Continue to practice each step, working on alignment and position, along with your swing and getting the right rotation.
Be sure to hit the driving range to work on this technique, as you should always master something on the driveway before trying it out on the course
How to Hit a Draw with a Driver
The beauty of the draw is that the technique remains mostly the same regardless of your club. It’s often a good idea to start with something like a five iron, as this will give more control over the ball, making it easier to learn how to curve the ball.
Five iron gives more control for this shot because it produces less loft than most other clubs. When there less loft a draw is a lot easier to hit, so consider starting with a five iron before moving onto the driver.
Again, much of the technique remains the exact same as the steps above. One thing to remember is to keep a shallow swing on your drives. A steep swing lowers the sidespin and distance you’re looking for, so try to keep it shallow!
A good tip for this is to neutralize hands (i.e. move them back on the driveshaft) so that the driver is at a 90-degree angle from the body. Doing so will help to naturally produce a shallower swing.