A draw shot is a shot that curves right to left for the right handed golfer and left to right for the left handed golfer. Oftentimes, your best golfers can hit the draw shot on command.
Golf is one of the most amazing, yet complicated games around. One day you can have it going great and the next time everything seems to have gone away.
Golf is a journey and here at golfjourney365, we have been through the struggles with you. However, we encourage you to stick it and keep grinding away at getting better.
Golf takes a lot of practice and intentional practice with quality instruction to reach your full potential. We believe that everyone has it in them to at least be able to shoot in the 80s.
With the right knowledge of the game and enough practice on the short game, you too can get to where you want to be.
During our journey in golf, we are fortunate to play many different courses in many different conditions. The game of golf calls for different shape shots and one shot that every golfer wants to be able to hit is the draw shot in golf.
What Is A Draw Shot In Golf?
It’s a shot you definitely want to hit if you want to play your best golf. The push draw is the ideal shot. It will start to the right and curve back towards the target. The golfer can feel the proper slot, release and see the perfect looking shot!
Stay with us and we will have you hitting a draw and leave you with enough drills to get your game to the point where you too can hit the draw on demand.
Below we will discuss the following topics related to the draw shot in golf. They include:
- Why do you want to hit a draw in golf
- When to hit a draw in golf
- How to hit a draw in golf
But first, let’s make sure we have an understanding of the ball flight laws in golf. Once you understand these ball flight laws, the game of golf can be easier to figure out as we understand what is causing the ball to curve certain directions.
Understanding The Ball Flight Laws
Why? If you understand the ball flight laws you can start to become your own swing instructor and make corrections on the range or the course by reading the flight of your golf ball. Too often golfers turn to the video of their swing when everything you need to know can be read off of your ball flight. Did you know that your ball flight can tell you the following:
- Where your club face was at impact.
- If your swing path was left or right of the club face.
Once you know these two items you can make the corrections by understanding what swing thoughts can help you get the proper matchups.
So let’s dive into the ball flight laws:
- Generally speaking, the golf ball will start where the club face is aiming.
- The golf ball will then curve away from the swing path.
There are two different lines that we must understand. The target line and the start line. The best golfers start the ball left or right of the target line and then curve the ball back towards the target.
Let’s go over some examples to help you better understand the ball flight laws.
Example A: Let’s say that the club face is 3 degrees right of the target line and the swing path is 5 degrees right of the target line. What will the ball do?
Answer: The ball will start right of the target line and draw back towards the target. This is known as a push draw.
Example B: Let’s say the club face is 3 degrees right of the target line, same as in example A, but the swing path is only 1 degree right of the target line. What will the ball do?
Answer: The ball will start to the right of the target line and will fade to the right. Keep in mind that the ball will curve away from the swing path. In this example, both the club face and the swing path are to the right and the ball will curve away from the path.
Example C: Let’s say the club face is 3 degrees to the left of the target line and the swing path is 5 degrees left of the target line. What will the ball do?
Answer: The ball will start to the left and curve to the right. This would be a pull fade or pull slice. Keep in mind that even though the face is closed to the target line, it is open to the swing path and the ball will curve away from the swing path.
Example D: Let’s say the club face is 3 degrees to the left and the swing path is only 1 degree to the left. What will the ball do?
Answer: The ball will start left and curve left. This shot would look like a pull draw.
Hopefully, these examples help you understand the club face and swing path correlation and how they match up. Once you understand these ball flight laws, it will help you read your own shots and possibly make in round adjustments.
Why Do You Want to Hit A Draw in Golf?
The draw shot will get your more roll and distance than a fade or a cut. The draw shot is an early sign that you are shallowing the club and your contact will often be better.
The draw shot is the sign of a quality golf shot. It is clear that you have the correct path and that the face is closing through the shot relative to the swing path.
I prefer to hit the stock push draw shot. I know that 8 times out of 10 my ball will star tot he right of my target line and will curve back towards the target.
Once you reach this point in golf, you can manage your swing and the course. You can play the angles around a course all day and keep yourself out of trouble. Being able to control the golf ball and have a solid idea on the start line, you can reach a new level in your golf journey.
When To Hit A Draw in Golf?
The draw shot in golf can be played on just about any shot. It is easy to control and is reliable. As you advance in the game you can hit high draws or low draws and even hook the ball when needed.
Some of the greatest golfers of all time only ever hit the draw. However, there are times when the draw shot is perfect.
First Situation:
When the pin is on the left side of the green. You can aim in the middle and draw the ball towards the flag. If the ball doesn’t draw at all you are still in the middle of the green. If it draws as predicted, you might have a short putt left. This allows you to play the percentages.
Second Situation:
From the tee box when the hole drifts from right to left. It helps you maximize the distance on your drive by working the ball around the fairway. Most people who draw the golf ball will look forward to these types of holes where one can aim right and hit that power draw. The ball will release and give you quality distance.
How To Hit A Draw In Golf?
The simple answer is that your club face must be closed to your path. The ball will curve away from the path and reduce a draw. The ideal matchup for a draw is to have a 1-2 degree open face to the target line and a path that is 3-4 degrees open to the target line.
This will produce a shot that starts slightly right and curves back towards the target.
There are several factors that will help you hit a draw:
- A path that is inside out.
- A strong grip.
- A slightly closed stance.
- Allowing the arms to drop in the downswing and keep your upper body back.
For a complete review on how to hit a draw, you have to check out our post below:
How To Hit A Draw – 5 Simple Steps
If you have ever wondered about the draw vs fade, you have to check out this post below:
Draw vs Fade (Complete Overview)
Bonus Tips:
On our journey in golf, we can get lost in the many hours of teaching and instruction surrounding the game. There seems to be many different approaches. If you are someone that is going to dive right in, make sure you review our 3 fundamentals to the golf swing below.
What are the Fundamentals of the Golf Swing?
The Stack and Tilt Instructors said it best when they described what they believed were the fundamentals of golf. They explained it somewhat similar to this:
- The first fundamental is the golfer’s ability to control the bottom of the golf swing. The best golfers will hit the ground in the intended spot, close to 100% of the time.
- The second fundamental is the golfer’s ability to control the curve of the golf ball. The best golfers are able to start the ball to the right or left of the target line and have the ball curve towards the target without the ball over curving past the target.
- The third fundamental is the golfer’s ability to have enough power to play the golf course. This means they are able to hit the ball far enough to play the course in regulation.
They explained that among the greatest golfers of all time there were different grips and different aim points. The fundamentals in golf are not grip, and alignment.
Ben Hogan played with a weak grip, while Lee Trevino had a strong grip. Lee Trevino and Fred Couples aimed way to the right, while Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer aimed well to the right.
We explain all of this to help understand the importance of controlling the curve of the ball. Read your ball flight and start to get better today.
Tip #1: How to Build A Stock Shot
A stock shot allows you to control your start line and your curve, which is the 2nd fundamental in golf. I would recommend the stock draw shot. Here is a drill you can practice at the driving range:
- Setup an alignment stick about 7 to 10 yards in front of you on the target line.
- See how many shots out of 10 you can start to the right of the target.
- Track this data over time and continue to work on your start line.
The goal here is to get the club face pointing in a similar direction as many times out of 10 as possible. Once we get the ball starting the right spot, we can then move onto the curve of the ball.
If your ball is starting to the right and curving to the right, let’s work on getting your swing path more to the right, which will then help you hit a draw.
Practice this every range session you have for at least 20-30 golf balls. Don’t just stand at the range and aimlessly hit golf balls. This drill can be a game changer for many golfers.
Tip #2: How to Increase Swing Speed
We know that fundamental #3 is to have enough power to play a course. Did you know that with SuperSpeed Golf you can see a 5-8% increase in swing speed in your very first session.
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This could be 20-30 yards for some golfers. Even 10 would be great for most, right? This system is based on three different swing clubs all of different lengths.
The training takes place every other day and the entire protocol only takes 10-15 minutes. The science behind the increase is built on overspeed training and training our minds and bodies to be able to safely swing at these increased speed.
One of the great benefits is that it also helps improve your mechanics!
My average swing speed use to be between 98-101 and now I am swinign between 104 and 109 miles per hour. The increase has been noticeable on the course, not only with my driver, but with my approach shots as well!
Check out our full SuperSpeed Swing Review Here
Tip #3: How To Make On Course Corrections
When you hit a bad shot, make sure you watch the entire flight and know what the ball actually does. Too many golfers turn in frustration instead of connecting the feel or the swing with the result.
If you hit a pull hook, did you feel your hands and your body come through too much. Do you need to feel the push to the right and stay patient through contact? Read your ball flight! Know what feels get your start line to be hit and control that club face.
Awareness of the face and the path will help you become more consistent and make on course adjustments.
One thing that has helped me greatly is my SkyTrak Launch Monitor. It provides instant feedback on club speed, club face, spin axis and spin loft. When playing in my golf simulator in my garage, I am able to work on my start line and club head control.
This helps me make adjustments when I actually play on a course. The simulator golf has helped me reduce 4-6 shots by working mainly on tips #1 and #2. The game of golf doesn’t have to be complicated, work to keep it simple and to read your ball flight!
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Many of our worst shots are caused from our fears of certain misses and we get in our own way. Let’s all committee to working on Tips 1 and 2 and using positive vision before each shot where we see our stock shot and imagine it being the most perfect shot. Let’s then commit and step up and hit the shot!
Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better
What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:
1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:
Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:
3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:
We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.
4 – Practice Frequently
Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:
- Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator?
- What is the Best Golf Simulator?
- Golf Simulator Accessories?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for under $7000
- Top 11 Reasons to Buy a SkyTrak
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for Under $1000
- Why Build A Golf Simulator?
- What Space is Needed?
- Can A Golf Simulator Improve My Game?
- How Much Does A Golf Simulator Cost?
- Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.
