Tired of not knowing which way the ball is going to fly?
Do you ever stand over a shot and struggle to not only know where the ball is going to start, but which way it is going to curve?
If so, then you need a stock shot in golf.
You might be saying, what is a stock shot?
What Is A Stock Shot in Golf?
A stock shot in golf is a shot that starts right or left of your intended target and curves back to the target without over curving.
Many golfers struggle with the double cross. This is when the golfer is aimed to the right for a draw and hits a push fade or if they are aiming left and hit a pull hook.
These are devastating shots in golf, especially off of the tee, as it leads to out of bounds penalty strokes, loss balls, or playing shots from the trees. The stock shot is an essential skill and one of the fundamentals in the game of golf.
Golfers need to be able to do the three following to play consistent golf:
- Consistently strike the ball solid by having the club contact the ground in the same spot every time.
- Be able to start the ball slight left or right of their intended start line and have it curve back towards the target.
- Have enough swing speed to play the golf course.
The golfer, through practice and drills found below, can now play the course with more confidence and manage his or her game as they plot around the course trying to shoot their best score possible!
Many golfers will get into the debate if a player should hit a draw and a fade.
My recommendation is to have your one go to stock shot that you can rely on under pressure. It allows you to control your golf ball, have confidence and most important return the fun to the game of golf!
Below, I will dive into the following topics related to the stock shot:
- Should I hit a draw of fade as my stock shot?
- Are there any times I should go away from my stock shot?
- What drills can I use to develop a stock shot?
- The science behind the stock shot?
- How can I develop more swing speed within my stock shot?
- How do I measure my golf swing to know my best stock shot?
Should I hit a draw of fade as my stock shot?
I would recommend developing a stock shot that is most comfortable to your current swing. If you hit more fades than draws, go with the fade. If you hit more draws then fades, go with the draw shot. The goal is to develop a stock shot that you can rely on.
If you are 50/50 on both and really have no idea, I would recommend going wi the draw stock shot. I believe this shot can help with distance and when playing into the wind.
Plus once you learn to hit a stock draw shot, which starts slight to the right and draws back towards the target, making a simple adjustment will allow you to hit a push fade in those extreme situations.
Many of the top golfers in today’s golfing world will hit the fade with the driver (helps eliminate the hook shot) and draws with their irons. However, there are exceptions all over the place, but this is the shot pattern I have noticed when watching events in person or with the shot tracer on television.
At the end of the day, there is no perfect shape shot to play. The perfect shape for you is the shape that you can feel confident over on the 18th hole of a round when you need to execute the most!
Are there any times I should go away from my stock shot?
There are always going to be shots on dogleg holes or extreme approach shots with tucked pins when the stock shot might not be the perfect shot to help you maximize distance or proximity to the pin.
My recommendation is to go with a stock shot for a period of time. Stay committed to that shot and be willing to hit the middle of the green on a tucked pin or take a club less on a dogleg tee shot.
The goal here is to build the skill necessary to build your confidence. Going back and forth in the beginning stages can be shocking to the system and we want the system to become comfortable with hitting the stock shot that works.
Trust me, if you can develop a stock draw shot, you will feel comfortable over the shots and feel that you have a go to shot in all situations. Sometimes you simple take the middle of the green, attempt to role in the putt and be happy to head to the next hole with a par!
What drills can I use to develop a stock shot?
Yes, there is one awesome drill I came across in the past year that provides a great visual, immediate feedback and the ability to develop a stock shot.
I know that is why you are still reading, give me the information to hit the stock shot! Help me get better! That is the beauty of golf, we are all on a journey trying to get better and find the shots to help us play more consistently and shoot better scores.
Here is a wonderful drill you can use to build a stock shot:
- At the driving range, set up an alignment stick about 6-8 yards in front of you, straight down your target line.
- If you have a second alignment stick, set the stick 3-4 yards right of the first stick (for a draw) or left of the first stick (for a fade).
- Complete your initial assessment see how many times out of 10 you can start the ball to the right or left of your target. Pick one side and measure your game at this point.
- The goal is to eventually get 7 out of 10 shots to start to the correct side and draw back towards the target.
Here is the drill being explained by Kyle Morris:
*I enjoy doing this drill in my golf simulator setup as I can see the curve of the ball and the spot where my ball hit on the impact screen. However, it can easily be utilized at the driving range. See below for more from rotation about my golf simulator setup!
The science behind the stock shot?
Inquiring minds will want to know what causes the ball to start to the right of left of the target line and then curve back without over curving. We have an answer for you! Have you heard of ball flight laws?
In general the ball will start in the direction of the club face and curve relative to the path. So for a shot to be a push draw, the club face must be open to the intended target line, but closed to the path.
For example, the club face can be 2 degrees open and a path of 3 or 4 degrees to the right. This will result in a slight push draw.
The one that most amateurs dream about hitting!
We must understand 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. Understand the ball flight laws is step one in fixing your bad shots.
Golfers who fail to hit a stock shot, struggle with club face control and producin a similar swing path from shot to shot.
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 checking out our 2nd Tip on 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.
Example 1: Traditional Push Hook (MOST COMMON LOW HANDICAP SWING FAULT)
With the traditional push hook, a shot hit by many low players, the ball will start right of the target line and then curve to the left. This means the clubface is closed relative to the target line. Let’s say the club face is 3 degrees open. Then let’s say that the path is 10 degrees right of the target line. We have the following:
- Clubface: 3 degrees open
- Swing Path: 10 degrees left
This means the ball will start right and then curve away from the swing path resulting in a hook..
Example 2: Traditional Push Draw
THe shot that many golfers desire to hit is the push draw. I know growing up, I would watch all of the good golfers at my golf course and see them hitting a draw that would start to the right and curve back towards the target. Here are the numbers on a push draw and an example.
- Clubface: 2 degree open
- Swing Path: 3 degrees to the right
This means the ball will start to the right and then curve away from the path, resulting in a slight push draw. In this example if the clubface was 1 more degree open at 3 degrees open and and match the swing path the shot would be slight push to the right.
Example 3: The Pull Shot
So now that you are getting the idea of the ball flight laws, let’s show what would cause the pull shot.
- Clubface: 5 degrees closed
- Swing Path: 5 degrees closed or to the left
Why does your ball curve to the right?
How can I develop more swing speed within my stock shot?
We all want more swing speed in our golf game. Many of us have read or heard about the analytics related to golf and the importance of additional speed and distance in our game. If you can’t hit the ball over 225 yards with the driver, reaching certain levels like low single digits can be difficult.
The good news is that there are numerous options to help you improve your swing speed regardless of age. The most recent science to hit golf is the overspeed training.
The most popular and the one that I use is SuperSpeed Golf. This overspeed training approach has multiple training protocols that only take 15 minutes every other day.
Find a place at your house where you can swing the speed sticks and gain 5-8% as early as the first training session. Make this stick and become your normal speed by training for several months. Over the course of time, you can expect to add an additional 1% every couple of months on top of the 4-6%.
A year ago my average driving swing speed was between 99-101 miles per hour. I am not playing the game between 103-107 miles per hour. Just the other day I hit two drivers that went 285 yards in some soft, no wind conditions.
This means to me that I really did connect and have been able to add additional speed through the overspeed training and by studying and implementing the swing practices of George Gankas!
Check out my review on the George Gankas membership site!
Are you ready to get started today with SuperSpeed Golf? Build that stock shot, train for more speed, don’t forget about the short game and before you know you will be shooting your goal score!
- Check out SuperSpeed Overspeed Training Protocols
- Train every other day for 10-15 minutes.
- See a 4-6% increase in swing speed as early as the first training protocol.
The number one thing that has helped me gain significant distance is the SuperSpeed Training System.
Final Thoughts
The stock shot is a game changer in golf. Once I started putting my focus on my start lines and getting the ball headed in the right direction, I was able to be more aggressive with approach shots and play with the confidence that the ball is going to go where I was looking.
My number one go to drill is the drill above on developing a stock shot. Even after you have a stock shot, it never hurts to continue to practice starting the ball in the right direction and controlling the turn of the ball.
I played two rounds the past two days and was able to hit 29 out of 36 greens in regulation due to relying on my stock shot. I have many birdie opportunities and many easy two putts for par. Stress free golf is the key! Hit the ball where you are looking and make the game fun again!