HIT THE DRAW!
Arguably the most beautiful shot in golf is the long and powerful draw that starts slightly to the right and curves back toward the left. It’s a sight most golfers would like to see more often, that’s for sure. To start hitting more draws, you have to learn the basic mechanics of swinging from inside the target line. Notice in this photo, midway on the downswing, my club is clearly inside the target line. From this position, my swing plane will flatten, and I’ll swing more to the right and through to the finish. This is step one in learning how to hit a draw.
FADE IT!
When trying to hit a fade, it’s critical that you do the opposite of what you’d do with a draw and swing from outside the target line to back inside the target line through the downswing. To check your progress, stand with a mirror to your side and, at the same point in the downswing I’m in here, check to see if the club- head is blocking your hands in the mirror. If it is, you have just the right amount of outside-in swing direction.
FADE FOLLOWTHROUGH
Lower
If you intend to hit a fade, sometimes the best advice is to concentrate on a single aspect of the fade-driven swing. In this case, consider your followthrough. A fade followthrough is flatter, with the hands finishing lower and around the body. Concentrate on getting into a lower, more rounded finish and see if that helps you hit the fade you want.
Higher
DRAW FOLLOWTHROUGH Unlike a fade that ends with a low hands position, a draw tends to lift the hands into a higher place on the fol- lowthrough. In this photo, you can clearly see the hands are higher. This is a result of the hands being farther away from the body through the hit another side effect of the inside to outside swing plane.
HIT IT HIGHER!
When it comes to today’s new drivers, most are designed so you can hit the ball high, but with a low amount of spin. This equates to maximum distance. To hit your drives with an extra boost in trajectory, concentrate on making a wider stance. A wide stance will help you attach the ball on a flatter, more ascending plane.
To ensure you hit a higher tee shot, you have to brace your left leg through impact. In this photo, the weight is transitioning to the left side, but because of the resistance in the left leg, it’s able to unleash some power without hitting down or over the top of the ball. That would not only knock down your ballflight, but also shorten your distance.
As you reach the impact position, a high driver commands that you maintain the tilt in the shoulders through the hit. As you can see by the impact position, the shoulders are tilted away from the target, meaning the body is still behind the golf ball, and hitting up on it. This is key for a higher tee shot.
HIGH DRIVE EXTENSION • More Shoulder Tilt • Body Behind The Ball
All of the aspects of the golf swing, the extension of the arms through impact is among the most often overlooked. It’s also frequently misunderstood, primarily because in order to extend the arms, the body must rotate through the hit. If you don’t rotate and clear the hips, the arms can’t extend. So, to practice your arm extension (a necessary step for more power and accuracy), concentrate on making sure your hips are still turning to the left—even after you hit. Do that, and you’ll see how much easier it is to extend the arms and maximize your speed and power.
LOW DRIVE EXTENSION • Less Shoulder Tilt • More Level Impact Position
Just because it has hit it lower, that’s no excuse not to extend! The left leg is again braced for impact, only a low shot requires the opposite of that of a high shot. Make your normal to narrow stance, and then at impact, practice making a more level swing with minimal spine tilt. If you can do that, you’ll see lower tee shots, unlike the higher shot, more of your weight has transitioned toward the target. Remember to extend and keep the shoulders more level than you would for a higher tee shot. Only this time, allow more weight to transition to your left side at impact.
LOW TEE SHOT High shots generally are more desired, but there are some occasions when a low tee shot is required. To make it simple, hittinga low shot requires the opposite of that of a high shot. Make your normal to narrow stance, and then at impact, practice making a more level swing with minimal spine tilt. If you can do that, you’ll see lower tee shots.
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