Golfing is a favorite pastime of many people, and it’s considered much more than just a sport. Yes, there is a lot that goes into the technique, measuring out the perfect shot and practicing till perfection, but there’s also an entire culture around it and etiquette that goes along with the sport. And one big right of passage in the community is the ability to hit a good draw shot. It’s not only good for your game, but you really haven’t tried proper golf until you’ve hit your first draw shot and seen the ball fly away into the distance.
The Path or the Position
Research has shown that the path you take when you swing doesn’t actually do as much as everyone thought. It would make sense that the path will determine the trajectory of the ball because we imagine the ball flying in an extension of the swing – we imagine it all as one continuous line. But this isn’t the case. The position of the club at impact is what actually makes all the difference because that is where the transfer of force happens and where the outcome is determined.
Position Your Body Right
Let’s talk about how you’re standing. A common misconception is that you need to be standing in the same way on address and impact. However, there’s an important difference that might just determine the most in this shot. At first, you want to be directly in line with the ball, with your body centered and the club closed towards the ball. However, on impact, your entire body balance needs to shift: while your feet stay in the same position and your head is centered, your hips should move outward, aligning the club more openly with the ball. This change in the hips will make all the difference to your shot, and you should most certainly practice it beforehand and try to emulate the move on the course.
The Swing
We’ve covered the stance and the path, but let’s talk about the big part: the swing. You can learn more about the positioning from the folks at https://theleftrough.com/how-to-hit-a-draw/ that will prepare you for the big moment of bringing that club behind you. There’s a couple of key factors to remember here, so let’s break them down.
Move Your Feet
Your feet should not be parallel to each other. You want to pull back your right foot slightly further than the left to create some space for the downswing. This might not actually impact your swing, but it will allow you to move freely on the downswing without fear of hitting yourself and curving your swing for that reason.
Hold the Shoulders
One big issue a lot of novices have is that they start swinging with their shoulders instead of their whole body. It might seem impossible to change this but just think about holding your shoulders in the same position for as long as you can, and shift the hips before the upper body. Remember that golf is a sport where you use your entire body, and this is a perfect example. If you twist the upper body too soon, you will shift to the back foot and get a shot that will probably start left.
Hand Position
When you look at someone drawing a shot, you might think that it looks as if their arms are going up above their head, but emulating this motion won’t give you anything. What you actually want to be thinking about is your hands going in a circle around your body, rather than just above it. It should feel as if your hands have gone behind your shoulder. This is what will give you that signature swing and the slightly open clubface we so desire.
Lock in Your Forearm
When you make an impact, the clubface should be pointing right at the target. But what a lot of golfers do is instinctively rotate their forearm on the downswing, making the clubface shut in and making them miss their shot. Hold your hands steady, and trust that you’ve aligned the shot properly at the address.
There are a hundred other tricks out there, like how to increase the grip on the club to make sure you’re following through with enough force, and how to align your shot so it’s never short, but for all of this, you will need to be out there, on the field, practicing. The dry theory will only get you so far and if you ever feel like you can’t practice on the field because everyone else looks so experienced and you’re just there missing shots – remember that they were all in your shoes once and went through the exact same thing.
