Learn To Draw On A More Complete Golf Swing

Most beginning golfers continually fight the slice when learning the game. The malady is so pervasive that swinging over the top and cutting across the ball must be hard-coded in human DNA. It takes hard work and a focused teaching professional to overcome natural swing tendencies that undermine a solid golf game. Being able to draw the ball — a controlled right-to-left flight for right-handers — on command will allow you to gain more distance and more control over swing and your overall golf game.

Kim Kleinle, a PGA Certified Professional in Instruction who teaches in both Pennsylvania and California, offers easy-to-follow tips and drills that can help you turn the ball off your clubface moving in a direction that perhaps you have never experienced.

There’s more than one way to draw the ball and more than one professional opinion about the best way to do so. Sometimes a single setup adjustment will do the trick for one golfer, while other golfers achieve success with a combination of tweaks to their setup. One fellow golf professional told me she just imagines a draw and her body responds with a draw. If only it were that easy for the rest of us!
The key to hitting a draw is understanding what’s going on. For simplicity, I’ll describe the swing from the vantage of a right-handed golfer. You lefties know the drill: Just reverse the directions. To create the side spin on the ball that will make it curve gently to the left, you have to set up and swing in such a way that the club’s face is slightly closed in relation to an inside-to-out swing path. Lining up the shot with that in mind and allowing the club to release through impact should give you the draw you want.

Adjust Alignment: Set up square to your target and then make a slight adjustment to allow for the draw. For example, if you assume a 10-yard draw, aim about 10 yards right of your target. This will be your new target line. Your foot line, hips and shoulders should be square to this new target line – 10 yards right of the target.

Modify Clubface Position: Set your club’s face just left of this new target line – in other words, closed to the new target line but square to (or even a little right of) the original target.

Tweak you Ball Position: Move you ball slightly (a ball or two) back in your stance, particularly with the driver. This change will help you hit from the inside.

Swing to the Right: Golf is a game of opposites. Hit down to make the ball go up. Aim too far in one direction, you will hit a ball that curves farther away. And to get the ball to move right or left, you have to swing in the opposite direction. So, to draw the ball, you have to swing to the right. Take a normal backswing, but on the downswing, allow the club to drop inside and approach the ball from inside the line.

Let the Club Release: Swinging the club on the correct path won’t work if you try to steer the ball. Allow the club to release by swinging with relaxed shoulders and arms.

Loosen your Grip: A death grip on the club will also prevent the club from releasing and squaring up at impact. The result will be a push or push-fade. Hold the club firmly enough that it won’t fly out of your hands. Imagine holding an open tube of toothpaste and you don’t want to squeeze any of the toothpaste out.

Check your Fundamentals: If you are having trouble drawing the ball with the setup changes, check your posture. Make sure your right shoulder is slightly lower than your left. Check your posture to ensure you are bending properly at your hips and allowing your arms to hang naturally from your shoulders. If your posture is off, you won’t be able to swing on the correct path.

Adjust your Grip: This is one of the first things golfers are advised to do to hit a draw, but I left it for last. If you have a good grip, you should be able to draw the ball with the setup changes. Changing a perfectly good grip could mess up your swing. If, however, you have made the setup changes and still can’t draw the ball, you should check to make sure you are holding the club properly. Your grip should be rotated slight right of center so that the V’s formed by the thumb and forefinger of both hands point to your right shoulder. Look down, and you should also see three knuckles on your left hand.

DRILLS
If you continue to have trouble drawing the ball, the problem is likely your swing path or release. These drills will help you.

Drop Your Right Foot Back – One of the major reasons amateur golfers can’t hit a draw is that they struggle to swing on an inside path. Bringing the club inside on the backswing only makes the problem worse. Try this drill: Set up square to you target line with the clubface just slightly closed. Make sure your feet, hips and shoulders are all parallel to your target line. Now, slide your right foot back about 5 inches. Practice hitting balls from this position, which should make it much easier to approach the ball from an inside path.

Head Cover Drill – This is another drill to promote the correct swing path. If you are struggling with an over-the-top path, place a couple of head covers about an inch from the toe of the club, on a line parallel to your intended swing path. Try to hit the ball without hitting the headcovers.

Feet Together and Toe Up Combo Drill – This drill will help you learn what it feels like to properly release the club. Place your feet together, but otherwise set up normally. Swing the club back halfway to hip height and make sure the toe of the club points to the sky, while the shaft of the club should be parallel to your target line. Then, swing through to the same position on the target side. If you’ve done the drill correctly, you’ll remain balanced and the toe of the club will be pointing to the sky. Practice this drill without a ball until you are comfortable, and then try to hit a ball while executing the drill.