Instruction for Dummies: Shaping Your Shots

The more instructional videos I see, the more I realize that the space is being overrun by intricate, jargon-filled monologues that hold your head underwater. The complex ideas, the spruced-up wording to explain simple movements. It’s all just too much. So, I’m going to do my best to dumb down some of these concepts this year in a series called “Instruction for Dummies”—welcome to the first installment!

Today, we’re going to talk about shaping the golf ball.

Every amateur golfer would love to work it both ways. It’d be hard not to, especially when the pros on TV make it look so easy. So, if you’re hoping to learn how to hit draws and fades, here’s what I focus on when I’m out on the golf course or at the range.

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It Starts with Your Shoulders and Feet

When addressing the golf ball, the clubface should be square to your target. I will sometimes aim a little left if I’m hitting a fade and a little right if I’m hitting a draw—I’m right-handed—just to give myself a little more room for error.

Your feet and shoulders, however, should be a little open to your target line if you’re hitting a fade and a little closed if you’re hitting a draw. This setup change will help move your swing path.

Swing Down Your Feet Line

Now that we’re set up and ready to take the club back, I want you to trace your feet line during your takeaway. If you’re hitting a fade, the takeaway will be a little more outside your hands on the way back, and the opposite for a draw.

Once the club is at the top of your backswing and you shift your weight to start the downswing, once again I want you to swing along the line of your feet. For a fade, you’ll notice you’ll start to open up a bit sooner, which allows you to swing outside to in and produce a pull-fade. As for the draw, you’ll need to keep your back pointed at the target for a bit longer, then release your hands down your feet line.

Here are screen grabs from a couple videos of my own swing. The differences are telling.

The difference in takeaway, the position at the top is deep with my draw swing, while my fade swing mimics Justin Thomas’ position, and on the way down, the club perfectly goes through my right arm during the draw swing, but it’s steeper with the fade swing.

If you’re looking for a training aid to help get these moves dialed in, I’ve found something like this pays dividends.

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If you’re used to hitting a certain shape, trying to make it move the other way is going to feel strange. It’s going to take a bit of time to figure it out, so don’t try this for the first time on the golf course. Head to the range, grab a bucket of balls, and get to work!

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