I started Tom's course about 3 weeks ago and have worked through most of Golf Swing Simplified - for the most part I am pleasently surprised at the consistency of making good repeatable contact with the ball. I am however struggling with hitting a consistent draw. Conversly though I am able to hit a nice consistent fade. I've watched and worked through Tom's Curving Shots. Most of my draws start out straight and then about 80 yrds out the ball draws.
Is it just me or is it just easier to hit fades vs draw?
Thanks,
Max
Hi Max,
I'm very glad to learn of your improved consistency and ball striking!
If you are someone who - like most - wrestles with a chronic over-the-top move from a previous swing method, the draw can take a bit more time and effort to build in. Ball flight rules are what they are. Clubface relative to target line determines the starting direction, and face relative to path determines direction and degree of curvature. Once the downswing is working properly and the club is approaching the low point from the inside, we can use the Grid to shape our shots.
The description of your "draw" is actually a little bit of a pull-hook. If your downswing path is good, then you should be able to address this without any swing intervention by deploying the Grid. Make sure that your hands are even with the inside of your lead thigh at address, and then make incremental backward tweaks of the ball position to see how different positions affect impact quality and shot shape for different clubs. Stack & Tilt prescribes a stock ball position that is in the middle of the stance for short irons, two balls inside the lead heel for middle irons, and incrementally more forward for the longer clubs - the farthest forward being even with the inside of the lead heel for the driver (with the stance width increasing as we move from shorter to longer clubs). I'd use these as your starting points and adjust from there. It's very important to use alignment sticks when monitoring ball position - one on the foot line, a second one parallel to the first to mark the target line, and a third perpendicular to these to show ball position.
Down-the-line video of your swing - taken from the foot line and not the target line - will enable you to see your downswing path. If you notice that the club is still not quite approaching from the inside, then there are drills we can try to address and correct this.
Alternatively, you might also give some thought to the V1 Swing Video Analysis - an effective and inexpensive service that I highly recommend to everyone in the school. This enables me to put my eyes on your swing and offer some very specific observations and corrective action plans if applicable. I liken it to bringing your swing into the shop for a tune-up or minor repair. Scheduling one on a quarterly basis for preventive maintenance will do wonders for keeping things humming along nicely, and it's also a great tool for pinpointing and resolving any issues that arise. The process involves downloading the free V1 app and then submitting two videos to me through the app - one down-the-line (captured from your stance line, not the target line) and the other face-on. You'll find more information about the V1 Analysis halfway down this page on the Saguto.Golf site.
Generally speaking, it seems to me that you are progressing quite well after just three weeks in the school, and ultimately if a well-struck, consistent, controllable fade ends up being your preferred ball flight, then there's absolutely nothing wrong with that!
Tom