What is a draw?
A draw in simple golfing terms for a right handed golfer is a golf ball that starts to the right and curves back to the left towards the target. Of course with lefties it is the opposite where the ball starts to the left and curves back to the right towards the target.
A common misconception in golf is that you impart side spin on a ball, where as in fact the ball never spins sideways it is just spinning on a tilted axis (SPIN AXIS). If you visualize the earth is spinning (as it does) and then you tilted it to the left that would be a drawn shot, the spin hasn't changed its just the axis of the ball has now tilted to the left.
For a draw in Trackman terms we would like to see a spin axis in the minus degrees (ie -8) conversely a spin axis with a positive number (ie +8) would be a shot fading off to the right.
Many people often ask "well whats the difference between a draw and a hook"? This can be a bit of a grey area and open to different interpretation. For me I usually gauge this on the control I have over the shot and also the start line and amount of curve. So I would consider a draw when I start the ball slightly right and draw it back towards the fairway or flag. When the ball starts left, straight or right and then curves left of target, mainly too far left then I would place it into the area of a hook. There are many categories of shots blanketed under a hook but I wont go into those at the moment.
How do I hit a Draw?
Hitting a draw is fairly simple once you know the process. For this example I will be using a Right handed golfer.
The old way of hitting a draw was aim right and roll the hands through the shot like a tennis player would. This can work but is a massively inconsistent way to do so as well as bringing in many other problems.
Through Trackman radar we now know that if we have a FACE ANGLE open to the TARGET LINE and then a CLUB PATH moving further right of that face angle in a ratio of 2-1. for example if my target line is 0 degrees a CLUB FACE of 2 degrees and PATH OF 4 degrees would be and ideal drawn shot. This would also give the parameter of FACE TO PATH -2 degrees thus giving us that negative SPIN AXIS which would give that right to left curve (DRAW).
This ratio can work in any number pairing and doesn't have to be exact for a decent drawn shot. Examples would be FACE 3 DEGREES - CLUB PATH 6 DEGREES ( I will post example Images on my Facebook and Instagram pages: Samuel Phillips Golf Academy)
So how do we get these face and path numbers?
There are a few ways to get these ideal numbers for a draw but the simplest way is to aim right in your setup (RH golfer) with heels, hips and shoulders right. You can also move your ball position back slightly to help your path move from IN to OUT. Then we want the club face setup open to the target and then swinging the CLUB PATH further right to impart a negative SPIN AXIS on the ball and thus causing the draw.
With proper rotation in your swing you wont require any hand/arm manipulation to get the ball to curve. It is also a much more consistent way to do it by only having to focus on the club path one you have your setup correct.
There are a few other aspects that can affect how well you can do these swing movements such as shaft lean and shaft plane. These are things you would need someone like myself or your PGA coach to help you with.
Goodluck.
DEFINITIONS: Trackman: A radar ball, club, flight data tracking device. Spin Axis: The positive or negative tilted axis of the ball whilst spinning. Club Path: The path the club head is moving on at impact. Target line: your target, ie: middle of fairway or the flag etc. Club face: The face or area the ball strikes on the club head.
For Images check out my Facebook & Instagram pages: Samuel Phillips Golf Academy