Yes, you can definitely learn to hook a golf ball, which golfers often call hitting a draw. Hitting a draw means the ball starts slightly right of your target (for a right-handed golfer) and curves gently back to the left. This shot shape is desirable for many golfers because it often travels farther and straighter than a fade or a straight shot when executed correctly. Learning this shot involves making specific changes to your golf swing mechanics, focusing on your setup, your path, and how your clubface releases.
The Appeal of Hitting a Draw Shot
Why do so many golfers strive to hit a draw? It is not about intentionally hitting a hook that curves too much. A controlled draw is the shape most tour professionals favor.
- Increased Distance: A draw imparts slight backspin and a slight leftward curve (for righties), which generates more forward roll. This extra roll usually adds yardage to your drive or long iron shot.
- Control: A controlled draw flight path is often easier to manage in windy conditions than a high, fading ball.
- Fixing a Slice: Learning the draw motion is the key to eliminating a slice. A slice is an overdone hook—too much curve to the right (for righties). By learning to create the required leftward curve, you gain control over the ball flight.
Setting Up for Success: Pre-Swing Adjustments
To hit a draw, you need to set up in a way that encourages an inside-out golf swing. This starts long before you move the club back.
Establishing the Proper Golf Grip for Draw
Your grip is the foundation of clubface control. To promote the necessary rotation for a draw, you need a slightly stronger grip.
Stronger Grip Checkpoints:
- Left Hand (For Right-Handed Golfers): Turn your left hand slightly to the right on the club. You should be able to see two or three knuckles easily when you look down at your left hand at address. This encourages the clubface to close through impact.
- Right Hand: Place your right hand slightly more underneath the shaft. The “V” formed by your thumb and forefinger on your right hand should point more toward your right shoulder or even slightly outside it.
Caution: Do not grip too strongly, or you risk turning the shot into an uncontrollable hook. A slight strengthening is key.
Stance and Ball Position
The stance dictates the swing path. We need to set up to encourage an inside approach angle.
Stance Adjustments for a Draw:
- Body Alignment: Aim your feet and shoulders slightly to the right of your intended target line (the line the ball will fly down after the curve). This establishes an inside path relative to your body line.
- Ball Position: Move the ball slightly more toward the inside of your stance, perhaps just inside your lead heel. This gives the club more time to approach the ball from the inside.
- Weight Distribution: Keep a slight bias toward your trail foot (right foot for righties) throughout the setup. This helps maintain the shallow angle needed later.
Mastering the Takeaway and Backswing
The sequence in the backswing is vital for setting up the golf swing mechanics required for an inside path. We want to avoid lifting the club straight up or letting it get too far outside the hands early on.
Shallowing the Golf Club Early
A major component of hitting a draw is shallowing the golf club during the transition from the backswing to the downswing. Shallowing means getting the club shaft flatter or more horizontal relative to the ground as you start down.
How to Promote Shallowing:
- Focus on Width: Concentrate on taking the club away smoothly, keeping your arms wide initially.
- Hands Tracking Inside: Feel like your hands are moving slightly inward rather than straight up. Think of holding a large beach ball between your chest and arms as you swing back.
- Lead Elbow Position: At the top of the swing, your lead elbow (left elbow for righties) should feel relatively tucked or pointing somewhat toward the ground, not flared out to the sky.
This position at the top sets the stage for an in-to-out attack path during the downswing.
The Transition and Downswing Sequence
This is where most golfers make or break the draw shot. The transition must feel seamless, encouraging the club to drop onto the correct plane for an inside approach.
Building Lag in Golf Swing
To maximize power and ensure the club approaches from the inside, you must focus on building lag in golf swing. Lag is the angle created between your lead arm and the club shaft that you hold onto until late in the downswing.
Creating and Maintaining Lag:
- Slow Transition: Start the downswing with your lower body shifting toward the target, not your arms yanking the club down. This lower body bump initiates the move.
- Resisting Release: Feel like you are delaying the full extension of your arms. The clubhead should “lag behind” your hands. This delay is crucial. If you flip your wrists too early, you lose lag, and the club travels over the top (causing a slice or a pull).
- The Drop: As your lower body unwinds, the club will naturally drop into the slot—the shallow position created in the backswing.
The Inside Approach Angle
The goal is to swing the club along that inside track established by the shallower backswing. This means the clubhead is traveling toward the ball from the target line’s right side (for a righty).
If you have an inside-out golf swing, the path of the club will be moving rightward relative to the target line at impact. This is the physical requirement for imparting the right-to-left curve.
Impact: The Moment of Truth
The golf impact position dictates the final flight direction. For a draw, the clubface must be slightly closed relative to the swing path, but the path itself must be moving out to the right (in-to-out).
Controlling the Clubface Rotation
The primary difference between a draw and a fade lies in how the face rotates through impact. To hit a draw, the face needs to square up or slightly close relative to that inside path.
Wrist Hinge in Golf Swing and Release:
The wrist hinge in golf swing must be released correctly. For a draw:
- Rotation: As you approach impact, your trail forearm should rotate over your lead forearm. Think of the leading edge of the club “shutting down” or pointing slightly toward the ground after contact.
- Feeling: Many golfers find it helpful to feel like they are aggressively rotating their lower hands through impact. Imagine shaking hands with someone standing to your left as you strike the ball.
Ball Flight Laws Summary for a Draw (Right-Handed Golfer)
| Factor | Desired Position/Action | Result on Ball Flight |
|---|---|---|
| Swing Path | Inside-Out (e.g., 3–5 degrees right of target) | Promotes right-to-left movement |
| Clubface Angle | Slightly Closed to Path (e.g., 1–2 degrees left of path) | Creates the draw spin |
| Resulting Curve | Gentle Draw (Right-to-Left) | Maximum distance and control |
If your path is inside-out, but your clubface is open to the target, you will hit a push-slice. If your path is in-to-out, and your face is aggressively closed, you will hit a hook. The balance between path and face is everything when hitting a draw shot.
Post-Impact and Follow-Through
The follow-through is merely the result of what happened at impact. To reinforce the draw motion, ensure your finish encourages the rotation.
Finishing High and Left
For a successful draw, the finish should look balanced and slightly wrapped around your body, higher on the left side (for righties).
- Full Release: Allow the hands and wrists to fully unhinge and rotate. Resist holding off the release.
- Weight Transfer: All your weight should finish solidly on your lead foot, with your belt buckle pointing clearly toward the target.
Drills to Promote an Inside-Out Swing Path
Changing ingrained swing habits takes time and specific practice. These drills help isolate the feeling of shallowing the golf club and promoting an inside approach.
Drill 1: The Two-Tee Gate Drill
This drill is excellent for forcing an inside approach angle.
- Place one tee directly in line with where you want the ball to start (the target line).
- Place a second tee about 4–6 inches in front of the first tee, but slightly to the right (for righties). This creates a narrow “gate” that the club must pass through after impact.
- Take half-swings, focusing only on getting the club through the gate from the inside. If you swing over the top, you will hit the second tee.
Drill 2: The Towel Under the Trail Armpit
This drill directly addresses the feeling of connection and discourages early casting (losing lag).
- Place a small, folded towel securely under your trail armpit (right armpit for righties) before taking your stance.
- Make smooth swings, attempting to keep the towel in place throughout the backswing and downswing.
- If you yank the club from the top or release your wrist hinge in golf swing too early, the towel will drop out. Keeping it tucked encourages building lag in golf swing and ensures the arms stay connected to the body’s rotation, naturally leading to a shallower path.
Drill 3: The Alignment Stick Drill for Path Correction
This drill helps visualize the inside-out golf swing path.
- Place an alignment stick on the ground running from just outside the ball toward the target line. This stick represents the “over-the-top” path you want to avoid.
- Place a second alignment stick on the ground starting near your back foot and pointing slightly to the right of the target (outside the first stick). This represents your desired inside path.
- Hit balls focusing on swinging the clubhead along the line of the second stick. This forces you to use an inside approach angle.
Diagnosing and Fixing Common Draw-Attempt Flaws
When trying to hit a draw, golfers often overcorrect, leading to new problems. Here is how to adjust common mistakes.
Problem 1: The Push Slice (Path is In-to-Out, but Face is Open)
This often happens when you are trying to swing out to the right but forget to turn the face over.
- Cause: You are swinging aggressively from the inside, but your trail hand fails to rotate over the lead hand at impact. The face remains too open relative to that path.
- Fix: Concentrate solely on your grip. Ensure your proper golf grip for draw is slightly stronger, and actively feel like your right palm faces the sky briefly just after contact.
Problem 2: The Snap Hook (Path is Too Far In-to-Out, Face is Too Closed)
This shot curves violently left, often starting well right and ending up far left.
- Cause: Excessive grip strength or too much aggressiveness in the forearm rotation leading to an extremely closed clubface at impact.
- Fix: Ease up on the grip strength slightly. Focus on maintaining a stable golf impact position where the face matches the path within 1–2 degrees, not 5 or 6 degrees. Lighten your grip pressure overall.
Problem 3: Hitting Up Too Much (Becoming Too Level)
While hitting up is good for distance (especially with the driver), trying to hit too much up can pull the club off plane.
- Cause: Focusing too much on the height of the ball rather than the rotational move. This can lead to an unstable wrist hinge in golf swing.
- Fix: Go back to the towel drill. This ensures that your body rotation controls the drop, rather than trying to lift the club vertically with the arms.
Table: Comparing Slice Correction vs. Draw Creation
It is helpful to see how the needed changes for eliminating a slice directly translate into hitting a draw shot.
| Swing Element | Correcting a Slice (Moving to Neutral/Draw) | Creating a Draw (Moving to Controlled Draw) |
|---|---|---|
| Grip | Weak grip strengthened slightly. | Stronger grip established. |
| Alignment | Aim shoulders/feet slightly left of target. | Aim shoulders/feet slightly right of target. |
| Swing Path | Move from outside-in toward neutral/in-to-out. | Maintain or encourage a distinct inside-out path. |
| Face at Impact | Clubface closes faster relative to the path. | Clubface closes slightly relative to the path (Path > Face). |
| Key Feel | Stop swinging “over the top.” | Focus on shallowing the golf club. |
Frequently Asked Questions About Hooking the Golf Ball
H5: Why does my ball curve left if I feel like I’m swinging hard?
This usually means your clubface is simply open relative to your swing path at impact. Even if your path is slightly inside-out, if the face is open to the target line, the ball will start right and curve right (a push slice). For a left curve (draw), the face must be closed relative to that inside path.
H5: Is it bad to constantly hit a draw with irons?
No, it is not inherently bad, especially if it is a controlled draw. Many great iron players naturally play a slight draw. The issue arises only if the curve is too severe (a hook), causing distance control problems, or if you are fighting the wrong curve (e.g., trying to hit a high fading trajectory). Consistency is more important than the specific curve.
H5: How long does it take to master hitting a draw consistently?
This depends heavily on your current swing flaws and dedication. If your primary fault is a slice, eliminating a slice by learning the in-to-out path might take a few weeks of focused practice. Mastering the precise face control needed for a perfect draw can take months of focused work on golf impact position drills. Be patient and focus on one element at a time, like building lag in golf swing, before moving to the next.
H5: Can a strong grip fix an outside-in path?
A strong grip promotes face closure, which can counteract an over-the-top path if the face is the primary issue. However, a strong grip alone will not fix an outside-in path. You must adjust the golf swing mechanics to encourage an inside approach angle for true path correction. If you only strengthen the grip, you risk flipping the wrists and hooking the ball violently.