If senior golfers are looking to hit the ball further with the driver, learning to shape the shot with a powerful draw could give an extra boost of distance.
The amount of backspin imparted on the ball when drawing the ball with a driver is often less than when hitting a fade. This usually adds more roll down the fairway when the ball lands. In general, hitting a draw is a more difficult shot than hitting a fade but can be achieved with practice.
A draw shot begins right of the target before curving left in the air to finish on the target line (for a right handed golfer). The shot shape is caused when the club travels on an in-to-out swing path with the club face closed to the path but slightly open to the target line.
How to hit a draw
A lot of the work needed to hit a draw shot can be completed at set up.
1. Start the routine from behind the ball and lock on to the target.
2. Trace a line from the target back to the ball (this is the ball-to-target line).
3. Pick out something on the ground just in front of the ball which sits on the ball-to-target line (this could be a leaf or old divot, for example)
4. Move into the set up position and aim the club face at the intermediate target (this will ensure the club face is on the ball-to-target line)
5. Then set the toes, knees, hips and shoulders at right angles to the club face and ball-to-target line.
6. Now depending on how much you want to draw the ball, bring the body around to the right (for a right handed golfer) but leave the club face held square to the ball-to-target line.
7. The more right you aim, the bigger the draw ball flight will be.
The swing
The reason achieving the correct set up is important is because the senior can use their body line to guide the swing. After the body has been angled away to the right, the senior can begin their swing. The club should be swung along the line of the toes (in-to-out in relation to the target line). This will produce an in-to-out swing path.
Through impact, the senior golfer needs to feel they are releasing the club towards the target, turning the ball from right to left in the air.
