Draw vs Fade, when do you hit each?
 

I am thinking about starting to try to work the ball a little more this year. How do you decide whether you hit a draw or fade? Is it to stay away from danger, is it because of wind, is it because of pin position and the breaks in the green?

As little as possible. I prefer a straight ball and my scores thank me for it.

I prefer straight and do not know how to hit a ball. My natural flight is a fade

I tried to be more conscience of working the ball last year. It did nothing for my scores. I try to hit a draw or fade only if I need to. If I put myself in a bad position and the next shot needs some shape, that is the only time.

Referring to off the tee or hitting into the green?

Do you hit one easier then the other?

All depends on where the trouble is and what the wind is doing will dictate what I should hit. I have 1 hole I do the opposite of what I normally do.

17th hole par 3 235 yards slightly down hill and normally plays with a left to right wind helping a touch. Water down on left side with a bunker short right. Depending on the amount of wind and where the pin is dictates the club.
On avg, I choose 4 iron and swing 90% vs my normal 80%. I aim to right edge of bunker and cut it into the wind vs what I would normally do is aim it left side and hit draw to let wind bring it back.If this hole was anywhere else on the course and wasn't as critical,I'd hit that draw 90% of the time.But ,cause it's very late in the round,I want to stay dry and get out of there with a bogey at worse.So hitting fade gets that job done fore me at that spot.

Only hit an intentional hook or slice when I am behind a tree. Otherwise, I play it straight.

My natural shot shape is a baby fade and I play it on every shot. The only time I will attempt a draw is if it is the ONLY way to get myself out of trouble.

I hit both during a round it depends all upon how narrow the hole is and how long the hole is. If it is a tight hole in which you must be in the fairway I find my little fade a lot more accurate. But on the other hand when I grip it and rip it on a wide open hole my draw adds a little inconsistency but along with that comes an extra 15-25 yards.

Fellow Wisconsin golfer...Lots of tree lined tracks in my home state. Working the ball will allow you to cut distance off some holes, provided you play the right shot. But I feel that you should pick one ball flight and take away the other half of the course. Say you play a fade, then more than likely the left side in no longer in play. This will make you a better player. Learn to hit both shots but favor one, you'll have more fun.

Off the tee my natural shot is a draw so I try to play for it most of the time. If I can't I will try to hit a straight shot. From off the deck I play 90% of my shots to go straight. For us amateurs working the ball is probably a little over rated.

I pretty much try to hit as straight as possible, but being able to move the ball either way on a whim is a pretty good thing to have in the bag. Everyone finds trouble at some point and I'm getting much better, but still have a long way to go. I never try to move the ball one way or the other if I can go straight at the green, generally just when in trouble, or on certain tee boxs with trees guarding a corner.

Fully agree with this post....although as a 25 handicapper it doesnt matter anyway...because I can't hit either consistently.

My natural swing right now is a draw which is what I want. But what your asking well heres my take..

You have to look at everything when playing golf. From the lie to the shape of the green to even the wind. Which if the wind is blowing left to right and the green is shaped left to right then I'll hit a slight draw into the wind holding it up and while aiming at the center since the wind will hold it there.

I am practicing on taking everything into account this year, even putting. I try to look at the putt from every angel now and it shows in my putting.

I just started with trying to shape the Ball. I do it to go around trees and other Hazards . Good luck, Practice on the range first.

i tend to hit a draw, especially off the tee. i've really worked on lowering my ball flight for this season and hitting the draw helps that. irons are mostly straight. i can hit a big hook on demand but hitting a solid fade/slice is a little lacking when needed.

I naturally hit a draw. I finally quit fighting it and have begun to embrace it and my scores are coming around.

I have found that once I learned how to work the ball both ways I started trying to get way to cute and it was hurting my scores. Now I'll try to play a very small (1 or 2 yard) fade/draw just to be sure I know where my miss will be. Personally, I wish I could just hit it straight every shot, but I don't feel as confident playing it dead straight with some clubs.


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Draw 99% of the time. A fade only happens when it is a big mistake :)


Tappin to the oldies

I try for the straight shot most of the time and hit a fairly large percentage of fairways. I only hit the ball in either direction when it is a must.
It is easier for me to hit a fade but I can hit a draw when needed. I find it much harder to "work" shorter irons and almost impossible to "work" wedges.

I naturally play a draw, but I've worked that out this year in order to hit dead straight. I'd rather hit every shot straight.

For an amateur, working the ball intentionally just asks for trouble. None of us are consistent enough to hit the same spot with both a draw and a fade. If you're behind an obstacle, go for it, but otherwise, use your practice time to concentrate on hitting your target line and distance every time instead.