Every golfer wants to know how to hit a draw.
They look great, increase distance, and it’s what most of the pros do.
For many golfers though, the draw remains an unattainable goal. A mountain too big to climb.
Sound familiar?
You’ve done all the research, practiced the drills, and feel like you’re ready to consistently hit a draw. You crush the ball off the tee, starting it 15 yards out to the right, and wait for it to swing back into the middle of the fairway.
But the movement never comes.
Or worse still, the ball swings even further to the right through the air, leaving you with a lost ball and a terrible start to your round.
Maybe your golfing buddies mutter something about “bad luck”, or “maybe next time”.
Imagine if you could consistently hit a beautiful draw.
A shape that made them wonder, “where did this come from?”
Fortunately, you can.
Photo via OneBeardedGolfer
There are a number of key elements to your swing that will have you drawing the ball like Jordan Spieth (these drills can help you putt like him too), and smashing it 30 yards past your opponents, in no time.
These 8 proven steps are the simplest and most effective ways to hit a draw.
Imagine how good it will feel when you’re consistently walking up the middle of the fairway towards your ball. When you’re the last one in your group to hit your second shot because you’ve outdriven your playing partners… again.
The first 5 steps you can apply in order, from your setup through to your follow through. Steps 6 through 8 are more general principles, which will go a long way to helping you launch it long and strong.
As usual, for the purpose of the article we’ll assume you’re a right hander. If you’re a lefty, simply switch the steps around to suit your needs.
Step 1: Align yourself to the right
Photo via GolfTipsMag
This is an easy step to implement, even if it sounds counterintuitive.
The natural response is to wonder why on you should aim right if you want to curve it left. After all, the right side of the hole is where you’re trying to keep the ball away from.
When your ball is sliding 20 yards right to left in the air though, you’ll be happy you aimed out there.
Choose a spot to the right of your target.
Exactly how far to the right depends on how far you want the ball to move in the air – the further to the right you go, the larger the draw is likely to be. For the sake of a controlled ball flight, try around 20 yards to the right for a drive.
Set up everything as though you’re trying to hit the ball to this spot. Your feet should be aligned with this point, as should your shoulders, as should your club.
Step 2: Re-align your club face so it’s facing your actual target
This step requires you to keep your body aligned exactly as you set up in step 1. The only change you need to make is to move your club face.
Find your target – i.e where you want the ball to land. Presumably, this will be the middle of the fairway or the green.
Without moving your body, slowly close the club face until it is pointing directly at this target.
If someone takes a picture of you from behind after this step, you should see your entire body facing down the right hand side of the hole, while your club is facing up the middle.
If so, you’re halfway there.
Step 3: Re-grip
During step 2, assuming you kept your entire body aligned in the same direction while adjusting the club face, your grip will have changed.
As you closed the face, your left hand (top hand) will have slowly crept slightly underneath the grip, and you will have lost sight of one or two knuckles.
As we explained in how to fix a slice, you should be able to see three knuckles on this hand during your set up. Having a proper golf grip helps to both eliminate the slice, and hit the draw.
Without altering your set up, or club alignment, shuffle your left hand back around the grip so that you can see three knuckles.
Now, your body is aligned to the right, your club is facing down the middle, and your grip is perfect.
You’re ready to hit a draw.
Step 4: Swing along the line of your body
Again, this may sound counter-intuitive. To hit the draw though, you need your club to follow the line of your body, meaning your follow through will head towards the right of the target.
If you trace the line of the club during a swing which generates a draw, you’ll notice the downswing and follow through all lead out to the right of the ball’s final landing spot.
The reasons for this are complex, but basically the movement of the ball in the air is determined by the direction of the club at impact, and the orientation of the club face.
Picture a soccer player taking a free kick. A right-footer will often curl it right to left, and the process for achieving this is much the same as hitting a draw.
It requires a leg swing which follows through out to the right of the target, and a foot which faces inwards, towards the target. This creates the right to left spin on the ball which helps it move left in the air, and your golf swing is no different.
If your club direction is towards the right – i.e. the point to which you aligned your body in step 1 – and your club face is pointing towards the target in the middle of the fairway, the ball will move right to left.
It’s that easy.
This is the inside-out swing path which is so fondly spoken of by those wishing to hit a draw. Follow this step, and you’re doing it.
Step 5: Finish strong
Many golfers wonder why on earth the follow through even matters. After all, it all happens once the ball is well on the way to its destination, right?
The reason there is such an emphasis on the follow through is because it is hugely reflective of all that has happened before it.
Finishing strong is a great way to ensure that all the previous steps work in tandem to create your draw.
What do we mean by finishing strong? Easy. Finish with your chest out, and your right shoulder facing towards your target.
Focussing on this will ensure that all the mechanics of a good golf swing exist in the earlier parts of your swing. It will help with weight transferral, shoulder rotation, and importantly, the inside-out swing path.
A lazy, sloppy follow through, where you finish with a sunken chest and a club which barely reaches around your left shoulder, will mean that you have likely kept your weight on your back foot, your club face open, and the ball will be flying out to the right.
In contrast, a strong finish will help you hit a long, strong, right to left curving ball.
Step 6: Swing smooth
This step is relatively easy, but it is also incredibly important. Many golfers get so excited by the prospect of hitting a big, long draw, that they actively try to smash the ball as hard as they can.
This will cause problems. If you swing too fast, you are likely to over-rotate your body, and keep the club face open. In more simple terms, you’ll hit the ball out to the right.
The beauty of the draw is that it generates the extra distance all by itself. There’s no need to swing harder to get the extra distance everyone associates with a draw – the ball will do it by itself.
A byproduct of following all the previous steps properly is right to left spin on the ball, a drawing flight path, and more distance.
So there’s no need to worry about getting any extra legs on your drive. Focus on the steps above, swing smooth, and you’ll see your ball sailing past your friends, right up the middle.
Step 7: Swing shallow on drives
Photo via GolfWRX
A common mistake amateurs make is to swing their driver too steeply. Basically, this means that they raise the club too quickly, and subsequently drop it too quickly on their downswing.
This movement causes a number of problems, including a loss of distance and ‘good spin’ (the right-to-left spin you’re after to create your draw).
Generally, pros have much shallower swings than amateurs, so this is what you want to be striving for. As well as making it easier to play a draw, a shallower swing will give you a heap more distance in your shot. Master this step and you’ll be crunching it down the middle in no time.
So how do you do it? There are a number of techniques which can help, but the easiest is to neutralize the shaft.
At this point you’re probably questioning what on earth that means, but it is a relatively simple concept. Many amateurs have their hands too far ahead of the ball (towards the target) during their set up for a drive.
This promotes a steep swing, and is likely to cause your drive to balloon up in the air and impart the kind of spin that you don’t want – either left-to-right spin, or just too much of it.
Neutralizing your hands is simply moving them back, so that the shaft of your driver is at closer to 90 degrees from your body, rather than angled diagonally towards you.
This will automatically promote a shallower swing, an inside-out swing path, and a drive 20 yards past your buddies.
Step 8: Visualize a draw
Last but not least, the mental aspect.
As well all know, what’s above the shoulders plays as big a role in golf as what’s below them. If you believe you can hit a draw, you’ll be able to. If you think about the water hazard on the right, you’ll see your ball slicing straight into it.
Visualization works for some of the top athletes in the world, and it can work for you.
Imagine smashing your drive past your friends. Visualize your club moving on an inside-out swing path, and your club head facing straight at your target as you hit the ball.
Picture your friends faces when your ball starts curving back from the right side of the fairway to the middle, or when your ball lands past where theirs have come to a rest and bounces another 20 yards.
The mind is your most powerful tool on the course, and believing you can hit a draw plays a big role in being able to do it.
Fortunately, anyone can hit one if they use these 8 simple steps, including you.
Follow these proven steps and you’ll be hitting a powerful draw in no time!
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a low handicapper to hit a long, accurate, consistent draw.
All of these steps are actionable for any golfer.
Each step is, individually, very simple to implement. When they are all performed together, they create a thing of beauty.
They create the draw.
That elusive ball flight which you so often see, but never seem to be able to do.
That right to left movement which all the pros have, and which you are so certain would improve your golf game markedly, if only you had the talent to do it.
I’m here to tell you… you do.
If you have the talent to align yourself to the right, you can hit a draw.
If you are capable of following through like you mean it, you can hit a draw.
You don’t need to be Rory McIlroy to follow these simple and effective steps.
All you need is a bag of clubs, a couple of balls, and a willingness to follow proven instructions.
Before you know it, your friends will be asking you for advice.
August Noble
August Noble was first introduced to golf at 7 years old. In 2013 he started seriously working on his game and was able to reduce his handicap from 19 to 3.4 in less than two years. He’s been helping other golfers do the same ever since.