How to hit a draw in golf, made easy

Golfer hitting driver

Hitting a draw is one of the most desirable shots in golf; it just looks good starting out to the right of the target and slowly coming back in. If you’re not able to hit a draw consistently, trying to do so can easily become infuriating.

Many amateur golfers would kill to hit a draw consistently, and my goal is to give you all the tools you need to hit a draw successfully on demand!

First things first: What is a draw?

Hitting a draw is defined by hitting a golf shot that starts it’s trajectory out to the right of a target, and curves back left toward the target as it descends. This is one of the two main (good) shot shapes; the draw goes from right to left, while the fade starts out left of the target and comes back to the right. (For right handed golfers– opposite for lefties)

A draw typically travels further than a slice by about 5-20 yards depending on course conditions, because the ball will naturally have more topspin on it, creating more roll out as it hits the ground. For that reason, being able to hit a draw with your driver and woods helps golfers to gain more distance with very minimal effort.

Being able to hit a smooth draw off the tee will give you that shorter shot into the green, and ultimately help you create more scoring opportunities for yourself.

How do i hit a draw?

Just hitting the golf ball well is a hard enough task for many high handicap players, so shaping your shot and hitting a draw may seem like a daunting task. Hitting a draw comes down to mastering two swing mechanics: creating the right club path during your swing, and the direction of the club face while at impact.

The right club path for a draw

One of the two main focuses to hit a draw is nailing the club path during your swing. So what does having the right club path mean exactly? The club path is the direction that the club head is travelling in during and through impact.

The club path direction has 3 variations at ball impact: you can have an “out to in” path which produces a fade or a slice trajectory, “in to out” club path which produces a draw or a hook trajectory, and a “neutral” club path which ends up producing a completely straight trajectory.

To hit a draw, we need to be able to produce the “in to out” club path. This is the same basic concept behind curling a soccer ball from right to left; you need to hit out on the ball for it to start spinning from right to left.

Club Face at Impact

The direction that the club face is pointing at impact typically will determine the way the ball starts flying in, while the swing path determines the shot shape. Hitting the ball with a neutral face will give you a dead straight shot.

While it seems like you may want the club face to be closed to your target at impact, that’s not necessarily the case. Having the face closed with the correct swing path will result in a big hook, and cause your ball to fly way to the left of your target.

In reality, you want your club face to be slightly open to the target at impact while striking the ball, but somewhat closed to the club path.

Here’s a helpful video to visualize this concept:

Tips to help produce your draw

Theory is always straight forward, but putting this concept into practice takes some effort and repetition. There are a few simple things you can do to naturally produce that in to out club path and hit a draw more consistently.

alignment

Alignment is one easy way to help facilitate an “in to out”swing path naturally without putting too much thinking into the process. A neutral alignment where your feet and shoulders are pointed directly parallel to your target doesn’t promote any specific ball flight, leaving your fate to the way you come through the golf ball.

To use alignment to your advantage, drop your back foot back about 2-3 inches from neutral, so that your feet are pointing slightly to the right of your target. Dropping that back foot will help you get through the swing more easily and promote an in to out club path.

Use a strong grip

Using a strong grip will naturally allow you to turn the club face over at impact, delivering a strike that will be slightly closed to your swing path. Couple a strong grip with an adjustment with your alignment and you’ll likely find it easy to hit a draw.

Practice on the range

While you’ve got the tools you need to hit a draw (in theory), you need to dedicate some time on the range to be able to nail this shot consistently.

My advice is to use alignment sticks while on the range to aid the process and visualize what you need to change in your set up and during your swing to hit a draw.

One easy drill is to stick an alignment stick into the ground just in front of you (about 5 ft or so) and try to hit balls that start to the right of that stick. Trying to hit to the right of the stick will force you to swing out and help you gain some feel for hitting a draw. If the ball starts to the left of the stick yet still draws, the club face angle in relation to the club path is what is causing you to falter. Play around here and get a feel for the relationship between the club face at impact and the swing path.

Alternatively, you can use 2 sticks on the ground: one stick points to the target line, and one pointing to the right of the target line by about 1-2 ft. Using the target line as a point of reference of where you’d like the ball to end up, and swing out towards the stick on the right will help you measure your accuracy and help you hit a draw with ease.

Final Thoughts

There’s nothing more beautiful to me than a high draw that comes perfectly back to the intended target. Being able to hit a draw consistently means you’re able to shape your shots well, and will make you a better player.

Thanks for reading! Did you like this post? Make sure to check out more of our game improvement guides, like our guide to golf workouts!

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