Creating any type of ball flight is not overly difficult. Okay it was a tag line and depending on the shot required to produce the best results is far more challenging than on might expect. I am not talking about extricating ourselves from trouble, but say an approach shot from 175 yards that requires a baby draw/fade to safely land on the green. Being able to create a specific ball flight is more that what we routinely hit; it often relates to what is needed versus what we want to hit.
About half the respondents prefer a draw as their ball flight. Many of the comments suggest that amateurs do not have the control of their ball as they would hope. It is not surprising as many amateurs struggle with swing control that can produce differing ball flights at will. I struggle with this concept my self, but I have a fix for this challenge that I will discuss later in this article.
We know the struggles of many golfers and it can be fixed through practice and lessons. However, like chipping around the green where most players on uni-dimensional, creating a specific ball flight regardless of the need for something different goes unchecked. They like hitting a draw (or other ball flights) and they will hit it regardless of the need for something different. They refuse to change because they say they ‘can’t’. You know how I feel about that term. They do not want to try and only create the ball flight they want vice need for a particular golf shot. This approach to golf does not really improve ones game, but adds extra stress to preform a more difficult shot.
As I stated earlier, I struggle with hitting the golf shot I need sometimes. It does happen from time to time, but I have developed a process to minimize my ball flight confliction. I normally hit the ball straight. If I draw or fade the ball it usually is unintentional. To account for my limitations, I focus more effort on course management. I purposely hit the ball in positions that will play to my strength of hitting the ball straight. I have found that this approach works very well for my game. I try to avoid the ‘hit and react’ approach to golf by being focused and decisive on what I want to hit. Course management is my secret weapon to my weak ability to hit the shot I need during my rounds of golf.
Hitting differing ball flights does take some effort to master. I have some control, but not as much as I want. I will likely never change, so I developed my course management skills to combat my limitations. So far this approach has worked and I will likely continue with this approach to my golf game. How about you?
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 