by Andre Sanchez

If you know how to play a curve shot in golf, you will have a powerful tool in your armory that the professional players could not do without.  You will be able to curve the ball around obstruction or trees at will.

The two main curve shots are the fade, that curves from left to right, and the draw that curves right to left. Both of these can be used to avoid obstructions, but also to avoid problems from the next shot.  Thus, if the green could be obscured by trees if the ball is played straight up towards a dogleg, it might be better to fade it round the dogleg so that you have a clearer sight of the pin with your next shot.

Such shots need a good knowledge of the course, pin placements and the position of potential obstructions.  In a championship match, that would mainly be the job of the caddy, although the better golfers will also walk the course to check out the pin placements on each day.  The pins tend to change on each day of a match and can make a significant difference to the way the hole is played.  This is to avoid each round being able to be played exactly the same way.

For most people, their knowledge of curved shots is limited to slices and hooks, which are basically uncontrolled fades and draws, caused by some fault in the swing mechanics or the grip. If you understand how slices and hooks are caused, and how to control them, then you should be able to play curved balls with the degree of control necessary to render them a useful addition to your range of shots.

First, let's have a look at the fade. A golf ball curves in the air if spin is imparted to it by the club face. If the ball is given clockwise spin then the ball will fade out to the right for a right handed golfer, and vice versa for the left hander.  This is because there is more air pressure on the side of the ball that is spinning against the direction of the air movement. Since the air is moving towards you relative to the motion of the golf ball, that is in the opposite direction than the ball is moving to, then the left hand side of the ball is spinning against that direction with a clockwise spin, and so there is more air pressure to the left.  That forces the ball right.

You can achieve that by using a weaker grip.  That is by moving your grip around to the left a bit, or counterclockwise, on the shaft. Alternatively, aim your shoulders feet to the left of the target, and in both cases the club face will be open when it strikes the ball. That is what imparts the spin.  You can control it because the ball will move about 7 yards in every 200 yards, for each degree that the club face is off square when it hits the ball.

To play a controlled draw shot, you do the opposite.  You want to apply a counter-clockwise spin with this shot, and so should take up a stronger grip than normal (turn your grip a bit clockwise on the shaft), or change your stance so that your shoulders and feet are aiming right of target, but still play a straight shot.  Your club face will close too quickly, and you will hook the ball to the left.  However, this will be controlled by the amount of adjustment you have made, and the shot will be a controlled draw.

Keep in mind when playing these shots for position that the ball will not run far once it lands when you play a fade shot. It will pull up pretty quickly, whereas in a draw it will tend to run on farther. You have to be careful, therefore, with any hazards that you are drawing the ball into, and to play it a bit lighter than you normally would if there is any danger of the ball running onto a stream or thicket of bushes.

Otherwise both of these shots are extremely useful to be ably to play, and you should spend time practicing them on the range because you never know when you will have to call on them.

How to Play a Curve Shot in Golf was originally published at http://www.golfplayernow.com