Shot Shaping and Fixes

🏌️ Advanced Shot Making: Shape Your Ball Like Magic!

Imagine you’re a pilot flying a paper airplane. You can make it curve left, curve right, or fly straight. Golf balls work the same way! Let’s learn how to become the pilot of your golf ball.

🎯 The Big Picture: Why Balls Curve

Think of spinning a basketball on your finger. The ball spins, right?

Golf balls do the same thing!

• Spin it one way → ball curves left (for right-handers)
• Spin it the other way → ball curves right
• Too much spin → BIG curves (slices and hooks!)
• Just right → Beautiful, controlled shapes

🌀 Draw Shot: The Gentle Left Curve

What Is It?

A draw is when the ball starts slightly right of your target, then gently curves back to the left and lands on target.

Think of it like this: You’re throwing a frisbee with a slight tilt. It floats right first, then swoops back left!

Why Use It?

• Extra distance — the ball rolls more after landing
• Fighting the wind — curves into a left-to-right wind
• Getting around obstacles — trees on the left? Start right, curve back!

How To Do It (Simple Steps)

1. AIM your body slightly RIGHT of target
2. CLOSE the clubface just a tiny bit
   (point it at your target)
3. SWING along your body line (to the right)
4. The ball starts right, spins back left!

The Secret Recipe 🍳

Example: You want to hit the flagstick, but there’s a bunker on the right edge. Aim at the bunker, close the face to the flag. Ball starts at bunker, curves to flag. Magic!

🌊 Fade Shot: The Gentle Right Curve

What Is It?

A fade is the opposite of a draw. The ball starts slightly left, then softly drifts right to your target.

Think of it like this: A boomerang that doesn’t come all the way back — it curves and lands where you want!

Why Use It?

• More control — fades stop faster on the green
• Fighting wind — curves into a right-to-left wind
• Precision — many pros prefer fades for accuracy

How To Do It (Simple Steps)

1. AIM your body slightly LEFT of target
2. OPEN the clubface just a tiny bit
   (point it at your target)
3. SWING along your body line (to the left)
4. The ball starts left, drifts back right!

The Secret Recipe 🍳

Example: The hole curves right around some trees. Aim left of the trees, open face to the fairway. Ball starts left, fades around the trees. Beautiful!

😱 Slice: The Curve That Got Away!

What Is It?

A slice is a fade’s wild cousin. The ball curves WAY too much to the right and often ends up in trouble.

Think of it like this: You meant to throw a gentle curve ball, but it flew sideways into the neighbor’s yard!

Why Does It Happen?

Main Causes:

1. Open clubface at impact — the face is pointing too far right
2. Outside-to-inside swing path — you’re chopping across the ball
3. Weak grip — hands turned too far left on the club
4. Ball position too far forward — gives you less time to square the face

The Slice Detective 🔍

graph TD
    A["Ball Slicing?"] --> B{Check Grip}
    B -->|Too Weak| C["Rotate hands right"]
    B -->|Grip OK| D{Check Swing Path}
    D -->|Outside-In| E["Swing more inside-out"]
    D -->|Path OK| F{Check Face}
    F -->|Too Open| G["Strengthen grip more"]

How To Fix It

Quick Fix Example: Put a headcover just outside your ball. If you hit the headcover, you’re swinging outside-in. Practice missing it on the inside!

🪝 Hook: The Other Wild Curve!

What Is It?

A hook is a draw’s wild cousin. The ball curves WAY too much to the left and dives into trouble.

Think of it like this: You’re driving a car and yank the steering wheel hard left. Whoops!

Why Does It Happen?

Main Causes:

1. Closed clubface at impact — face pointing too far left
2. Inside-to-outside swing path — too extreme
3. Strong grip — hands turned too far right
4. Ball position too far back — face closes too early

The Hook Detective 🔍

graph TD
    A["Ball Hooking?"] --> B{Check Grip}
    B -->|Too Strong| C["Rotate hands left"]
    B -->|Grip OK| D{Check Swing Path}
    D -->|Too Inside-Out| E["Swing more neutral"]
    D -->|Path OK| F{Check Face}
    F -->|Too Closed| G["Weaken grip slightly"]

How To Fix It

Quick Fix Example: At address, can you see more than 2 knuckles on your left hand? That’s too strong! Rotate until you see just 2 knuckles.

⬆️ Topping: The Ball That Won’t Fly

What Is It?

Topping is when you hit the top of the ball instead of the middle. The ball rolls along the ground instead of flying.

Think of it like this: You tried to catch a ball but only touched the very top with your fingertips. Oops!

Why Does It Happen?

1. Standing up during the swing — your body lifts
2. Head moving up — peeking too early to see where it goes
3. Arms bending — chicken-winging through impact
4. Trying to lift the ball — scooping instead of hitting down

How To Fix It

FIX 1: Stay level
- Feel like your head stays at the same height
- Keep your spine angle constant

FIX 2: Trust the club
- The club's loft makes the ball go up
- Hit DOWN on the ball, it goes UP!

FIX 3: Extend your arms
- Keep arms straight through impact
- Feel like you're reaching for the target

Quick Test: Put a tee in the ground 4 inches in front of your ball. Your club should knock that tee down after hitting the ball. If it doesn’t, you’re lifting up!

🌍 Fat Shots: Hitting the Earth First

What Is It?

A fat shot is when you hit the ground BEFORE the ball. You take a big chunk of dirt and the ball goes nowhere.

Think of it like this: You’re trying to high-five someone but you hit their shoulder first. Doesn’t work!

Why Does It Happen?

1. Weight staying on back foot — you never shift forward
2. Sliding instead of rotating — your body moves sideways
3. Dropping your back shoulder — dipping down too much
4. Ball position too far forward — club reaches ground early

How To Fix It

FIX 1: Shift your weight
- At impact, 80% of weight on front foot
- Feel like you're "pushing off" your back foot

FIX 2: Rotate, don't slide
- Your belt buckle should face the target at finish
- Hips turn, they don't slide sideways

FIX 3: Stay tall
- Keep your chest up through the swing
- Don't let your back shoulder drop

Quick Drill: Hit shots with your feet together. This forces you to rotate instead of slide!

🏹 Punch Shot: The Low Laser

What Is It?

A punch shot is a low, controlled shot that flies under the wind and trees. It’s your “get out of trouble” shot!

Think of it like this: Throwing a ball with a sidearm motion — it stays low and zips forward!

When To Use It?

• Windy days — keep the ball under the wind
• Under trees — escape from the woods
• Firm ground — when you need roll instead of height
• Control — when accuracy matters more than distance

How To Do It

SETUP:
- Ball back in stance (middle or back)
- Hands ahead of the ball
- Choke down on the club 1-2 inches
- Weight slightly forward (60/40)

SWING:
- Shorter backswing (3/4 length)
- Keep hands ahead through impact
- Abbreviated follow-through (hands finish low)
- Feel like you're "trapping" the ball

The Punch Shot Recipe 🍳

Example: You’re under a tree with branches at 20 feet. Take your 7-iron, play it like a punch. Ball stays low, runs under branches, gets back to the fairway. Hero shot!

🎓 Quick Reference: All Shot Shapes

graph TD
    A["Shot Shape"] --> B["Draw"]
    A --> C["Fade"]
    A --> D["Straight"]
    B --> E["Aim Right + Closed Face"]
    C --> F["Aim Left + Open Face"]
    D --> G["Aim at Target + Square Face"]

🏆 You Did It!

You now know:

✅ Draw — the controlled left curve for extra distance

✅ Fade — the controlled right curve for accuracy

✅ Slice Fixes — stop that wild right curve

✅ Hook Fixes — stop that wild left curve

✅ Topping Fixes — make the ball fly, not roll

✅ Fat Shot Fixes — hit the ball, not the earth

✅ Punch Shot — your low, wind-cheating weapon

Remember: Every pro golfer shapes their shots. Now you can too! Start with small curves and build up. The golf ball is your paper airplane — you’re the pilot! 🛫

“Golf is a game of misses. The key is to make your misses smaller.” — Learning to shape shots is how you do exactly that!