Shot Shaper or Point and Shoot?

[Swood1994]

Can update everyone and go against what I said in my first post, sort of. Last season mid way and on I was shaping the ball both ways able to escape most trouble with at least some attempt at shaping the ball. But after finally getting out this morning for 8 holes it hit me hard that it’s going to take some range time to get it back to where I want it to be.

All I can say is it’s been a long winter.

[GolfSpy BOS]

I'm generally a point and shoot type player.  I'm generally a straight ball hitter.  At my recent Edel fitting I was 1* down, 1* in-to-out, and 1* Open to path.  With longer clubs I'll generally play a fade.  But I'll take whatever I'm getting on the course that day and play for that.

There are a few times though when trying to get out of trouble I can let my imagination and shot shaping come into play.  Whether it is a higher, lower, or more curved shot, sometimes I just can see it in my mind and actually make it happen too.  But I don't like to do that too often.

 

 

[CFreddie]

My natural shot shape is a draw, so I usually plan my shot around that type of path (especially my longer irons / woods).  Don't really have any type of fade unless its a mishit. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

I’m definitely a point and shoot player when everything is working. My shot shape on irons is usually pretty straight, but so far this year it’s been a slight draw or a pull if I’m not careful. Someday when my swing is better and more consistent (hopefully later this year!) I’d love to have a fade shape

[DonnieGolfs]

Off the tee I'll hit everything stock swing. If I know I'm not breaking any records I have a lot of fun trying to shape shots, not great at it but if n9things on the line I figure have fun with the shots and worry less about the score. Now if I'm playing someone it's whatever my clubs got that day.

[Merlin1313]

Usually a point and shoot unless out of necessity. If I need a fade- I'm all over it. Draws(with the driver) are a work in progress and another animal altogether(the others in the bag not quite so bad)- but I'm a LOT more comfortable point and shoot

Edited April 13, 2023 by Merlin1313

[Swood1994]

2 hours ago, DonnieGolfs said:

Off the tee I'll hit everything stock swing. If I know I'm not breaking any records I have a lot of fun trying to shape shots, not great at it but if n9things on the line I figure have fun with the shots and worry less about the score. Now if I'm playing someone it's whatever my clubs got that day.

^ This! This is essentially the entire reason behind this thread and why I posted it. When I'm out by myself not keeping score and just having a fun round the shot shaping and forcing myself to try and hit a shot when I normally wouldn't has made the game much more fun for me. as soon as I get with my normal Saturday morning 4-some and money or bragging rights are on the line, my game becomes a little more honed in to a singular style. But those "fun" rounds make their way back in for recovery shots and add confidence to be able to hit a hero shot if I believe I can do it and have done it in the past when I was just messing around.

Edit: as I've been playing more "fun" rounds I've been able to shape the ball on command more and more due to the practice so i'll use it more in my regular money/competition rounds with league or friends.

Edited April 13, 2023 by Swood1994

[DonnieGolfs]

Yea how much fun is it to try and purposely hit a low hook under trees to run it into a green. Or maybe your miss on the local course calls for a hook to recover, practice it there for fun. If you never try it on the course it will never be a weapon to rely on. I find the same that the more I practiced the strange recovery shot shapes the more reliable they've become and its loads more fun. I might not stick a green on a long hook but I can get to a decent safe shot after.

[richk9holes]

Today I was less point and shoot, more "point and laugh"  

[Shiram]

Favorite shot, tight draw with a driver or short iron. Wish it was 100% automatic... because it sucks when you setup for it and end up hitting a fade. Not so bad if you aim center cut and fade vs. draw but sometimes I find myself lined up too far right.

I have struggled with the 20 yard hook... which gets worse when I start aiming even more right to compensate. 

 

How do folks work on visualizing when they setup to move the ball? I find that if I aim at where I want to start the ball it works well but I have to visualize where I want it to end up - otherwise I'll be right of my destination because somehow my body/brain adjusts to hit what I'm aiming at. 

[Merlin1313]

On 4/13/2023 at 1:56 PM, DonnieGolfs said:

Yea how much fun is it to try and purposely hit a low hook under trees to run it into a green. Or maybe your miss on the local course calls for a hook to recover, practice it there for fun. If you never try it on the course it will never be a weapon to rely on. I find the same that the more I practiced the strange recovery shot shapes the more reliable they've become and its loads more fun. I might not stick a green on a long hook but I can get to a decent safe shot after.

I seem to have more call for the low fade and I get the opportunity more times than I'd like on some days. But I do/have practiced the low running hook on more than a few occasions to the point where I even try it when I'm at the range- just so I can keep in somewhere in my list of shots 

[Merlin1313]

8 minutes ago, Shiram said:

Favorite shot, tight draw with a driver or short iron. Wish it was 100% automatic... because it sucks when you setup for it and end up hitting a fade. Not so bad if you aim center cut and fade vs. draw but sometimes I find myself lined up too far right.

I have struggled with the 20 yard hook... which gets worse when I start aiming even more right to compensate. 

 

How do folks work on visualizing when they setup to move the ball? I find that if I aim at where I want to start the ball it works well but I have to visualize where I want it to end up - otherwise I'll be right of my destination because somehow my body/brain adjusts to hit what I'm aiming at. 

My draw is consistently inconsistent so when I try to hit one, I usually aim where I want it to start and visualize the end result being somewhere near the middle of the green (target). That way if I overcook it(rarely happens), it's still kinda safe. If I mishit (straight/fade) it, I'm usually in not too bad of shape and hopefully my short game can save my butt(again)

[cnosil]

18 minutes ago, Shiram said:

How do folks work on visualizing when they setup to move the ball? I find that if I aim at where I want to start the ball it works well but I have to visualize where I want it to end up - otherwise I'll be right of my destination because somehow my body/brain adjusts to hit what I'm aiming at. 

Visualizing the ball flight I want it’s easy; just picture it in your mind.  The hard part is actually executing .  I setup on my desired start line and then open or close the face based on draw or fade shape and make my normal stock swing.  Hard part is getting past the look of the face.

[pgareject87]

Late to the party here, Boucher is fun to watch. For me, the majority of my golf is played trying to eliminate the left side of the golf course. It's super fun to practice hitting different shots and great to have the ability to call one up if needed, but it's not something I do unless it's required on the course.

[ZMendle10]

On 4/23/2023 at 1:03 PM, pgareject87 said:

Late to the party here, Boucher is fun to watch.

I just stumbled upon this topic myself and I whole heartedly agree. I love following him on Instagram and seeing some of the crazy shots he pulls off. 

Myself I play a straight ball 95% of the time knowing that if I miss hit the shot it's gonna be a nice soft fade which I'm more than okay with. I still practice the big hooks and slices on the range but I hardly every use them on the course unless I'm in trouble.

On the topic of sightlines I tend to find those aggressive "Tiger Lines" off the tee a bit more easy to hit then a big open fairway with nothing in the way. Maybe it's my brain having an easier time visualizing the shot since there is only one option and it can focus in or maybe I just always let my ego get the better of me but whose to say. 

 

[StrokerAce]

I'm in the "pick one shape and stick with it camp", but I certainly don't try to shape the ball, the flight is just a function of my swing path and impact. 

I much prefer the straight shot but a little dispersion left or right isn't too annoying. 

Oddly I can draw my irons and wedges but my driver is either straight or a fade. Must be the new head design with bulge and roll.

[cGolfcDriven]

I tend to try to shape it only one way depending on my club. With my driver and wood I try to draw it. With my irons, I tend to hit a fade. 

[ZMendle10]

Same here. 

55 minutes ago, cGolfcDriven said:

I tend to try to shape it only one way depending on my club. With my driver and wood I try to draw it. With my irons, I tend to hit a fade. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Pretty sure I have mentioned this before, but I lean into my natural shape which is a draw. 

I have tried to do point and shoot, but doesn't quite work. 

It does limit me sometimes, but I think at least for game it is what I'd best.

[TJ1975]

If I hit the ball straight it’s normally a mistake. I’ve always worked the ball both ways. I grew of playing blades, persimmon, and balata golf balls. Hitting it straight wasn’t really an option. Now that I don’t play as much my ballstriking and consistency suffer because of it, but I am who I am at this point unless I dedicate more time to the game. 

[Swood1994]

24 minutes ago, TJ1975 said:

If I hit the ball straight it’s normally a mistake. I’ve always worked the ball both ways. I grew of playing blades, persimmon, and balata golf balls. Hitting it straight wasn’t really an option. Now that I don’t play as much my ballstriking and consistency suffer because of it, but I am who I am at this point unless I dedicate more time to the game. 

That can be said for even those of us with a long off season. I always struggle to draw the top end of my bag and can work it both ways from about 5-iron down. But last season I cracked the code and was drawing the ball of the tee when needed. Fading for the normal shots. The first 3 rounds of the season this year were definitely just trying to find the green regardless of shape. With a little range time I’m confident I’ll be back to square with my swing. 

[Woody83]

I don't see the need to draw/hook the ball 40 to 60 yards on a shot on the golf course.  I believe a slight draw or fade is all that is required on most golf courses.  My favorite go to shot is the knock-down.

[vagabon68]

When I want to shape a shot on course it’s usually a straight shot and when I go for the point and shoot I shape the shot lol.  All the range work for nothing

[Bunkershotbirdie]

For me the key is distance not so much shape.  Other than driver and 3metal (wood to me), I want the rest of my clubs to go the same distance every time.  I know my tendency is left with most irons (thanks to shotscope), so I do am right of where I want the ball to finish.  I do play half shots and know how to make a 5 iron go 100yds or 3 iron go 150.  I can hit fades or draws if behind a tree but other than that I play the shot shape my swing has for that day.

[202]

I play my regular shot which used to be a draw with my 20 years old irons.
I got new clubs a few weeks ago and now my normal shot is a fade. I don’t know. It might change once I get used to the new clubs.

[mackdaddy]

I worked really hard to hit the ball straight.  I feel that anything that move less than 3 yards either way is straight.   I like to flight the ball high or low and do on many shots.  When I try to move it more than that I can hook and slice or hit a mild fade or draw.   I don't keep score from November to Mid March and during that time I test equipment and  how to hit draws & fades and hooks & slices.   Sometimes I will play a left to right ball flight for every shot and the next day the opposite.  I have also played knock down shots all day.  I love to hit a big variety of wedge shots.   I have been as low as plus 3 but that was many miles ago for this OG.  Having ownership of the shots I choose to play a Straight Ball Flight as much as I can because it is the most reliable.  The more you spin a ball left or right the more the flight is effected by the wind.  My straight ball bounces once and stops 75% of the time and rarely over two bounces.  I like the predictability of yardages with these shots, I would rather be pin high because I can control the distances straight than curve it closer to the hole and run off the green.  

[MissionMan]

I tend to play with my natural shot unless  the shot demands some shaping. I.e. a tree in the way of a shot Ava I have to draw/fade around it or hit under the branches. 

[Preeway]

I tend to play a draw and I typically just play my swing on all my shots. I only try to play a fade/slice if the situation demands it. I've found that if I just trust my swing I can score just fine without trying to change the ball flight every hole.

 

[RickyBobby_PR]

Golf is fun and frustrating but very rarely is a day on the course a bad day.

shooting low scores is fun. I olay my natural shot and roll with it the whole round. Pick my targets based on my natural flight. Alter trajectory up and down when necessary. Don’t need to work the ball left to right or vice versa.

ZJ won the masters with a stock draw and laying up on or 5s. Not a bad philosophy to playing good golf

[ChitownM2]

I'm more like point and spray, at least it feels that way at times.  I used to over swing substantially and would then come in really step and out to in with a very closed club face and I still do to some extent but I've gotten the path a little more neutral but still have a closed face.  For now good shots go straight and bad ones result in a pull or a draw but because the face is so shut I don't get a ton of spin on the ball so working it is out of the question at the moment.  Everyday is like to get a little baby fade just because I think it could be a little more consistent for me than always trying to hit it straight.