2 steps to hitting a draw off the tee

Most amateurs don't know how to hit an intentional draw or fade with the driver. They try to hit every ball dead straight, which is by far the hardest shot to play.

Of the three shots, the draw is the longest, because it flies lower, lands flatter and typically has less backspin than the other two. As a result, it rolls farther. It’s a great shot to have handy should you be playing a hole that bends from right to left, or you’re hitting into a steady headwind or left-to-right wind. Here’s how to train yourself to hit a draw on command.

On the range, take two alignment sticks and place one on your target line (pointing from the ball to where you want the shot to finish) and the other at your feet (pointing about 20 degrees to the right of the first stick). Take your setup and aim the clubface perpendicular to the first stick, then align your feet, hips and shoulders parallel to the second stick, which represents the direction you want to start the ball. Here, that’s well right of your target line (photo, top).

JD Cuban

Here’s where many golfers have difficulty. To hit a draw, you want to swing where your body is aligned (above), and not where you want the ball to finish. If you’re swinging out to the right and the clubface is slightly closed to the swing path, the ball will start to the right of your target and then curve to the left. The farther you swing to the right, the more the shot will curve to the left, assuming the face stays closed to the path. 

Add this tee shot to your bag, and you’ll be a much more versatile—and longer—driver.

Todd Anderson, one of Golf Digest’s Legends of Golf Instruction, is director of instruction at the PGA Tour Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.