Instruction
What happens when “over-the-toppers” try to hit a draw
One of the worst feelings in golf is not being able to hit a certain shot, and more specifically for many, not being able to hit the coveted draw.
Over-the-toppers everywhere would give anything to hit a ball that begins right of their target and falls back toward the target. However, whenever golfers who swing over the top try and draw the ball, all they get is a HUGE pull. So what I’d like to do in this article is explain to you why this occurs and help you to understand what you must do in order to move the ball consistently right to left like a Tour player.
To illustrate the point, let’s take a look at a solid player I had in the Academy who swings the club from out-to-in on every swing and hits a very controlled fade. Below you can see that all his paths are negative (on the left part of the screen), which shows he is indeed swinging out to in.
Now, I am not here to say that this swing pattern is bad by any stretch of the imagination because I’m all for working with your strengths. However, this path will make it very easy to move the ball left-to-right, but difficult to hit a draw without causing a pull. That’s because his average path is -7.2 degrees left of his target.
I asked this player to hit several draws to see what happens…
After many attempts, this was the common shot he (as a very good player) hit. Let’s examine the data and see why:
- His average path, shown on the left side of the screen, never shifted right of the target, which would be shown by a positive number.
- His average path when trying to draw the ball was basically the same as his normal swing — as is the result with most over the top players when they try and draw the ball.
- His path when trying to draw the ball (as shown by the blue line) is still way left of his target.
- The only thing he did differently while trying to draw the ball was to hit the ball with a more closed face than usual at impact, causing the face to be -1.7 degrees left of the path… thus, a shot starting left and heading farther left.
What you need to understand if you are an over-the-top player and you try to draw the ball, you MUST shift your path to the right of the target. If you close the face and keep the same path, a pull is inevitable.
The only true way to move the ball from right to left is for the path to be right of the target, and the face to be left of the path but right of the target, (as shown below). You must always have this order when trying to curve the ball correctly: path, then face angle at impact, then target-line. Anything other than that is dangerous
When the path is right of the target (shown by the blue line above), you can shift the face left of the path slightly and cause the ball to fall from right to left.
Hopefully by now you finally understand WHY you tend to pull the ball as a over-the-top player when trying to draw the ball, and the adjustments you need to make in order to correct it. Keep in mind that you’re making these changes merely to widen your arsenal of shots, because at the end of the day, nothing is more reliable than a trustworthy fade when you need to hit a fairway or green.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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KoreanSlumLord
Sep 4, 2016 at 4:08 pm
I dislike the look of my ball going right to left. I fought for many years to rid myself of my natural draw. I like my irons and fairway woods to be high, straight, with a soft 5 yard left to right fade at the end. My drives I like a long, low running fade taught by the great Jimmy Demaret. Jimmy Demaret at the Champions Club in Houston said Mr. Hogan was disgusted with any shot that went right to left. Now mind you, I can shot shape a draw at will should the conditions call for it.
KK
Sep 4, 2016 at 3:43 pm
So wrong. You can totally hit a draw with a square face and an in-to-out clubhead path. In fact, that’s the simpler and very likely better method.
tom stickney
Sep 5, 2016 at 4:21 pm
KK- if you impact the ball with a square face and an in to out path you will miss the ball left of target…check out the new ball flight laws on the Trackman blog etc to aid your understanding of how face and path interact to produce curvature
Mr. Wedge
Sep 6, 2016 at 1:42 pm
It’s important to distinguish whether you are talking about face angle in relation to the club path or target line. If you are talking about target line, then you are correct, because an in-to-out path with a club square to target line, will actually be closed in relation to club path, and thus produce a draw. But an in-to-out path and a square club face in relation to the club path will just produce a push to the right. The “spin” and resulting draw/fade are dependent on face angle in relation to club path.
Billy
Sep 9, 2016 at 2:42 pm
U guys are wrong .. There’s gear effect
He must shank every shot
Sometimes a Smizzle
Sep 2, 2016 at 12:07 pm
I am not sure why there are many shank ratings. Nothing wrong with this article thay i can see.
KK
Sep 4, 2016 at 3:39 pm
Because you can’t see that he’s flat out wrong.
Jim
Sep 2, 2016 at 12:50 am
jeez….stop swinging 7 degrees out to in. Practice with some visual aide….Of you have a grass range, tie a 6′ piece of string between 2 tees, make it straight and pull it tight. Press it right down firm and hit balls right off it with irons. For a driver, put another tee just a few degrees outside the string about a foot after your teed up ball and ‘program’ that into your ‘computer – that the club has somewhere to go BESIDES THE BALL. The ball is not the terminus of the swing! Most OTT folks are hitting at the balln not swinging through it. Close the stance A LITTLE! – It’s better for your back anyway. A closed stance doesn’t
change ball flight – but it might help you make a better turn.
Have a good spine tilt toward the back side (10 degrees anyway) & get a little more turn from the entire front side while sweeping the club away – STOP LIFTING it up before your hands pass your belt line.- MAKE your hip turn – even a
100 degree + shoulder turn doesn’t ‘make’ your hips turn. Try and get a LITTLE ‘flatter’ OR at LEAST get your hands behind your shoelaces at the top. Even my XXL students and those with fused spines can get there if they start with the spine tilt and turn the front shoulder more ‘level to the
ground’ to start the backswing…. Try a little shift off the back foot and deliberately hold the shoulder turn (and hands) for an instant to allow the front hip to lead the umwinding, then lead with the back of your front hand and try to clip the second tee with the follow through….
there’s NO reason to live with 7 degrees out to in. Look at the smash factor – he must have been hitting pretty close to center face to produce even 1.41 – notice the jump to 1.48 with the draw attempt…. there’s no reason this person – or any OTT wildman can’t reduce that to 2 degrees with a little coaching and get to square better
Hawt
Sep 1, 2016 at 10:25 pm
Well, you OTT fade guys gotta just aim way right and hit a hook, and live with calling that a draw, aintcha
Hawt
Sep 1, 2016 at 10:27 pm
If you’re right handed, that is.
Brian
Sep 1, 2016 at 3:13 pm
I would give my left nut to be able to hit a predicable fade. Few things in golf are more miserable, in my mind, than fighting snap hooks off the tee.
Hugh
Sep 1, 2016 at 1:27 pm
Absolutely. You can get away with this with irons but over the top with a wood is just a game killer.
Justin
Sep 1, 2016 at 1:17 pm
An “over the top” fade with the driver, no matter how controlled and consistent, will never travel as far as a true power fade. The angle of the swing path on a power fade is much less negative and the face only slightly open. The golf swing is very much a game of staying within the lines. In this case, if you are trying to hit a power fade, the lines you need to stay within are the negative swing path angle and the target line. Close the face left of your swing path and as Tom said you’ll hit a big pull. Open the face right of your target line and you’ll hit a very weak push or block. For most amateurs, It’s much easier to develop one solid swing and then use the position of your feet to change whether you are hitting a draw or fade. If you set your feet right of the target line but keep the club face angled toward the target, you are creating a “closed” club face as far as the swing path is concerned. This will result in a draw unless you swing path is negative (over the top) with regard to your intended path.
I truly believe that before any amateur tries to add a draw to their game (especially off the tee), they should learn to hit a proper fade with minimally negative swing path and just slightly open face. Once you get that down, you may never even want to hit a draw!
Jack
Sep 2, 2016 at 2:39 am
I believe in that. I’ve recently changed from draw to fade as I changed my swing around, and the results are nice. Way better control, and actually the distance is better for me as it’s at the same time further and more consistent (has to do with my improved swing mechanics too) but the fade doesn’t really impact it negatively that much. I can still execute my draw/hook when I need it but it’s my secondary shot shape now. Though it’s useful in certain wind conditions.
AllBOdoesisgolf
Sep 1, 2016 at 10:55 am
embrace the fade