Curvature control generally is extremely easy with this swing, simply opening or closing the club face prior to taking the grip is all that is reqired. Since our club face does not revolve around the shaft through impact any alignments we set at address will also be the alignments that we have at impact, assuming of course that the path of the clubhead is correct and the twirling action of the releasing motion is understood and has been practiced into habit. Hitting a draw or hook is a simple matter of compressing the outside (away from you) half of the ball more than the near (close to you) half of the ball. This is done by getting the toe of the club to hit the ball slightly before the heel of the club hits the ball. A fade or slice is simply the reverse of the above described alignments. Remember the grip is not changed nor is the action of the golf swing, curves are caused simply by the adjustment of the club face and body alignments. The club face alignment controls the face contact attitude, and the body alignments control the club head path assuming the normal straight shot swing has been learned.
Here is how we hit these shots. When taking your stance the club face should be aimed at where you want the ball to finish, while the body is aligned with the intended line of flight desired for take off. Generally as you are learning this you will want to give a wide margin of error in your aim to be sure that you clear the obstacle you are curving the ball around. This requires a very open or closed club face and the corresponding large adjustment to the stance. Later you will be able to hit the ball to the same destination with less curvature, by aiming closer to the obstacle and having less club face and stance adjustment.
A controlled draw is the home run ball in long drives, assuming normal playing conditions, this shot gives more distance due to a lower and more boring ball flight with maximum run. In wet conditions the high flying straight shot produces more distance due to it carrying farther, since run is diminished on any shot. A high cut shot produces more distance when the wind comes from behind and to the right of the flight line. These shots are easy to set up for (the set up creates the shot) and once the ball is properly positioned, a normally executed golf swing simply gets the club to and through impact area. The pre-set alignments return and the shot is almost automatic, provided the player executes his normal swing.
Practice these shots until you are certain that the shot will come off before you try it in play. These shots will become relatively easy to hit once learned, but several rules must be obeyed to obtain good results. First rule, be sure to miss the obstacle, it makes no sense to hit a perfectly executed shot into whatever obstruction you were trying to avoid. Second, be sure that the ball is not wet and/or that no, or very little, grass will be caught between the ball and club face at impact. Third, do not aim the ball to a place where you definitely do not want the ball to go (toward a lake or O.B.) unless the club you are hitting will not hit the ball that far. Fourth, short clubs (do to their loft) are much harder to curve and require larger adjustment angles than longer clubs. Fifth, be sure that you know what curvature your club face and body alignments will produce before you hit the shot. This will require some practice to familiarize yourself with what to expect from each adjustment. Time spent learning these shots will give you a golf game that almost never finds you without a shot, unless you cannot make a swing or there simply is no exit possible.
The ball must curve as you plan when the above parameters are met, if the ball is hit solidly with the full conical release and no slippery stuff on the ball or club face. If it does not, you have done something wrong. Either you did not fully release the clubhead, in the down under and up, conical arc or you made a path error. To repair the release action practice the toe of the club on the wall drill (first tip seen above). To repair the path error re-read and fully understand the tip on controlling the path.
