Controlling your ball flight is one of the most useful skills in golf. It opens up strategic options, encourages creativity and can bail you out when things go sideways. For players like me who play a fade, there’s one shot that remains a constant challenge: the draw.
Producing a consistent right-to-left shot shape has always felt impossible — until I watched GOLF’s Warming Up episode featuring Xander Schauffele. In it, the two-time major winner breaks down his range routine while sharing valuable insights into his game, like how he navigates the wind at Augusta National. And between notes, he also explained how he hits a hook.
Naturally, my ears perked up and during my next range session, I decided to test out Schauffele’s method. The result? A ball flight I’d been trying to manufacture for years started to make sense. It wasn’t perfect, but it was progress — and more importantly, it was repeatable.
You can watch the full episode here, or skip ahead for the key takeaways to produce a draw on command.
Close your setup
To encourage a right-to-left ball flight, Schauffele says he adjusts both his stance and clubface. He sets up with his feet aimed right of the target, effectively closing his body — shoulders, hips and feet — to the intended line. As for his clubface, he closes it slightly at address.
“Everything is kind of shut,” Schauffele says.
It’s a setup that prepares him to start right and curve it back left.
Pin your lead arm in the downswing
To nail that right-to-left shape, Schauffele relies on a specific swing thought during his transition: keeping his lead arm pinned to his chest.
“I’ll think left arm pinned closer to my chest on the way down,” he says. “That promotes the club coming from the inside.”
For Schauffele, who admits his swing path can drift too far outside, it’s a simple way to reinforce an inside path. As someone with the same tendency, I found this cue refreshingly straightforward and surprisingly effective.
Not only does it help produce the draw shape, but it also minimizes the risk of those dreaded over-the-top shanks that sneak in when the club gets too far outside.
Focus on your start line
Schauffele’s final key for controlling ball flight? Simple, yet essential.
“The big thing is start line,” he says.
One of the easiest ways to dial it in is by using an intermediate target. To use this method, find something a foot or two in front of your ball. This small reference point helps you visualize where you want the ball to start, making it much easier to execute your intended shape.
It’s a subtle adjustment, but as Schauffele says, it might be the most important key when shaping shots with precision.
