This draw-hitting key from Jack Nicklaus will change the look of your game

It’s been said that good golfers can hit straight shots consistently, while great golfers choose when to hit straight shots. It certainly makes sense — we spend long enough doggedly seeking solutions to straighten out our mishits that attempting to hit fades and pulls feels like an exercise in insanity.

But in this week’s Flashback Jack, Nicklaus explains a quick key to shot shaping that’ll have you hitting smooth, consistent draws (intentionally) in no time.

“If you want a little bit more distance, but want to still hit the golf ball, you should learn how to hit a draw,” Nicklaus says.

But before diving into how to start hitting draws, it’s important to understand what causes them.

“A draw is produced not by coming into the ball from a square clubface, but by coming into the ball with a closed clubface,” Nicklaus says. “So the club turned in at impact.”

While some argue in favor of adjusting your swing plane or path, Jack says the key is to keep everything consistent (with one simple shift.)

“I don’t want to change my golf swing to hit the draw,” he says. “I want to make exactly the same golf swing I make with every other golf shot, but by the turning of the clubface in, I will take loft off the club and produce a little extra distance. Produce a spin that will make the golf ball go a little bit to the left.”

Putters

But mastering the art of the draw isn’t only about changing the direction of the shot, it’s also about changing the angle of your approach and your stance.

“To compensate for the draw, I aim slightly to the right of the target,” Nicklaus says. “How much I want to spin the ball depends on how much of the right of the target I aim and how much I turn the club in.”

Once you’ve done that, take a smooth, sweet swing and watch your new swing take shape.

“Now, all I want to do is a complete club swing,” Nicklaus says. “Look at what I have? Not bad.”

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• hit a draw
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James Colgan

Golf.com Editor

James Colgan is an assistant editor at GOLF, contributing stories for the website and magazine. He writes the Hot Mic, GOLF’s weekly media column, and utilizes his broadcast experience across the brand’s social media and video platforms. A 2019 graduate of Syracuse University, James — and evidently, his golf game — is still defrosting from four years in the snow. Prior to joining GOLF, James was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from. He can be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.

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