The Golf Digest School - Lesson Tee - golf instruction

Bob Clark, a scratch golfer from Mesa, Ariz., has played a fade for most of his golf career. Now he wants the extra distance a draw can produce. To do that, he had to change his swing path. The Golf Digest School

1. THE PROBLEM

Shouldering the blame

Bob, a former high school golf champion, is trying to make it on the mini-tours. In other words, his bad swings are better than most people's good swings. When he did miss one, it was always the same trajectory--high and right. His shoulders weren't rotating properly on the backswing, and that affected the path of his club. Instead of turning horizontally, his left shoulder would dip down, leading to a steep downswing and an open clubface at impact.

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2. THE FIX

Rounding out the path

I asked Bob to hit balls from a sidehill lie. To make solid contact, Bob had to turn his left shoulder more horizontally, swinging the club more around his body than up and down. Though this drill is normally used to help cure the slice swing of a beginner, it can help a good player make the switch from fading the ball to hitting a draw. A more rounded swing promotes an inside-out swing path and helps the clubface close through impact, essential for a right-to-left ball flight.

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3. THE RESULT

I found my thrill . . .

It didn't take long for Bob to start drawing the ball on command. After working on the sidehill drill, his shoulder turn is more level and his hands release naturally through impact. Getting him to make the proper shoulder turn shallowed out the path of his golf club and allowed the clubface to close sooner than it used to. He shouldn't overdo it, though: The flatter the backswing, the easier it is to hook the ball. But for now, it's just right.

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Golf Digest Schools instructor Brent Smith teaches at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale.

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