Working the ball is the term for intentionally curving the ball the way you want to or need to, at will.  As I mentioned in the first article, there are basically two degrees of working the ball as I describe it.  The first and easiest to hit is when needing only a “little curve.”  The second is when you need the “big curve” to get around something in your line to your target.  Let’s take a closer look at the little and the big in working your ball.

Hitting the little curve is basically shaping your shot to match the shape of the fairway off the tee or the shot to the flag on the green.  Playing a sharp dogleg left hole, you want to have your driver shot shape match the curve of the hole so your ball is always going closer to the green.  On a dog leg left hole, if your ball curves to the right opposite the curve of the hole, your ball is going farther away from the hole.  The same applies to shots into the green.   A left pin placement with a curving right ball flight is giving you a much longer putt.  A ball flight shape curving with the fairway or to the side of the green the pin is located is moving toward and closer to the target.

Working the ball to hit a little curve is the easiest and simplest to do.  Your setup is the same for your normal straight ball flight.  The only adjustment is you may want to aim a few yards right or left of your straight aiming line to accommodate the amount of curve your plan to hit.  This is where little curve shots get easy.   All you do is slightly turn the club in a little, or shut, to get the draw curve (left for a right hander) and turn the club open a little to the right for the cut or fade curve.

The swing key is that all you do is make your normal swing you practice to hit the ball straight swing ON – ON and ON at impact.  Because the club has been placed in your grip slightly closed or open at address, the clubface with a good normal swing will not be square at impact as is needed to hit a straight shot.  A closed clubface in your grip will contact the ball slightly closed and impart a right to left spin on the ball giving a right hander the soft or slight hook desired.  A slightly open face club at impact imparts a left to right spin for the cut or fade a right hander desires.

The beauty in making the slight clubface adjustment in your grip for working the ball is so simple because you will just making your normal, regular and most practiced straight golf shot swing.  The curve flight you desire comes 100 percent from the closed or open clubface at impact, not any swing adjustments.

Big curve ball flight is another matter.  I really covered this in the previous working the ball article, so I will re-write it here again with a few additions for emphasis and reinforcement.  “Big Curve” or shaping of the ball is the need to have a big fade to slice or a big draw to hook.  This is when you need to turn the ball a lot to get around a tree or other obstacle in your line of flight to the hole.  If straight won’t work, and going under the branches or over the tree or building won’t work, and you don’t want to chip back into play then you have one alternative left.  If you do have the room to swing freely and completely, and going around the tree or building works, then it is time for the big slice or hook.

The big slice or hook needing a big curve must have setup and alignment adjustments to successfully execute these shots.  Your aiming line is now pointing as far right or left as you intend and need to start the ball to clear the obstacle in your way.  You then line up parallel to your aiming line.  Next, for a slice, open your clubface pointing it square to the target where you want the ball to finish. For a hook, you close your club face pointing it at your target.

One last setup adjustment needs to be made in assuming your posture.  For the slice you must stand a little closer to the ball than normal and for the hook you stand a little farther away.  The reason for the slight distance setup change from the ball is based on the physiology of the rotation of your arms in the shoulder socket.

Standing closer to the ball causes the rotation of the arms into the mitt to turn more shut or closed in the backswing to open in the forward swing.  I describe this as your arms and hands “Under Rotate.”   That is, your lower palm turns or rotates skyward approaching impact and through the ball.  This opens the clubface, imparts left to right spin on the ball and you have your desired slice.  Standing farther from the ball causes the arms to rotate into the mitt more open in the backswing to closed in the forward swing.  I describe this hand and arm rotation “Over Rotation.” The lower palm turns or rotates, palm downward, toward the ground approaching impact and through.  This closes or shuts the clubface. The ball gets right to left spin and you hit the hook you wanted.

Naturally, each of us needs to practice to learn how much curve is produced based on how much closer or farther you stand to the ball.  Obviously, one can stand too close and too far and you will know that as you will not be able to hit the ball fairly solid and start it on your aiming line.  The toe of the club for the slice will bounce off or dig into the ground and open too much and you can hit a thin blade to almost a shank.  For the hook, the heel will dig into the ground and tumble the toe over the ball and you will hit what is called a smothered or duck hook or the snap a doozie.

Working the ball as needed is a learned skill that needs much practice to learn and practice to remember and keep the skill honed and sharp.  The ultimate key to know and control after you learn to work the ball is not to over use it.  Just because a hole is a little left curve or the pin is a little left on the green does not always mean you must work the ball.  Hitting the ball straight with your normal swing is always the safest and best option.

The best playing pieces of advice I ever got was from Pete, one of my first head pros I worked for, who was an awesome player.  We were playing one late afternoon.  On the par 3 seventh hole, we had a back center right pin placement.  I decided to cut a 5 iron into the flag and over cooked it, cutting it too much and missed the green right.  Being a little angry, I asked to hit a second shot.  He said no, and asked me why I cut it.  I said because the pin was right.  He then said that he knew I practiced a lot and asked me what shot I practiced the most as being my normal, go to shot shape.  I told him he knew that, like him, my normal shot is a soft draw.  He then asked me how many shots in the first 6 holes, did I hit working the ball opposite my normal draw.  I said this was the first or second one.  He then pointed out to me this was the fourth.

Pete told me that I was practicing and mastering a perfect draw and for the most part was barely using it when playing.  He said he had been watching me for weeks in our afternoon quick 9 hole rounds and that I was an “Over Work the Ball-a-holic.”  He sternly told me to not waste my practice and to swing my normal swing.  The rule Pete laid down for me to follow that day on the 7th tee was basically to work the ball only when my normal draw flight swing would not work or came too close to starting the ball near trees or water. I needed to play it a little safe.  That was the best playing lesson I ever had and I can’t tell you how many times I have passed on Pete’s advice to my students who approached to many shots working the ball when not needed rather than using their normal swing.

So please remember that working the ball is a good and necessary skill to have when absolutely needed to curve around trees or buildings in your way.  Please use it, but don’t abuse it.

Note to Inner Circle Members: If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out the notice in the discussion about my new driver and the golf school schedule. It’s coming up soon!

The Surge!

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