Disclaimer: Do not assume that because I am posting about fixing a part of my game I am in any way taking on the role of golf teacher or analyst. But, if you choose to try what I did and it works . . . in such case I take credit for everything. :)
As mentioned in a previous post I was a, "banana baller," a “slicer," or a "strong fader" of the golf ball. By my early twenties I had more or less given up on ever being able to hit the ball straight, let alone a draw. In every shot I lined up, as every slicer does, 30 - 40 yards left of my intended target with small hopes of ending up where I wanted. The "light bulb" moment for me was while watching "Playing Lessons from the Pros" on the Golf Channel. The featured pro was Corey Pavin, and although not the longest hitter, he is known for being able to work the ball both ways. In the show he talked about his back foot position changing based on what kind of shot he was trying to hit. He would move it slightly in front of his stance for a fade and slightly behind for a draw, meanwhile never aiming away from his target. His next advice was to let your swing follow your feet.
I took this little tidbit of advice to the range months later. I would set my self up square to the target, dropping my back foot twelve inches or so behind my stance. Once I figured out how to maintain my balance in this configuration I took my first few swings, trying my darndest to bring the club back following the line of my feet. The first few shots did not change from my original swing trajectory; except that they were more of a pull fade then before. Finally everything clicked in the swing and I connected squarely with the ball. It flew straight and true for one of the first times ever. Before long I became used to the awkwardness of the swing and started to snap hook some shots. I had never done such a thing before, and it was great! I played this way for a few months, dropping my back foot behind my stance as far as I could manage and using my foot pattern as my swing guide. Eventually I was able to square out my stance and still hit a draw. Putting my foot that far back forced me to learn a new swing path. I still use this stance if I don't play for awhile and start coming over the top again.
Again, this advice worked for me but may not work for all. Any golf teacher/pro will say, if you line everything up square to your target the ball should go that way. In my case, I needed a little kick in the butt to figure it out but the statement still holds true.
Cheers to all!
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