How to Hit a Draw: 2 Easy Steps to Transform Your Game

I have spent my entire career teaching golfers how to hit a draw and finally overcome their slice.

And I have found time and again that most golfers assume hitting a draw must be complicated. I mean, it has to be, right? If it weren’t, they’d be able to do it already.

The truth is, most golfers struggle so much because no one ever taught them the real formula for a high draw. Because there is a formula. And it’s shockingly simple.

There are two things every golfer who’s mastered the draw does every single time. And when you know what those two things are, you can hit a nice, high draw on command, too.

I’m going to explain the two skills you need to master and give you a few foolproof tips for practicing them.

Most importantly, you’ll learn that hitting a draw is not nearly as complicated as you’ve been led to believe.

Two Secrets for How to Hit a Draw Every Time

The formula for a draw is surprisingly basic. You need to get the clubhead traveling on the correct path and the clubface aiming in the right direction. If you nail those two details, you’re going to get the results you’ve been looking for.

So, what swing path and clubface orientation do you need?

Let’s break this down.

Swing Path

If you struggle with the slice, you’ve probably heard it before.

“You keep coming over the top!”

I know. It can get really old hearing this from your golf partners time and time again. But at least you can take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone. A lot of golfers have a bad habit of coming over the top, especially older (I call them “experienced”) golfers.

When we talk about coming over the top, we’re talking about casting out on the downswing. This move directs your clubhead along an out-to-in swing path. In other words, the clubhead is moving in towards your body when it makes contact with the golf ball.

You need to create the opposite swing path—an in-to-out swing path—in order to even have a shot at hitting a draw.

And to seal the deal—to actually achieve that coveted draw—you’ve got to pair that in-to-out swing path with proper clubface aim.

Clubface Orientation

If you’re right-handed, you want the clubface aimed to the left of the direction in which you are swinging the golf club.

If you’re left-handed, you want the opposite, but that almost doesn’t matter because whether you’re adjusting left or right, the end result is the same.

The clubface should be square to the target.

It’s that simple.

A square clubface on an in-to-out swing path. That’s how to hit a draw.

Now, it’s fine to say all this. It’s another to actually execute these principles in a split-second golf swing. Fortunately, there’s an easier-than-ever trick for practicing that nice, high draw.

How to Practice Hitting a Draw

Now your brain knows how to hit a draw. Here a few tips for teaching these tricks to your body.

Get the Right Tools

First, equip yourself with reliable practice tools.

I highly recommend checking out the Vertical Line Board. This is a lightweight, compact training aid that can be used to master a wide range of skills.

In fact, the Vertical Line Board was designed specifically to help you conquer the fundamentals that have the greatest impact on swing outcomes. And this tool is especially helpful when it comes to learning how to hit a draw.

If you can’t use the Vertical Line Board, you’ll have to do some eyeballing and improvising, but you can still practice your swing path and face orientation.

Check Your Feet

A lot of golfers get set up with their feet parallel to the target line. But your swing path tends to follow the position of your feet. To achieve that out-to-in swing path, you gotta get your feet closed to the target line.

If you have the Vertical Line Board, you can use the feet alignment bar to get your feet in the perfect spot.

Create Visual and Physical Cues

To better visualize clubface aim, you can reference the gray lines that run down the center of your Vertical Line Board.

As for swing path, the Vertical Line Board helps in a couple ways.

One, the blue line gives you a visual track to follow as you swing in-to-out. (If you’re left-handed, you should reference the red line instead.) This is what’s known as the “Tour Draw Zone.”

Two, you can place tees in the tee holes on the board to prevent yourself from coming over the top. (If you’re right-handed, use the blue holes. If you’re left-handed, use the red.) When those tees are in position, any over-the-top swing is going to strike the tees.

Trust me: this gets you to break the habit really quickly.

If you don’t have a Board, you can practice by placing tees in the ground in the same approximate position.