How to Draw the Golf Ball, Golf Swing Plane

For many golfers, learning how to draw the golf ball represents both the ultimate achievement in ball flight control and a seemingly daunting challenge. A well-executed draw is one of the most coveted shots in the game, adding distance while demonstrating command over your club path and club face orientation.

However, once you master the RST golf swing method, you quickly realize that controlling and manipulating ball flight is remarkably simple due to the streamlined nature of the swing mechanics. Because the system is built on efficiency rather than complexity, shot shaping becomes an accessible skill rather than an advanced mystery.

Because the RST method is engineered around the simplest possible movements of the human body, the club follows a clean, repeatable path away from and back to the ball. There is no wasted motion or unnecessary compensatory movement to account for, which means the variables that influence ball flight remain minimal and manageable.

This efficiency allows you to make very small and easy adjustments to hit the ball high, low, left, or right without overhauling your entire swing. If you want to see exactly how your current swing compares to the model pattern, try a free AI swing analysis to identify your starting point.

In this video, the focus is on the simple adjustments that can be made to hit two different types of draws:

1. The basic push draw, where the club path is modified so the ball starts right and then curves left, and
2. A straight draw, where the ball starts slightly left of your target line and then turns further left from there.

Each of these shots serves a distinct strategic purpose and can be deployed to gain extra distance off the tee or to access an otherwise unreachable pin placement that a straight shot simply cannot reach.

If you understand the "new" ball flight laws, you'll quickly conclude that these are the changes needed to hit these two types of draws:

1. Push draw: a relatively closed club face at impact, with the club path going "in-to-out."
2. Straight draw: a relatively closed club face at impact, with a neutral swing path.

In case you are unfamiliar with the modern ball flight laws, they can roughly be summed up by the following principle:

About 85% of the initial direction of your shot is determined by the club face angle, and about 15% is determined by the club path.

The constant for both types of draw shots is the relatively closed club face. The picture below demonstrates approximately what you should be looking for in terms of getting your club face properly closed during the downswing approach into the ball.

Now, let's examine the specific mechanics of learning how to draw the golf ball. To illustrate, we'll do a side-by-side comparison of Rory Mcilroy and RotarySwing founder Chuck Quinton, breaking down the key differences in their swing plane and path.

In the following sequence, Mcilroy is hitting a draw while Quinton is hitting a straight shot, making the contrast in club path especially visible.

Frame 1: The Swing Plane and Path

It is very easy to see a radically different approach and swing plane into the golf ball here. The fact that an iron and a wood are being hit makes only minute differences, as the attack angles would vary by less than four degrees between the two clubs.

What is readily visible is how much "under the plane" Mcilroy is. The yellow line drawn on both golfers represents the plane of the club shaft at impact. While Quinton is perfectly on top of the plane, Rory is well under it, and this will cause his club path to travel well from the inside through the hitting zone.

Having an "in-to-out" path like this will allow you to hit a push draw if that is the shot shape you are seeking. However, if the angle of the club face isn't precise at impact, you risk blocking the ball well to the right or producing a quick snap hook. This is why golf instruction that teaches you to control the face independently of the path is so critical for reliable shot shaping.

Frame 2: Horizontal Swing Plane

The horizontal swing plane in Rory's golf swing is shifted to the right, whereas Quinton's is oriented more down the target line. The horizontal swing plane is measured as the overall plane the club travels on during the downswing, regardless of the specific path the club head was traveling at the moment of impact.

This late in the downswing, it is quite easy to visualize that Mcilroy's 3-wood is traveling on a path that points well right of his target, where Quinton's 7-iron is "on plane" at this same point in the sequence.

Let's look more closely to see what happens to Rory's club path as it nears the moment of impact.

Frame 3: The Clubhead Toe Line

Here I've drawn a line on the outside edge of the golf ball when both club heads are approximately the same distance from the ball. Of course, it is impossible to get them exact without 3D analysis, but given the significant differences in the approach plane, the illustration clearly demonstrates the contrast in club path.

Because Rory is under the swing plane and coming well from the inside, his club head is further to the inside of the target line than Quinton's is at the corresponding point. There is no correcting the path into the ball at this stage, so Rory is committed to hitting a fairly significant draw from here, which he executes extremely well. Understanding this commitment point is a fundamental concept in quality golf instruction on shot shaping.

Frame 4: Crossed Plane Lines

Note the blue line representing the current plane of Rory's shaft and how it intersects with the plane his shaft is on at impact. At this very late point in the golf downswing, the club path is going to be decidedly in-to-out as it reaches the ball.

Again, if you are seeking a push draw — which is definitely the most effective way to maximize overall distance with your longer clubs — this is not a bad thing at all. Just realize that if you see this pattern in your golf swing and you are working on hitting the ball straight, you will have a nearly impossible time doing so. You can hit a straight shot — a straight push — but not one that will start on your target line and stay there. For a detailed look at your own swing plane tendencies, try a free AI swing analysis to see exactly where your path is aimed.

Frame 5: Impact

You probably were wondering how Mcilroy was ever going to end up on that yellow plane line after looking at all the previous positions! Impact, however, doesn't tell us much about the path and swing plane that the club is traveling on — it simply tells us where the club was at the moment of contact. This really isn't of much use when it comes to discussing how to draw the golf ball. But the next frame reveals the full picture.

Frame 6: Visualizing the Golf Swing Plane

The red circles on both golfers represent the sweet spot of each club at this point in the golf swing. The blue line represents the line that the ball is traveling on from its setup position through the first few feet of flight after impact.

It is very clear to see that Rory's club head has continued traveling straight down the line, which at this post-impact point in the golf swing typically indicates a club path that was decidedly in-to-out through the hitting zone.

You can also see that Mcilroy's club shaft is above the plane at this point, an indicator of a horizontal swing plane that is shifted to the right. Compare that to Quinton, whose club is on the same plane it has been on throughout the entire golf swing, demonstrating the neutral path that produces a straight ball flight.

Conclusion

The so-called "push draw" in golf requires a club path that is in-to-out, as demonstrated by Rory above, combined with a club face that is closed in relation to his path. If you want to produce that big, high, swooping draw that maximizes carry distance, you must alter your path and horizontal swing plane accordingly.

By contrast, if Quinton were to hit a draw with his on-plane swing plane and neutral path, the ball would start left of his target line and continue further left. Hitting a draw with a swing that is "on plane" will tend to produce a lower ball flight, as the angle of attack is typically steeper when compared to how Rory approaches the ball when using the same golf club.

Now that you know "what" you need to accomplish in your swing to start hitting draws, it's time to watch the video to find out "how" to do it. If you want to build the foundational body movement that makes shot shaping possible, start with a free AI golf lesson that coaches you through the core mechanics in real time:

• Find out which hand is primarily responsible and how to use it properly for consistent club face control,
• Learn how to alter your setup for the push draw to create the ideal in-to-out path, and
• Discover how to perform the two crucial elements that will help you get your club face closed the correct amount at impact.

Checkpoints for Practice

• Pulling with the lead hand is what controls the club face angle at impact and club face angle is the biggest factor in determining ball flight direction
• If you move the ball slightly back, you will be swinging slightly from the inside
• Bow the lead wrist a little bit at the top - just a few degrees - to come down slightly shut
• Finally, adjust your release depending on the type of draw desired

Video Transcription: How to Draw the Golf Ball

As you've learned in our "Knuckles Down, Logo Down" video, really what we're trying to do to control the club face is all done with that pulling motion of the lead hand.

It's very important for that to be trained to keep the club face moving in the correct direction, to keep the club face stable, because that's the dominant hand in controlling the club face, in terms of being able to control it very easily.

A simple way to think about this is if you're pulling a pull cart down the fairway - you know the pull carts that you pull behind you or push in front of you, depending on how you use it, that carries your clubs for you so you can walk and not have to carry your clubs on your shoulder - if you pull that down the fairway, it will track directly behind you and basically move in almost a perfectly straight line because it's always moving towards the force of movement.

Now, when you push something, you get behind it, which is a more dominant motion. If you're not pushing directly behind the center of gravity, it's always going to turn and it's going to be moving down the fairway like this, so if you watch somebody pushing one, it'll kind of have a zig-zag pattern to it, relatively, compared to someone who's just pulling it - it'll follow directly, in a straight line.

That's why we learn to use the lead hand. The same thing is true in golf. If I start pushing at it, while it's a more dominant motion, if everything's not dialed in there perfectly it's going to be very hard for me to control the club, and it tends to break the lead wrist down and make it impossible to control the loft on the club face, so you can't control your trajectory.

Everything we're doing is predominantly lead hand, when it comes to club face control. As we look at drawing the ball, we need to start understanding exactly how that works, and look at making a couple of little adjustments to draw the ball, because it's very, very simple to hit a draw. There are a couple of things that we're going to adjust.

At impact, I know that my club face needs to be relatively shut, in relation to where I'm wanting to hit the ball, so there's a couple of things to think about here. First of all, understand that the vast majority - the most influencing factor of the initial ball flight direction - is the club face angle.

The path has about 20 percent, the club face is about 80 percent, roughly. It's a little bit different in there because the ball compresses on the face and so on, but if you just think that the majority of the starting direction of your ball is going to be club face angle, you can manipulate the path a little bit in order to get the ball to start a little bit to the right and draw back.

It just depends on the type of draw that you want to hit. If you want to hit basically a straight draw, where your path isn't going to change - you're not going to try and swing more in-to-out to get it to start to the right - then there's very little adjustment your swing needs to make, other than the club face angle and the release.

You can set up dead square, just like you always do. Make your normal swing path, that's square. Just understand that the ball is going to start a little bit left of your target line and draw farther left. If you want to manipulate it and get the ball to start slightly to the right of your target line and draw back, you have to make an adjustment in the setup.

All that means is moving the ball back slightly in your stance. That will get you to the point where you're coming slightly from the inside, and then all we need to do is worry about club face angle.

It's a very, very small adjustment. Even just moving the ball back an inch in your stance, maybe two, will get you to the point where you're coming quite a bit more from the inside than you normally would be, and be able to hit a draw that starts to the right and comes back.

From there, it's all just worrying about the club face angle, and that's simple. The RST swing pattern is such a simple swing that you're really doing so little manipulation that you have the freedom to start adjusting what you do with the club face angle.

Long story short, the only two things that I'm going to do different in my swing, other than the setup position, is A, at the top I'm going to let my lead wrist bow just a little bit more, so right now this would be the top of my swing normally - my wrist is really flat - I would let my wrist bow slightly. That goes back into that "Knuckles Down, Logo Down" video.

As I go to the top, this is going to give me a little bit of a head start on getting that club face to be a little bit shut, in relationship to my target line, than where it would be normally.

Go to the top and let my lead wrist feel it's just slightly bowed. You can see it's a tiny little change. We're only talking a few degrees here. As I start coming down, notice the club face is a little bit more shut than where it would normally be. It would normally be about here.

Now it's a little bit more shut, my wrist is a little bit more bowed. The only thing I'm going to do from here is just let the club release a little bit more. I'm coming from the inside a little bit, the ball would be back in my stance, and I'm going to release it depending on how much I want it to draw.

If I want to hook it really hard, I'm going to bow it more and release it more. If I don't want to draw it so much, it's going to be a little bit more gradual. Very, very simple changes; once you've put all the other pieces together in your swing, to draw the ball.

Work on just getting to the top, adjusting your wrist just slightly - let it arch a little bit more, so you're going to roll those knuckles in a little bit early - and then start to release the club a little bit more as you come through, and you'll be able to draw the ball with no problems.

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