Most amateurs struggle to manufacture different shots off the tee, particularly if they go against the player’s natural shot shape. One reason is, they make it too complicated. When it comes time to hit a draw, they might alter their alignment, ball position, grip, clubface aim—you name it. The tweaks can be endless.
But as 2020 PGA champion Collin Morikawa explains, you don’t have to change a lot to create your desired ball flight. For Morikawa, the difference between hitting a draw or fade is as simple as how you follow through—lower for a draw and higher for a fade. “Finish is huge for me,” Morikawa says. “[For shot shape] a lot has to do with where I’m going to finish.”
As Morikawa demonstrates in this video, when the club finishes low and around the body, slightly below head height, the clubface tends to release a little more through impact and impart right-to-left spin on the ball. Conversely, when the club finishes higher, that promotes less face rotation through the ball, imparting left-to-right spin and producing a fade.
Morikawa explains how he shapes the ball in the below video:
“Undercover Lessons: Collin Morikawa” is one of more than 80 video programs in Golf Digest Schools. Take your game to the next level with instruction from the top teachers and players. And with the new Golf Digest Schools app, you can bring it all with you anywhere you go. Check out Golf Digest Schools, a revolutionary experience in golf instruction.