Learning how to hit a draw is one of the best ways for amateurs to gain some distance.
Draws are typically hit with lower spin, meaning the ball should roll out further than it would with a fade. And when most amateurs tend to slice the ball when first starting out, it’s always nice to see your ball coming from right to left for a change!
Jack Nicklaus holds the all-time record for major wins, and while he typically favoured a fade, you don’t win 18-times on the biggest stage without being able to adjust to the conditions and hit any type of shot.
The “Golden Bear” is never afraid to hand out golf tips to amateurs, and he revealed his “simple” way to hit a draw.
Jack Nicklaus revealed how to hit a draw
Nicklaus, in an edition of Golf Digest magazine, explained why golfers should never aim to hit it straight, and they can learn a simple way to get the ball moving from right to left.
He said, “The toughest shot in golf is one that’s perfectly straight. It’s tough to execute because so many things must be exactly right at impact.
“It’s tough strategically because it reduces the target area– if you aim at the center of the fairway, then hit a slice or hook, you have only half of the fairway to play with.
The out of bounds rule in golf needs changing! Do you agree? Give us your thoughts in the comments below
“Whereas if you aim, say, down the left side and play a deliberate fade, almost the full width of the fairway is at your disposal if you overdo it.
“My method of drawing the ball is simple. All I do is aim a little to the right of the target, close the clubface slightly, and then swing normally. If that doesn’t work, and remember, it won’t without practice, you could try turning your hands further to your right on the club than normal.”
Jack Nicklaus explains when a fade is better than a draw
Most amateurs would benefit from hitting a draw, but that’s not always the case. Nicklaus said that even when he was young, a fade was always better for him because he was such a long hitter.
He said why it’s better for powerful golfers to hit a fade: “I like to fade the ball most of the time, because control is a bigger problem for me than distance.
The winners of the four majors in 2026 will be…
Let us know who you are backing to triumph in next year's biggest events
“If I were a shorter hitter, I might well have grown up favouring a draw. But because power was not my problem even as a boy, my coach, Jack Grout, taught me to regard a fade as my basic shape.”
So if your biggest issue is power, try to hit a draw, but if it’s control and accuracy, learning to hit a fade would be your best course of action, according to Nicklaus.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
