Justin Thomas is well known for being one of the most creative and imaginative shot-shapers on the PGA Tour.
Thomas rarely hits a straight ball and often prefers to either draw or fade his driver and irons in order to suit the shape of the hole or the angle of the green.
Playing this way has enabled the 32-year-old to achieve huge success on the PGA Tour, with 16 victories to his name including two major championships.
- Read also: How to get your handicap down quickly when you only have one hour to spend on the driving range
When it comes to moving the ball both ways, amateur golfers should be all ears regarding any golf tips that Thomas has to offer.
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Thomas regularly provides tips for amateur golfers pertaining to the quickest and simplest way to lower their handicaps.
However, the latest tip from Thomas that we are going to look into concerns hitting shots which could actually take your game to another level entirely.
Justin Thomas’ tip to help stop amateurs from slicing the ball
One of Thomas’ most impressive wins on the PGA Tour came way back in 2021 at The Players Championship.
The 32-year-old shot rounds of 64 and 68 over the weekend to pip Lee Westwood to the title by one stroke.
A key factor in Thomas’ victory was his ability to hit a sweeping hook on certain tee shots at TPC Sawgrass, namely the second and 16th holes.
He even used it on his 72nd tee shot of the tournament, when he fizzed a low draw with his five-wood on the 18th to put himself in the perfect position to go on and win the golf tournament.
Any amateurs who slice the ball off the tee should be all over this tip from Thomas.
When speaking during an instructional video for Titleist on YouTube, Thomas explained his simple method to ensure that he hits a big sweeping draw off the tee with his driver.
“I hit it on 10 at Augusta a lot, I hit it on two at Sawgrass, hit it on 16 at Sawgrass,“ Thomas said.
“With it turning right to left, it doesn’t spin as much, it gets on the ground quicker, but it is going to roll so far.
“So I’m gonna probably aim this one a good 40, 50 yards right.
“I’ve got to tee it up just, I mean, still low, but not as low, because I’m shutting the face down, it’s going to come out quite a bit lower. So I’m aiming it over there to the right, and I’m literally just closing the face down it at address.
“The swing still feels pretty similar. If anything, I may swing a little out to the right, but I’m not, like, really trying to manipulate much. I’m trying to do it all with setup, you know, maybe grip the club a little bit more in my fingers.
“So, yeah, I just set everything up to the right, and I feel like I’m gonna swing kind of just over there (to the right), and it should start right and turn back, but it’s gonna run forever.“
Tiger Woods’ completely different method to help amateurs draw the ball
While Thomas suggested that he shuts the face down when hitting a draw, Tiger Woods uses a completely different method.
Woods said: “I like to play a slight draw for me, personally. So, I’m always aimed slightly right, face slightly open, and again, closing it slightly at impact.
“Now, if I want to hit the exact opposite shot, for a cut, I stand closer to it… What people don’t realize is, I’ll shut the face down a little bit.
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“Face is open for a draw, and the face is slightly closed for a cut… wherever I want the golf ball to start out at is where I put the face. So if I’m going to start it out to the right, my face is going to be open. And then I try and close it down a little bit, and then hit my little draw.
“A lot of people think that because they have to hook it, they have to shut the face. I don’t like that. It’s hard to control. Wherever I want the ball to start out at is where I have the face.“
While Thomas aims his body and feet out to the right and closes his clubface, Woods’ method involves opening the clubface so that it’s pointed out to the right, because that’s where he wants his ball-flight to start.
Both methods are equally as useful, so you will just have to go with the one that you feel more comfortable with.
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