#16 Why You Need to Stop Practicing Draws and Fades Right Now
Hey there, fellow golfers! 40s Golf here. 😊
Whenever you visit the local driving range, there's always that guy in the next bay. You know exactly who I’m talking about. He cleanly launches the ball down the right side, only for it to gracefully curve back left into the center—a perfect, textbook Draw. Or maybe he premium-fades it on command.
Between those range heroes and the endless loop of PGA Tour highlights on YouTube, it is incredibly easy for us weekend warriors to get a massive case of FOMO. We watch those beautiful curving ball flights and think, "Man, if I could just bend my shots like that, I’d be breaking 90 in no time."
So, what do we do? We go to the range during peak hours and secretly try to copy them. We roll our wrists over excessively, we open up our hips aggressively, and we try to manually force the ball to bend.
But let me stop you right there. Years ago, my mentor caught me trying to do exactly that. He walked up, figuratively smacked me on the back of the head, and said:
"Hey, stop wasting your time with that fancy garbage. If you try to shape shots before you can consistently break 100, you are going to absolutely ruin the decent swing you already have!"
Today, drawing from the scars of my own rookie mistakes, I’m going to break down why you need to ban draws and fades from your practice routine entirely, and reveal a dead-simple cheat code that will actually slash your scores immediately.
The Siren Song of the Screen: Why We Fall Into the Trap
Look, I get it. When you're playing a casual round or a simulator game with friends, you encounter those high-stress situations. A massive oak tree is blocking your direct path to the green, or you're staring down a brutal dogleg hole. Your brain immediately whispers, "Alright, time to channel my inner Rory McIlroy and hit a heroic sweep draw around these trees."
But if you are currently hovering around the 100-stroke mark, attempting this is pure gambling.
When you lack the core consistency to hit the ball out of the sweet spot on a normal swing, trying to artificially force a curve throws your brain and body into total chaos. You try to hit a delicate draw, and you end up hitting a catastrophic duck hook. You try to squeeze out a soft fade, and you hit a miserable hosel rocket that travels ten yards along the ground.
To put it bluntly: you are trying to learn how to do a backflip before you even know how to walk. Right now, your only job is to protect your spine angle, keep a stable axis, and find the center of the clubface.
The Cold, Hard Truth: Even the Pros Can't Hit It Straight
At this point, you might be thinking, "But 40s Golf, if I don't practice curving the ball, am I supposed to just hit it dead straight every single time? My ball naturally curves anyway!"
Here is a liberating truth that will instantly lower your golf anxiety: A perfectly straight golf shot is a myth. It is arguably the rarest shot in the entire sport, even for touring professionals.
If you take a comfortable, relaxed swing with your natural form and the ball consistently finishes a little to the right or a little to the left, congratulations—that is your signature ball flight. Do not try to fix it, do not try to fight it, and definitely do not try to practice a different shape. Your job is to accept it, trust it, and weaponize it.
40s Golf’s "Ugly Truth" Aiming Cheat Code For High-Handicappers
Let's look at some real data. Back when I was desperately fighting to break 100, my actual shot dispersion was hilarious. Assuming I didn't completely whiff or top the ball, my natural tendencies looked like this:
Irons & Wedges: A consistent, gentle draw that occasionally turned into a mild hook.
The Driver: 10% Hook / 5% Draw / 5% Straight / 10% Fade / 70% Horrific, Soul-Crushing Slice (OB).
It was brutal. Seven times out of ten, my driver would start straight and then rocket into the neighboring zip code on the right.
So, what was my genius solution? I didn't go to the range to rebuild my swing mechanics from scratch mid-season. Instead, I made a business decision: I completely surrendered to the slice. I accepted that a rare 10% hook might occasionally kill me, but I refused to let the 70% slice destroy my scorecard anymore.
Instead of lining up perfectly parallel to the center of the fairway, I began aiming my driver dead left—right at the left tree-line or the left hazard stakes.
When I set up facing the left edge of the universe and took my normal, comfortable swing, the ball would start left and then cleanly ride my massive slice right back into the center-right of the fairway or the first cut of rough.
The result? My out-of-bounds penalty rate dropped from 50% down to a mere 10%. My driver survival rate skyrocketed, and breaking 100 suddenly became a walk in the park.
Final Thoughts: Golf is a Game of Survival, Not a Beauty Pageant
Even single-digit handicap players and scratch golfers use this exact strategy. On days when their swing feels a little off, they don't try to play gymnastics with their form; they pick one side of the course, eliminate it, and play their natural miss.
If you want to permanently see your scores drop into the 90s, do these three things this weekend:
Stop practicing fancy technical shots. Throw the draws and fades out of your vocabulary for now.
Go to an outdoor range and identify your natural bias. See where your ball naturally wants to live when you hit a solid shot. (You can't accurately see this on a simulator screen—go outside!).
Own your miss. If you have a natural slice, aim left. If you have a natural hook, aim right.
Golf isn't a sport where you get extra style points for looking pretty. It’s a survival game about getting the ball into a tiny cup in the fewest strokes possible. The moment you stop fighting your natural ball flight and start managing the course strategically, the magic happens.
Next time you head to the range, stop stressing about hitting it perfectly straight. Just track where your ball likes to land on average, and use that as your secret weapon.
Until next time, keep it in the short grass! 40s Golf, out. 🏌️♂️
