How to Hit Different Golf Shots

To truly lower your scores, you need more than one type of golf shot in your arsenal. Having a go-to swing is great, but the golf course will always present you with unique challenges - a pin tucked behind a bunker, a howling headwind, or a sharp dogleg left. This guide will walk you through how to hit the essential shots that separate good players from great ones. We'll cover how to shape the ball, control your trajectory, and escape from trouble, giving you the skills to approach any situation with confidence.

Mastering Your Stock Shot: The Foundation of Control

Before you can get creative, you need a baseline. Every specialty shot is simply a small adjustment to your normal, solid swing - what we call a "stock shot." If you don’t have a repeatable swing, trying to hit complex shots is like trying to do algebra before you've learned to add and subtract. It just doesn’t work.

Your stock shot is your comfortable, balanced swing that produces a predictable ball flight, ideally one that’s relatively straight. Think of this as your home base. Here are the simple fundamentals to keep in mind, drawing from a swing philosophy that works for all golfers.

• The Core Idea: It's a Turn, Not a Chop. Your golf swing is a rotational motion. Your body - your hips and shoulders - is the engine. You are turning around your spine to create power, not chopping up and down with your arms. When new players struggle, it’s often because they are trying to power the swing with only their arms. Feel your torso rotate away from the ball on the backswing, and then unwind that rotation through to the finish.
• A Solid Setup: Your address position sets the stage for success. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart for a mid-iron, creating a stable, athletic base. Bend forward from your hips, not your waist, letting your bottom push back a bit. Your arms should hang down naturally from your shoulders, relaxed and free of tension. This is a powerful, ready position.
• Ball Position: For a stock mid-iron shot (like an 8-iron or 9-iron), the ball should be positioned in the center of your stance. As your clubs get longer, the ball moves slightly forward, toward your front foot.

Once you can consistently produce your stock shot, you have the foundation to start manipulating the ball flight.

Shaping the Ball: How to Hit a Draw and a Fade

Being able to move the ball intentionally right-to-left (a draw) or left-to-right (a fade) for a right-handed golfer opens up a new world of strategic possibilities on the course. It allows you to navigate doglegs, aim away from hazards, and attack pin locations you couldn’t otherwise reach.

The Reliable Draw: Moving it Right-to-Left

A draw is a powerful shot that tends to roll out more upon landing. It's the nemesis of the slice and a fantastic tool to have. The key to hitting a draw isn't some complex in-swing manipulation, it’s all in the setup.

1. Aim Your Clubface: First, aim the clubface directly where you want the ball to finish. This is the single most important step. If the pin is your target, point the face at the pin.
2. Align Your Body: Now, aim your body - your feet, hips, and shoulders - to the right of that final target. For a slight draw, aiming 10-15 feet right is a good starting point. You're creating parallel "tracks", the clubface track points at the target, and your body track points right of the target.
3. Swing Along Your Body Line: With this setup, your job is simple: make your normal swing, but swing the club along the path your body is aimed. Don’t try to steer the club back towards the target. Swing out to the right. Because your clubface is "closed" relative to your swing path, it will impart the right-to-left spin that creates a beautiful draw.

Imagine a ball that starts out to the right of the flag and gently curves back toward it. That’s the feeling and the visual you’re after. Practice it on the range until you have a feel for how much to close your stance to produce the curve you want.

The Controllable Fade: Moving it Left-to-Right

A fade is often called a "power leak" by some, but tour pros love it for its control and high, soft landing. It’s a wonderful shot for attacking pins tucked on the right side of the green or for ensuring you avoid trouble on the left.

1. Aim Your Clubface: Just like the draw, start by aiming your clubface precisely where you want the ball to land a.k.a your final target.
2. Align Your Body: Next, align your feet, hips, and shoulders to the left of your final target. You are setting up "open" to the target.
3. Swing Along Your Body Line: Swing the club along the line of your feet and shoulders. It will feel like you are swinging slightly "across" the ball from outside-to-in. This open relationship between clubface and path will produce that soft, left-to-right fade. You don't need a huge, chopping slice motion - just a smooth swing along your open body line.

The fade will fly higher and land softer than a draw, making it a valuable tool for shots that require precision over sheer distance.

Controlling Trajectory: High Floaters and Low Stingers

The best golfers aren't just one-dimensional, they can control how high or low the ball flies. This skill is priceless when playing in wind or dealing with obstacles.

The Low Punch Shot: Your Best Friend in the Wind

When the wind is howling in your face, a standard shot will balloon up and lose a ton of distance. A low, penetrating punch shot is the answer.

• Club Up: Take at least one, maybe two, extra clubs. If your 150-yard shot is normally a 7-iron, grab a 6-iron or even a 5-iron.
• Adjust Your Setup: Play the ball further back in your stance than you normally would, just back of center. Press your hands forward so they are ahead of the clubhead. This naturally de-lofts the clubface. Put about 60% of your weight on your front foot.
• Abbreviate Your Swing: This is a compact, controlled swing. Think "three-quarters back, three-quarters through." Feel like your chest is staying over the ball. On the follow-through, finish low, with your hands pointed at the target. Don't let your arms fly up into a full finish, that will add height. A low finish promotes a low ball flight.

The High, Soft Shot: Getting Over Trouble

Need to get the ball up quickly to clear a towering tree or a deep greenside bunker with the pin cut close? This is where the high, soft "flop" shot comes in handy.

• Club Choice Matters: Use your most lofted wedge, like a 60-degree lob wedge or a 56-degree sand wedge.
• Get Open: In your setup, play the ball forward in your stance, off your lead heel. Aim your feet, hips and shoulders well left of the target (for a righty), and open the clubface so it points at the pin. Widen your stance for a stable base.
• Commit and Accelerate: From this open position, you must swing with speed. This isn’t a tentative tap. Hinge your wrists to create a steep angle and swing down and through the ball along your body line. The combination of speed, loft, and an open clubface will pop the ball up into the air almost vertically, and it will land with very little roll. Hesitation is the absolute killer of this shot - you have to trust it and accelerate through impact.

Escape Artist 101: Playing From Tricky Lies

Great rounds are often saved not by perfect shots, but by solid recovery shots. Here's how to handle two common challenging situations.

Thick Rough: Focus on the Escape

The deep grass is designed to punish you. It wraps around the club's hosel, twisting the face closed and dramatically slowing down the clubhead. The number one rule when you're in trouble: get out of trouble. Don't be a hero.

• Club Choice: Take more loft. An 8-iron or 9-iron is a much better choice than a 5-iron. The more lofted club has a sharper leading edge that can cut through the dense grass more effectively.
• Setup for Contact: Grip the club a little firmer than usual to prevent twisting. You might also open the face slightly at address to counteract how much the grass will want to close it at impact.
• The Swing: You need a steeper angle of attack. Hinge your wrists earlier in the backswing and feel like you are chopping down steeply on the back of the ball. There's no sweeping motion here. The follow-through will be short and abbreviated. Your only goal is to make solid downward contact and advance the ball back into the fairway.

The Fairway Bunker Shot

Hitting out of a fairway bunker is mentally tougher than it is physically. Fear of hitting the shot fat (hitting the sand first) causes many players to mishit it. The goal is simple: clean, ball-first contact.

• Take Extra Club: You can't make a full, powerful swing here, so take one extra club than you would for the same distance from the fairway.
• Establish a Firm Base: Once in the bunker, gently shuffle your feet into the sand until they are secure. This provides stability, but it also lowers your body. To compensate, choke down on the grip by about an inch. This restores your original swing radius.
• Quiet a Quiet Lower Body: Balance is everything. Make a smooth, three-quarter swing, concentrating on keeping your legs and lower body extremely quiet. Any extra swaying or dipping will change the low point of your swing and lead to a poor strike. Think of it as an "arms and shoulders" swing. Just pick the ball cleanly off the top of the sand.

Final Thoughts

Mastering these different golf shots all starts with understanding your basic swing and then making small, intentional adjustments. Whether it's changing your setup to hit a draw or abbreviating your follow-through for a punch shot, purposeful practice will give you the confidence to handle any challenge on the course.

Practicing is one thing, but knowing exactly which shot to hit and when can be tough on the course. That’s why we built Caddie AI. If you find yourself in the trees or facing a long bunker shot, you can snap a photo of your lie and get instant, expert advice on the best way to play it. We provide on-demand strategic guidance, taking the guesswork out of tricky situations so you can commit to every swing with confidence.