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Walk into the shot - The way you want to hit it
Stuart Smith

The whole issue of visualisation is an area where professionals are streets ahead of amateur players. They get a clear picture in their mind of exactly what they want to do with the ball, exactly where they intend to land it, and so on.

They also use the time before they walk in to the ball to visualise where they want to be through impact. They get that feeling before they actually hit it.

These examples of how to approach a fade, and how to approach a draw, will help you to get an idea of how to use this visualisation and 'body language' to your benefit on the course.

Geared up for a fade

Imagine you want to hit a fade, a shot that moves gently from left-to-right through the air. To do that you want to aim a little to the left of your intended target (i.e. set up with a slightly open body position), and your body language through the ball is such that everything is geared towards 'holding off the clubface, pulling it across the ball to create that left-to-right spin.

The process starts as you size the shot up. Stand behind the ball and get a feel for where you want to be through impact. Stand slightly open. Hold the clubface slightly open.
For the fade, the key is that the heel is leading the toe through the ball - you are holding it open (hence the expression 'holding off' the clubface). With these thoughts running through your mind, you are geared up to hit a fade.

Geared up for a draw

Now for the draw. Your body action reflects your desire to achieve just the opposite set of swing circumstances through the ball. Standing behind the ball to get a good look at the shot, your body would now be slightly closed to the line. You are thinking about releasing the clubface, allowing the toe of the club to turn over the heel. At the set-up, your body might be slightly closed to the line of the shot, which assists you in swinging the club from inside-to-out.

Through the ball, your right hand is encouraged to rollover the left -a true release of the clubhead, and a key feature of the shot that shapes the ball from right-to-left. One final point: notice that in both of these shots the spine angle has been maintained right up to (and even fractionally past) impact. That's vital for your consistency.