This 1 element is critical when shaping shots, says top teacher

Earlier this year during a golf lesson with GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jamie Mulligan, he had me do a fun “Simon says” drill with former pro golfer Veronica Felibert, where she’d hit a shot and then I needed to try and execute the same one.

While she was so much better than me, it was a fun way to test my skills and push my confidence, with Mulligan’s master plan to get me comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Sure, I can stripe it with a driver every now and then, or hit a crispy wedge shot once in awhile, but he had me dialing in things like my distance control and shaping golf shots — which was one of the most intimidating things I’ve had to do as a golfer.

At one point I turned to my producer, Tiffani, and whispered, “there’s no way in hell I’m going to be able to do this, just FYI.”

But with Mulligan’s help and some encouraging words, I was able to hit high draws with my 9-iron to perfection, landing them nice and softly on the putting surface.

Since shaping golf shots is an elevated skill, it shouldn’t be surprising to hear a mid-handicapper like myself quiver when asked to practice it. But there are a few fundamental things to understand when it comes to shot-shaping, and another GOLF Top 100 Teacher, Mark Blackburn, explains why one element is the most critical.

Focus on ball position when shaping golf shots

“There’s no substitution for fundamentals in your golf game, and the one that needs to have the most attention paid to it is your ball position,” Blackburn says in the video above (courtesy of Titleist’s YouTube channel). “Your ball position needs to marry up with your preferred shot shape. If your ball position matches what you want your golf ball to do from a trajectory and shape standpoint, you’re going to have a lot more success.”

How to shape a draw

“When we start talking about drawing the golf ball, we want the ball to be further back in our arc so that the club is approaching the ball from the inside,” Blackburn said.

Using a 7-iron, Blackburn explains how the clubface should look at impact when trying to hit a draw.

“This is in the middle of my stance and I’ve got a 7-iron, so if I was going to draw this shot, I might favor middle to slightly back [ball position], which will allow me to get the start line more to the right of the target,” he adds. “Then I just need to get the face closed to the path and I’m going to produce a draw.”

Blackburn then dropped two golf balls on the ground and placed them in different positions to explain how a shot result may change.

“If I put [another] ball more towards my back foot and slightly inside the center ball, you can see that that’s where the club’s going to come from for a draw,” he said.

How to shape a fade

So where should the ball position be if you’re looking to hit a fade? Blackburn tackles that question next.

“If I want to fade the ball, I need to get the ball further up in my stance so that the club’s traveling more outside-in, which is going to facilitate the ball starting left of the target before cutting back,” Blackburn says.

But just because the ball’s forward in your stance doesn’t mean you’ll just naturally hit the fade you hope for, as it requires you to maintain clubface control coming through impact.

“Assuming I can organize my arms and hands at impact to keep the clubface open to the path,” Blackburn reminds.

So when you’re trying to shape golf shots, first work on positioning your ball correctly and then manage your club path for the desired shot type. By doing so, you’ll expand your range of shots and, hopefully, see lower scores as a result.

“Simply organizing your ball position relative to your desired ball-flight is going to help you increase your success rate and become a better ball-striker,” Blackburn adds.

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Nick Dimengo

Golf.com Editor