The 5-step tour draw formula 💡

Golf Digest

There's something interesting happening in professional golf.

A trend is emerging.

For a long time, elite-level professional golfers have been chasing fades, but now more players are gravitating towards a different kind of shot shape: the tour draw.

I called it a tour draw because, unlike the slinging hooks that so many amateurs hit, the tour draw is a gentle, leaning right-to-left shot.

One of the key ways pros hit it is by managing the tilts of their golf swing. It's something Golf Digest Top 50 coach Jeff Smith explains using an easy-to-remember concept: That draw players tilt their body away from the target more than they turn.

Lots of golfers only think to turn on the way down. Yes, turning is important. But it's the combination of tilting and turning that is essential. It's what helps you deliver the club into the ball in the ideal way.

And it's why it's the secret to unlocking the tour draw.

How to hit the "Tour Draw"

Draws seem to be making a comeback on tour this season. Let's break down the formula for how pros hit it—and how you can, too.

By Luke Kerr-Dineen

What You Need to Know

How do pros warm up before their round? I'm weirdly fascinated by this stuff, and because the PGA Tour and the majors began tracking what players do on the range before their round, I had the bright idea to go through it and pull out some interesting routines.

Sam Burns' routine caught my eye—I might try it this weekend—he hits a ball every 30 seconds starting with full wedges, before dialing back to short wedge shots and laddering up to drivers. You can see that routine below, and more from other pros right here.

My contact miss tends to be a chunk. It was haunting my iron play this week. If that sounds like you, this article is a good refresher.

Dialing in the low point of your golf swing is a fundamental skill—it should be a few inches ahead of the golf ball. Getting your hands more ahead at setup, and practicing with a towel lying behind your ball can dial it in quickly.

Rory McIlroy is doing some interesting stuff on the range. He came back a little rusty after his well-earned three-week vacation between The Open Championship and FedEx Cup playoffs. But he's whipping his golf swing into shape with a variety of interesting drills (that you can read more about here).

One of those involves a headcover under his right armpit. It helps keep his arms closer to his body as he turns through, and gives him the feeling of "shaking hands with the target."