No matter what I’m doing, cutting or drawing the ball. The reason why I bend it, as much as I do, is that it is just easier to bend it a lot than to just bend it a short distance. Bending it five yards or 20 feet is just harder to do. That’s why I try to bend it more than the average player, just to make it easier for me.

When I’m hitting a draw, I obviously close the face so that it spins the ball and makes it go from left to right, with me being lefthanded, and then I’ll leave the club face open when I’m hitting a fade so the ball goes right to left for me. I will always try to exaggerate it just so it makes it easier to make sure the shape does what I want it to do.

It’s honestly something I’ve always done. Playing back home in Florida, growing up we had pine straw trees and dirt so I always had to shape shots low, high, around corners and around the trees. So I’ve always had to do it.

HOW I HIT MY DRIVER

A ‘normal’ drive for me is to make the ball go from right to left.

I’ve built my driver to hit a cut so it makes it easier, especially under pressure, for me to know that it’s going to do that. Then when I’m under even more pressure I cut it even more, because it’s easier to move it a lot rather than a little bit. I want to be able to just free it up and be able to move it from right to left.

Opening up the stance, making sure the club face is open and so you’re swinging from outside to inside, makes the ball cut more. I try to do that just to eliminate, the really bad swing that might be over the top and maybe double-cross it. So I’ll try to bend it more just so that I know under pressure this is what it’s doing.

Back in the day, it was a thought process and now it is all feel process. Now I just aim the ball a little bit more right when I try to curve it more. My average stats these days, when driving the ball, are probably 300 yards carry and about 117 or 118mph clubhead speed. My ball speed is around 175 on a normal shot and I can scare 180 if I’m going after it.

EASIER TO SHAPE THE BALL

Shot shaping is like a putt in some sense. A dead straight putt is hard to hit from outside ten feet, and I believe it’s the same thing when off the tee or with an iron shot. It’s hard to hit it dead straight. So I’m always trying to shape it some way or the other, just so that makes it easier for me and eases the tension in my head. So I think shot shaping makes it a little bit easier.

FELLOW RANGEGOATS SHAPERS

Matt Wolff is always moving his shot. He tries to play a little draw with his irons, and with his driver, he likes to cut it. But only being 24, Wolff can pump it and move it pretty far so he shot shapes it a little bit.

Then Peter Uihlein and Thomas Pieters shape it, but only a small amount which is standard for most guys but Matt definitely moves a little bit more, especially off the tee.

Bubba Watson is the RangeGoats GC Captain on LIV Golf

Main image: Emily Burke/LIV Golf