Golf Shot Shaping Made Easy: How to Shape Shots with Simple Tips & Drills

Have you ever had the pin on the right side guarded by bunkers and wondered if there was a better way to get your shot at it?

That’s what shot shaping can do for you. The problem is that more golfers overcomplicate shot shaping.

As a new golfer, it’s hard to learn to hit a straight shot. Then you start hitting them all straight, only to find out that you need left, right, high, and low shots, too.

Golf shot shaping makes it easier for you to score. Whether you are looking to break 90, 80, or 70, understanding how setup, grip, and wrist action influence your golf shot shaping can significantly improve your golf game.

Golf Shot Shaping (Key Takeaways)

Here are the most important things to remember about golf shot shaping. Keep this in mind as you work your way through this guide.

• Making slight adjustments to your setup and grip will help you shape shots without having to change your golf swing too much.
• Your wrist action controls the angle of the clubface at impact. More extension in the lead wrist = more open face; more flexion = more closed face.
• A higher ball flight comes from more extension at impact, while a lower ball flight comes from more flexion.
• A draw requires flexion and an inside-out path; a fade requires extension and an outside-in path.
• Each adjustment you make to shape shots should be small. Extreme changes can lead to swing faults.
• HackMotion allows you to measure wrist angles and confirm if you’re matching the ball flight you want.

Prefer watching instead of reading? Watch the video below to see how to shape your golf shots on demand.

Simple Adjustments for Shot Shaping

To consistently shape shots and adjust your ball flight, you need to make simple adjustments. Those adjustments are made to your setup, grip, and wrist action.

Setup

Start by adjusting your setup. Your setup adjustments will include your feet, hips, and shoulders. In addition, you’ll need to pay attention to ball position when getting your setup right for shot shaping.

• Left (Draw): Align feet, hips, and shoulders slightly right of the target. Ball slightly back in stance for an inside-out path.
• Right (Fade): Align slightly left of the target. Ball slightly forward for an outside-in path.
• High: Keep setup square but move the ball forward and tilt your spine slightly away from the target.
• Low: Ball slightly back, weight a bit more forward, and narrower stance to promote a downward strike.

Grip

Another adjustment to make when learning the best golf shot-shaping techniques is grip changes. The key things you’ll want to consider here are grip position (weak or strong) and grip pressure (firm or loose).

• Draw: Slightly stronger grip helps close the clubface through impact.
• Fade: Slightly weaker grip keeps the face more open.
• High shots: Lighter grip pressure allows more hinge and loft.
• Low shots: Firmer grip pressure stabilizes impact for a controlled, penetrating flight.

Wrist Action

Another way to influence the shape of your golf shots is to take a more in-depth look at your wrist action in the golf swing.

This is where HackMotion becomes especially valuable.

• Draw (Left): Flexion (bowed lead wrist) closes the face relative to the path. Combine with an inside-out swing path for right-to-left curve.
• Fade (Right): Extension (cupped lead wrist) leaves the face slightly open. Combine with an outside-in swing path for a left-to-right curve.
• High Shots: A little extra hinge + extension at impact increases loft and launch.
• Low Shots: Less hinge + more flexion delofts the face, creating a lower flight with more roll.

Another important concept in wrist action is your radial deviation. Radial deviation (also referred to as wrist hinge), when combined with extension, can result in an open face.

This is beneficial for fades and high shots. Ulnar deviation combined with flexion is better to help produce a closed face (good for draws/low shots).

Putting it All Together

Use this table as your go-to guide for the adjustments needed to control both shot shape and trajectory.

Shot Type	Setup	Grip	Wrist Action
Draw (Left)	Feet/hips/shoulders slightly right; ball slightly back	Slightly stronger	Lead wrist flexion (bowed)
Fade (Right)	Feet/hips/shoulders slightly left; ball slightly forward	Slightly weaker	Lead wrist extension (cupped)
High	Ball forward, spine tilted slightly back	Light grip pressure	More hinge + slight extension
Low	Ball back, weight forward, narrower stance	Slightly firmer	Minimal hinge + more flexion

Drills to Work on Golf Shot Shaping

Shaping shots starts with learning how to control the clubface, and that comes from your wrists.

These HackMotion-compatible drills target common faults and train the proper wrist angles so you can actually hit the shot you want.

Motorcycle Drill

The Motorcycle Drill is one of the most effective ways to learn proper wrist action.

Many golfers slice because their lead wrist stays too extended, leaving the clubface wide open at impact. If the face is open, no amount of swing path adjustment will square it up.

This drill teaches you to bow (flex) the lead wrist on the downswing, giving you a more stable, square clubface at impact. From there, you can do whatever you need to control your ball flight.

Inside Takeaway Drill

If the face is rolled open right from the start of the swing, it’s almost impossible to control it through impact.

An early inside takeaway often leads to a steep downswing and an open face at the top. This drill trains a neutral takeaway and prevents the wrists from adding unnecessary extension too early.

Fade Hold-Off Drill

For golfers who over-rotate through impact, the ball often hooks left. To hit a fade, you need to learn how to “hold off” the release so the face stays open relative to the path.

Ball Position & Handle Height Drill

Your setup influences your wrist angles and, therefore, the shot shape before you even swing.

This drill connects ball position and handle height with the wrist positions measured by HackMotion.

Final Thoughts

At this point, you should be ready to get to the range and start shaping your golf shots. If you are still in the stage of your game where a straight shot is rare, work on that first.

When you do practice shot shaping, remember the wrists are the key to clubface control.

Set up and grip help, but it’s your lead wrist position at impact that decides if the ball draws, fades, flies higher, or stays low.

Wearing HackMotion while you practice makes this process easier. It shows whether you’re actually adding flexion or extension, so you can practice with feedback instead of guessing.

Try to remember that even the best players usually rely on one stock shot. Use these adjustments when you need to bend it around an obstacle or change trajectory, but focus on mastering your go-to shot shape first.