Golf Tips On How To Hit A Fade

Every golfer is looking for greater accuracy and more distance in their game and hitting a golf fade is a perfect way of accomplishing all these. The best thing about hitting a fade is that it is much easier than many players realize.

All you need to do is grasp a few important concepts and you will know when you use your power fade expertise.

What is a Fade?

Fade simply denotes a specific kind of ball flight. When the golf ball is fade, the shot usually starts straight headed for the target. As the golf ball starts its descent, it usually falls slightly towards the right for right-handed golfers and slightly to the left for left-handed players. The ball fades because of the spin that is placed on it from the clubface being somewhat open relative to the swing path.

Difference between a Fade and a Slice

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When hitting a slice, you should note that although your clubface is open relative to your swing path, it is not open to the target line and may sometimes be slightly closed. If the clubface is open relative to your target line at impact, then you will end up slicing your shot.

The major difference between a golf fade and a slice is usually the intention. For a golf fade, the shape of the ball flight is deliberate and accurate. The player uses a specific swing path, grip, and stance to accomplish the slight rightward curve. On the other hand, a slice usually happens accidentally and it is not planned. In a slice, the ball tends to veer away from the intended flight path and is a common problem that many golfers deal with.

Read next: How To Stop Slicing The Golf Ball

What is a Power Fade?

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A power fade simply means a fade that is packed with some extra power. A power fade is an ideal combination of distance and accuracy that is created through excellent techniques and enhanced clubhead speed. Undoubtedly, one of the best skills that players should have is knowing how to hit a fade. This is a technique that every golfer masters as it will impact their scores and boost their overall golf experience.

The Power fade is a good shot because it will not get you into a lot of trouble. When you have less trouble, then you will have fewer penalty shots that will result in a lower score. A power fade is a reliable shot because it needs less work from you or your swing. Furthermore, it needs less wrist action and less timing and it will lower your scores.

How to Hit a Fade Using Your Driver or Irons

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For some golfers, the fade is a natural shot shape. However, many players usually hit a big slice or quick hooks instead. To hit a regulated fade, there are several fundamentals that you can apply to both irons and drivers.

Read next: How To Increase Club Head Speed In Golf

  1. Check Your Grip

For any golf shot, your grip is important. Even if everything is right, a poor grip will prevent you from hitting the shot you aim for.  When hitting a fade, your grip should be somewhat weaker than normal. This means that you want the top hand for right-handers rotated slightly counterclockwise.

At the address, you need to see two knuckles on the top hand instead of three. Another consideration for you is to hold your club more in the palm of your right hand rather than the fingers. The bottom hand must also rotate slightly in a similar direction as the top hand.

Always remember that getting the bottom hand too far onto the top of your club is a perfect way to open the golf club on the takeaway hit a slice. Subtle changes are always the best when you are experimenting with your golf grip.

  1. Focus on Your Stance

When they are properly executed, the best thing is to aim down your left side of your fairway or left half of the green and fade the ball towards the target in a regulated manner. Your feet and the target line should be parallel when you are hitting a straight golf shot. This is also the same with hitting a fade since you want to be confident you are aiming slightly towards the left of the intended target and allow for your fade to be slightly left to right golf shot shape. It is best to aim the clubface somewhat towards the final intended target.

  1. Open the Clubface

Opening the clubface marginally to hit a fade is not completely necessary. Golfers can also fade the ball with their swing path. However, some players feel much better opening their clubface rather than altering the swing path. If you opt to open the clubface, you should slightly rotate the toe of your club away from the golf ball at the address.

Even a small degree of the open face will be adequate to create a curve in the flight of the ball. However, you must be cautious because the more the clubface opens, the more the golf ball will start towards the right of the target line and curve the right of the target. Therefore, you must aim to the left of your target when you are hitting a fade.

  1. Swing Left

If you are not comfortable opening your clubface, you can opt to swing slightly across the target line. The swing path is the most crucial part of hitting a golf shot and this includes fade golf shots. When hitting a fade, you should maintain a slightly outside-to-inside motion. This means that the golf club hits the ball and moves left through impact.

You should be careful because you will create a slice if the clubhead comes in from extremely far outside and then cuts across the ball. You should only attack the golf ball from one or two degrees outside to inside and generate an effective fade.

To assist you to create a golf fade, you should think about the swing positions at the top and the finish. At the top, your hands should be high above the trail shoulder and at the finish, the hands should remain left and low.

  1. Ball Position

The clubhead moves on an arc around the body through the hitting zone. It begins on an inside-out golf swing path and then ends with an outside-in swing path. When you move the ball forward by a width of a single golf club, you boost the chances of creating an impact on the outside towards the inside of your swing path.

This offers adequate time during the downswing to get your face open to the path. By placing the golf ball farther back in the golf stance, you promote an impact earlier in your swing leading to a draw or a straight shot.

You must find the balance between the clubface, the swing path, and your stance. This type of experimentation is what makes golf a fun sport that many people love. Most new players always open their stances too much, swing extremely outside-to-inside, and very steep, and end up hitting large slices. We all know that hitting a slice is quite frustrating and makes working out the game more difficult.

Read next: How To Compress The Golf Ball

Strategies to Help You Improve Your Golf Fade

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  • Tee Down

When hitting a fade, a tee down is one of the simplest tactics. You should slightly tee down when setting up to hit your driver. Usually, you want to tee it up so that half of the golf ball is above your clubhead at setup. Nevertheless, when it comes to hitting a fade, you need to slightly tee down. This simply means that you sink the tee somewhat lower so that the ball lines up with the center of the clubface at the setup.

  • Practice Extensively with Your Driver

You should have a basic understanding of the golf clubs that are ideal for a power fade and those that will complicate your efforts. A fade comes in naturally and with ease when you have a club with a lower loft.  In the history of golf, the best fades have always been off the tee. If you see an impressive power fade, the odds are that it came from a driver.

When practicing a power fade, you need to start off the tee first. You should also master a power fade using your driver first. Afterward, you can try using your hybrid or 3-iron. However, you should not bother using high-lofted clubs since it is impossible to hit a power fade using a pitching wedge or 9-iron.

Where and When to hit a Power Fade

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A power fade can come in handy during the following situations:

  • When Faced With Hazards

If you are a right-handed player and you step up the tee box and check the hole ahead, you can see a big water hazard on the right side, while the left is all rough. When faced with such a hazard, your power fade skills will come in handy. In such a scenario, you want to tee up towards the right side of your tee box and aim the swing path down to the left side.

When you hit a power fade, the ball will start its flight toward the rough and move itself back to the fairway. When you hit a fade in this scenario, you will be in control of the risks. Even if you fail to fade the golf ball, the ball will avoid the large water hazard and land on the rough. However, if you try aiming the ball straight down the fairway center, you will hit a slice and the ball will veer into the water.

  • Wind Direction

Every golfer knows that riding the wind whenever necessary pays. Furthermore, your golf fade skills can be quite helpful when dealing with the wind. When standing at the tee and you see the wind blowing left to right, you should hit a power fade.

Be sure to bust it down on your left side and allow the ball to get high up and watch as it rides the wind for a remarkable distance. Left-handers can use the same mechanics, but in a reverse direction by fading the ball as the wind blows from the right to the left.

Read next: How to Put Backspin on a Golf Ball

Final Thoughts

Today, most golfers prefer hitting a power fade as it allows them to regulate the flight of the ball in windy conditions and prevent too much rollout. To boost your overall ability and become a great player, you should learn ways of shaping your golf shots based on the circumstances that you face. To become an expertise at hitting a power fade, you should practice consistently.

Be sure to experiment with a range of angles at address and with the clubface to determine the amount of fade you will get from different combinations.

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