When Should I Fade or Draw the Ball? (Video) - by Dean Butler
When Should I Fade or Draw the Ball? (Video) - by Dean Butler

So when should we fade or draw the ball? Well basically to either avoid trouble or to get an advantage. Let’s give you a couple of scenarios; first of all let’s talk about what fade and draw is. A fade is when we set -- so look at these sticks here, look at the direction that they are going straight down. If I set myself up and play a fade, a fade will basically just go towards the -- if I hit, aim slightly to the left of the target and I hit this ball, the ball will move from the left to the right and it will be the slightest sort movement you can imagine, it’s not like a slice going all the way round, it’s just a slightest bit of move. That’s a fade for a right handed golfer, left to right very small movement. If you draw the ball, the ball will go the opposite way it will start to slightly to the right of the target and then come back into the flag. So when might you use these shots?

Well just imagine you’re into a situation where your playing your shot into a hole and you’ve got these trees encroaching on the right hand side, so a straight shot is no longer an option. We need to start with the ball down the left hand side; about setting up we start the club where we want the ball to start its journey. Setup with the feet slightly open, which means that aiming to the left hand side and then from that position we want to swing the club in the line of our feet, we shall take the club on the outside and then come inside and that will impel a spin. So that way you can imagine the scenario, triples on the right and we bring the ball round, and of course the draw would be the opposite. But also think, about it maybe you’ve got a shot down the hole and you’ve got the water all the way down the right hand side out about and the left hand side; this is the time then to think right, where’s the danger. If the danger is down the right hand side let’s take the ought of bounce out of the water down the right; maybe this is a good time to aim down the left hand side and just play a little bit of a fade. So if you overcook it, you knock it into the water, if play a little bit of a fade your down the left hand side, left and center of the fairway. But what you wouldn’t do is set yourself up with the water down the right and try and play a draw because if you don’t get it right the ball is going straight towards the water so think about it. Look at where the danger is and then play the shot away from the danger and bring it back towards it. Don’t aim at the danger and try and bring the ball away because if you don’t figure that shape, you’re going to be in danger. So fade and a draw there is a time and a place to play those shots and hopefully you’ve learnt where to actually play those shots. 2014-05-16

So when should we fade or draw the ball? Well basically to either avoid trouble or to get an advantage. Let’s give you a couple of scenarios; first of all let’s talk about what fade and draw is. A fade is when we set — so look at these sticks here, look at the direction that they are going straight down. If I set myself up and play a fade, a fade will basically just go towards the — if I hit, aim slightly to the left of the target and I hit this ball, the ball will move from the left to the right and it will be the slightest sort movement you can imagine, it’s not like a slice going all the way round, it’s just a slightest bit of move. That’s a fade for a right handed golfer, left to right very small movement. If you draw the ball, the ball will go the opposite way it will start to slightly to the right of the target and then come back into the flag. So when might you use these shots?

Well just imagine you’re into a situation where your playing your shot into a hole and you’ve got these trees encroaching on the right hand side, so a straight shot is no longer an option. We need to start with the ball down the left hand side; about setting up we start the club where we want the ball to start its journey. Setup with the feet slightly open, which means that aiming to the left hand side and then from that position we want to swing the club in the line of our feet, we shall take the club on the outside and then come inside and that will impel a spin. So that way you can imagine the scenario, triples on the right and we bring the ball round, and of course the draw would be the opposite.

But also think, about it maybe you’ve got a shot down the hole and you’ve got the water all the way down the right hand side out about and the left hand side; this is the time then to think right, where’s the danger. If the danger is down the right hand side let’s take the ought of bounce out of the water down the right; maybe this is a good time to aim down the left hand side and just play a little bit of a fade. So if you overcook it, you knock it into the water, if play a little bit of a fade your down the left hand side, left and center of the fairway. But what you wouldn’t do is set yourself up with the water down the right and try and play a draw because if you don’t get it right the ball is going straight towards the water so think about it. Look at where the danger is and then play the shot away from the danger and bring it back towards it. Don’t aim at the danger and try and bring the ball away because if you don’t figure that shape, you’re going to be in danger.

So fade and a draw there is a time and a place to play those shots and hopefully you’ve learnt where to actually play those shots.