How to Hit a Fade or a Draw Golf Shot (Video) - by Pete Styles
How to Hit a Fade or a Draw Golf Shot (Video) - by Pete Styles So let's look at how to hit a draw shot and how to hit a fade shot. Firstly, let's understand those terms; a draw and a fade. Now, a draw shot by nature for a right-handed golfer, a draw shot by nature has to start right of target, will move in the air from right to left, but then we'll finish on the target. A draw shot would normally be classed as a good shot that finishes on target. Likewise, a fade shot, the reverse of that. A fade shot would start down the left hand side of the fairway, turning from left to right in the air and, again, finishing on target. If you feel like you're hitting a fade shot but it's finishing in the trees, it's not a fade, it's a slice or a push slice. So, a fade is a good shot and a draw is a good shot. Now, let's look at how we actually hit those shots. The reason why the ball will draw and fade in the air is the side spin that's been imparted onto the ball and side spin gets put onto the ball because the club face and the face--sorry--the club face and the swing path aren't in perfect correlation with each other. So, if the club would be traveling perfectly straight and the club face is perfectly square, the ball will fly straight with very little or no side spin. If the club is traveling on a different path, from in to out in this case and the face is not aiming straight with the swing path, you're going to create side spin. Maybe think about how you would kick a football or a soccer ball and how you would spin the ball off of your foot. And that's creating side spin on the ball and how it curves in the air to take free kicks. That's exactly the same as what's going to happen when you're hitting a golf ball. The swing path and the face angle aren't in perfect correlation unison with each other and you're creating some spin. Now let's have a look at how we can actually manage the draw and the fade shots and deliberately hit them. I'm just going to turn sideways here because we need to see what happens from down the line here. So, a draw swing, a ball has to start right of center and then move from right to left. So your swing path must travel from an inside to an outside line. So, it would be described maybe as a slightly flatter downswing with the club more behind me, pushing out to the right hand side. And that would create shots that go to the right. And start off trying to draw the ball by just taking the club up, down behind you, maybe feel like your right elbow is starting the downswing motion, dropping into your right hip and then push the club out to the right hand side. And just start off by blocking the ball to the right hand side maybe a dozen or so times. Once you feel comfortable with blocking the ball to the right, then start to release the club head in. Now, releasing the club head would be the motion of turning the face so the face is actually closed to the swing path. Swing path is in to out, club face is aiming left, and that would spin the ball from right to left in the air. Have a little experiment at how much you can do that with your draw but, remember, the draw shot has to finish on target. If it's going too far left, it's a hook. If it's going too far right, it would be a block shot from there. That would be the draw. Now, looking at the fade, the fade is the reverse of that. The fade is a swing path that's a lot steeper, more of an out to in-swing path. So, a club that would be over the top this way, down across the golf ball this way, and that would encourage the ball to set off left. And, again, like we did with the draw, start by just pulling the ball down the left hand side, hit a few that finished down the left side. Then, think about how the club face is going to be open to that swing path. So the swing path is out to in, the face angle is slightly open to that swing path. The ball will then set off left and start to fade back into the center line, putting other spin on the ball that brings the ball from left to right. And as you're watching that ball spin back and left to right, make sure again it's finishing on target. If it's finishing left, it's too much of a pull; if it's finishing right, the club face is maybe too much open and it's finishing down the right hand side, more described as a slice. So, a draw and a fade, they happen because the swing path and the face angle aren't perfectly matched up. But a draw and a fade should finish on the target lines; they shouldn't finish off line in the trees or in the bunkers. A draw and a fade would normally be good shots. Practice them on the driving range. They will come in useful when you're on the golf course. 2012-03-31

So let's look at how to hit a draw shot and how to hit a fade shot. Firstly, let's understand those terms; a draw and a fade. Now, a draw shot by nature for a right-handed golfer, a draw shot by nature has to start right of target, will move in the air from right to left, but then we'll finish on the target. A draw shot would normally be classed as a good shot that finishes on target. Likewise, a fade shot, the reverse of that. A fade shot would start down the left hand side of the fairway, turning from left to right in the air and, again, finishing on target. If you feel like you're hitting a fade shot but it's finishing in the trees, it's not a fade, it's a slice or a push slice. So, a fade is a good shot and a draw is a good shot. Now, let's look at how we actually hit those shots.

The reason why the ball will draw and fade in the air is the side spin that's been imparted onto the ball and side spin gets put onto the ball because the club face and the face–sorry–the club face and the swing path aren't in perfect correlation with each other. So, if the club would be traveling perfectly straight and the club face is perfectly square, the ball will fly straight with very little or no side spin. If the club is traveling on a different path, from in to out in this case and the face is not aiming straight with the swing path, you're going to create side spin. Maybe think about how you would kick a football or a soccer ball and how you would spin the ball off of your foot. And that's creating side spin on the ball and how it curves in the air to take free kicks. That's exactly the same as what's going to happen when you're hitting a golf ball. The swing path and the face angle aren't in perfect correlation unison with each other and you're creating some spin.

Now let's have a look at how we can actually manage the draw and the fade shots and deliberately hit them. I'm just going to turn sideways here because we need to see what happens from down the line here. So, a draw swing, a ball has to start right of center and then move from right to left. So your swing path must travel from an inside to an outside line. So, it would be described maybe as a slightly flatter downswing with the club more behind me, pushing out to the right hand side. And that would create shots that go to the right. And start off trying to draw the ball by just taking the club up, down behind you, maybe feel like your right elbow is starting the downswing motion, dropping into your right hip and then push the club out to the right hand side. And just start off by blocking the ball to the right hand side maybe a dozen or so times.

Once you feel comfortable with blocking the ball to the right, then start to release the club head in. Now, releasing the club head would be the motion of turning the face so the face is actually closed to the swing path. Swing path is in to out, club face is aiming left, and that would spin the ball from right to left in the air. Have a little experiment at how much you can do that with your draw but, remember, the draw shot has to finish on target. If it's going too far left, it's a hook. If it's going too far right, it would be a block shot from there. That would be the draw.

Now, looking at the fade, the fade is the reverse of that. The fade is a swing path that's a lot steeper, more of an out to in-swing path. So, a club that would be over the top this way, down across the golf ball this way, and that would encourage the ball to set off left. And, again, like we did with the draw, start by just pulling the ball down the left hand side, hit a few that finished down the left side. Then, think about how the club face is going to be open to that swing path. So the swing path is out to in, the face angle is slightly open to that swing path. The ball will then set off left and start to fade back into the center line, putting other spin on the ball that brings the ball from left to right.

And as you're watching that ball spin back and left to right, make sure again it's finishing on target. If it's finishing left, it's too much of a pull; if it's finishing right, the club face is maybe too much open and it's finishing down the right hand side, more described as a slice. So, a draw and a fade, they happen because the swing path and the face angle aren't perfectly matched up. But a draw and a fade should finish on the target lines; they shouldn't finish off line in the trees or in the bunkers. A draw and a fade would normally be good shots. Practice them on the driving range. They will come in useful when you're on the golf course.