How to Hit a Fade and the Best Way to Learn to Draw the Ball - Senior Golf Tip (Video) - by Dean Butler
How to Hit a Fade and the Best Way to Learn to Draw the Ball - Senior Golf Tip (Video) - by Dean Butler

Okay. So, coming on to how to fade a ball, how to draw a ball. Well, first of all, what is a fade? Fade a ball that basically starts ever so slightly left of target and just bends to the right ever so slightly and I do emphasize the word slightly, it’s a fade, it’s not a slice. And a draw is a completely opposite, where the ball just starts slightly to the right of the target and just bends back every so slightly, so very, very simple, a fade comes from the left to the right and the draw comes from the right to the left and the curve is very small, if it is big it would be obviously a slice and a hook. So, those are the two shapes, so you’ve got a picture in your mind. So, let’s say you wanted to play a draw for example.

Well, when do we play draw? Well, maybe, maybe the wind is coming in such a direction of the left-hand side and we want to draw the ball against the wind. Maybe it’s a dogleg. Maybe the hole is shaped in such a way to the left-hand side that we want to just shape that ball around the corner. So, it’s somewhat easy to play this shot than what you might actually think. The first thing that we need to do is here is the target, here is the direction of the hole. What I’m going to do is I’m going to set up, so I’m actually aiming at an angle across -- let’s call this the target line. I want you to set up to the right. It’s what we call close, a close set up. Nothing vicious, I’m not miles away from it, just from here, just standing slightly closed. I’m setting myself in exactly the same way. I’m not doing anything different at this moment in time.

Now, from here I’m now going to get hold of the club and just turn the clubface ever so slightly in, so I’m just turning the face in ever so slightly. Remember, I’ve set to start the ball down the right-hand side, so I’m allowing for this spin. Aim the club to the right. Remember, no good aiming the club at the flag and then drawing it into the rubbish or a bunker. Aim the club to the right, feet running parallel, aim the clubface, just turn the clubface in, turning it in just so you can see better, just turn the clubface in, that’s closing the face in, just a little bit, turn this in a bit and put your hands back on, everything else is the same position. From here, what will happen is that the club, because you’re standing in a closed position, will come more on the inside and as we come from the inside back to the ball, the hands will actually make that club come round.

So, a closed set up will take the club back on the line of my feet and come to the impact area. I’ve got the clubface, remember, ever so slightly close at address, as I hit that ball I’m hitting through that line and that will impart the spin from the right to the left-hand side. It’s that easy. Just got to have some sort of faith and commitment, get yourself to the driving range, on to the practice ground and think I’m going to have a go at this. So, the fade, it’s just the opposite. Here is the setup again. We’re going to aim the clubface this time slightly to the left-hand side, cause that’s where we want the ball to start. Aim the club where you want it to start, then put your feet in that same position, everything is going left of target now.

Set yourself up and, again, from this position, just turn the clubface, just a couple of degrees open, again, just turn it open, just a fraction, put your hands on in the same position, as you would normally be, and from here, because you are standing to the left, your swing will naturally go more that way, which is our side. You’ll notice it’s probably the line of my feet, it just goes out and then from there we end up coming across the ball, as we hit across the ball, that ball will start left and because we open the face ever so slightly to start with, that will just give that little bit of a glance, that sort of blow where that ball moves from left to right. Every easy shot to play, but get yourself on to the practice range or on to the practice ground, have a go, commit yourself. You know what to do, put trust and faith in it, you’ve got the tips there, straight in front of your eyes, use them and use the benefit of when you need to fade and draw a ball.

 2013-08-07

Okay. So, coming on to how to fade a ball, how to draw a ball. Well, first of all, what is a fade? Fade a ball that basically starts ever so slightly left of target and just bends to the right ever so slightly and I do emphasize the word slightly, it’s a fade, it’s not a slice. And a draw is a completely opposite, where the ball just starts slightly to the right of the target and just bends back every so slightly, so very, very simple, a fade comes from the left to the right and the draw comes from the right to the left and the curve is very small, if it is big it would be obviously a slice and a hook. So, those are the two shapes, so you’ve got a picture in your mind. So, let’s say you wanted to play a draw for example.

Well, when do we play draw? Well, maybe, maybe the wind is coming in such a direction of the left-hand side and we want to draw the ball against the wind. Maybe it’s a dogleg. Maybe the hole is shaped in such a way to the left-hand side that we want to just shape that ball around the corner. So, it’s somewhat easy to play this shot than what you might actually think. The first thing that we need to do is here is the target, here is the direction of the hole. What I’m going to do is I’m going to set up, so I’m actually aiming at an angle across — let’s call this the target line. I want you to set up to the right. It’s what we call close, a close set up. Nothing vicious, I’m not miles away from it, just from here, just standing slightly closed. I’m setting myself in exactly the same way. I’m not doing anything different at this moment in time.

Now, from here I’m now going to get hold of the club and just turn the clubface ever so slightly in, so I’m just turning the face in ever so slightly. Remember, I’ve set to start the ball down the right-hand side, so I’m allowing for this spin. Aim the club to the right. Remember, no good aiming the club at the flag and then drawing it into the rubbish or a bunker. Aim the club to the right, feet running parallel, aim the clubface, just turn the clubface in, turning it in just so you can see better, just turn the clubface in, that’s closing the face in, just a little bit, turn this in a bit and put your hands back on, everything else is the same position. From here, what will happen is that the club, because you’re standing in a closed position, will come more on the inside and as we come from the inside back to the ball, the hands will actually make that club come round.

So, a closed set up will take the club back on the line of my feet and come to the impact area. I’ve got the clubface, remember, ever so slightly close at address, as I hit that ball I’m hitting through that line and that will impart the spin from the right to the left-hand side. It’s that easy. Just got to have some sort of faith and commitment, get yourself to the driving range, on to the practice ground and think I’m going to have a go at this. So, the fade, it’s just the opposite. Here is the setup again. We’re going to aim the clubface this time slightly to the left-hand side, cause that’s where we want the ball to start. Aim the club where you want it to start, then put your feet in that same position, everything is going left of target now.

Set yourself up and, again, from this position, just turn the clubface, just a couple of degrees open, again, just turn it open, just a fraction, put your hands on in the same position, as you would normally be, and from here, because you are standing to the left, your swing will naturally go more that way, which is our side. You’ll notice it’s probably the line of my feet, it just goes out and then from there we end up coming across the ball, as we hit across the ball, that ball will start left and because we open the face ever so slightly to start with, that will just give that little bit of a glance, that sort of blow where that ball moves from left to right. Every easy shot to play, but get yourself on to the practice range or on to the practice ground, have a go, commit yourself. You know what to do, put trust and faith in it, you’ve got the tips there, straight in front of your eyes, use them and use the benefit of when you need to fade and draw a ball.