Top Tips
Create a fade or a draw
Those trickiest of shots; a "fade" describes a trajectory where the ball comes off the clubface moving to the left of the target before curving gently back to the right - like a gentle, deliberate, slice! Meanwhile, a "draw", like a deliberate hook, is a flight path where the ball curves gently right-to-left, starting out slightly to the right of the target (before gently curving back to the left to arrive at its target. (Reverse both these for a left-handed player).
Problems
- In a fade, golfers usually open the clubface too far, leading to a slice rather than a gentle fade.
- In a draw, they over-close the clubface, leading to a hooked mis-hit.
Tip
- For the ideal fade, aim slightly to the left, with your feet in line and the clubface square.
- Your takeaway must only deviate slightly from the straight line, and progress to a full backswing from an outside-in position.
- As the clubhead returns, pull across the ball to generate left to right spin, thus fading the ball.
For a draw, you essentially do the reverse:
- Aim slightly right of target, feet in line and the clubface square. The club should remain straight at takeaway, and the path then moves inside naturally.
- You need an extended follow-through from inside to out, creating right to left spin to draw the ball.
