How To Hit A Fade: Key To Controlling Your Ball

The fade is one of the most difficult shots in golf. Part of this difficulty is that it's quite hard to know what you're doing wrong when you hit a bad shot, and even harder to work out how to fix it.

But don't worry! I'm going to give you some tips on how do make sure your fades are as close as possible to perfect every time.

Follow these steps, and you'll soon be hitting beautiful long fading shots like pros all over the world.

What is a Fade in Golf

A fade shot is where the ball starts left of the target (for right-handed players) on the tee, and finishes right of target for your approach into the green or hole. The opposite of this would be a draw, where the ball starts right of target and finishes left of target.

Why Do You Need to Hit Fades in Golf

The fade is a good choice for tee shots when you need extra length. It also allows you to play into the wind more effectively, as it helps keep the ball from drifting or getting blown off line by the wind.

You can use a fade shot from any lie–on the fairway, rough, sand bunkers, or even the tee box.

How to Hit a Fade in Golf

So let's dive into how you can easily hit more accurate fades that are guaranteed to add length and accuracy for every ball you hit.

Step 1: Find Your Stance When You Need To Fade The Ball

When you need to fade the ball, make sure you stand a little closer to the ball than normal, with your body weight slightly forward so that the club will start on a good line.

Your aim is to have an open stance compared to traditional full shots, with your feet pointing towards your target. That way you'll be able to hit the ball out to the left without fear of hitting the ball right.

Step 2: Make Sure Your Body Is Open Enough To Fade The Ball

As I mentioned, when you want to fade the ball your body should be open or facing slightly to the left (for right-handed players). This is because it will give you better access and a better angle to hit the ball out to your left.

Step 3: Set Your Body To Produce A Good Fade Shot

Hold yourself at a good angle for hitting fades by placing your front shoulder just inside of your target, and your shoulders open as you address the ball. This will help to set up the clubface square or slightly open as you make an outside to in swing.

Step 4: Learn How To Set Your Clubface Square Or Slightly Open For A Great Fade Shot

To set your clubface on a good angle for hitting fades, aim to have just a little more of the face open than when setting up for a full shot. Remember that it's very important to keep your hands ahead of the clubface on this shot (lagging behind will cause a pull, not a fade).

Tips on how to hit a perfect fade every time

The most important thing is to always remember that when you want to fade the ball, keep your weight back (behind the hips) so that you can start the club out on a good line to fade. This is where most golfers that want to fade tend to hit it too far; they let their weight lead them into the shot, and thus have no power or control.

Another tip for how to correctly hit fades in golf is to make sure you learn what's called "late release." This means that you take a short backswing, let the club do the work, and then make your follow through long.

By making a shorter swing and a longer finish, you'll be able to hit fades without fear of hitting draws or hooks.

Common mistakes people make when executing this shot

Most people are over zealous and make the mistake of leaving their hands, and club behind on the follow through. This results in them hitting a 'Block' - where they finish with the club head behind their body which causes them to hit straight/right or even hook.

They should release their wrists early , so that upon impact, they are ahead of the club head.

Fades are often hit too far, causing hooks or big blocks – mainly because the weight is not fully transferred over the back leg, and the shot is being made with an open stance . This causes a large amount of curve through impact which results in fading out right. If you want to work on your fade, you'll need to learn how to hit a fade with your weight fully transferred over the back leg, and an aligned body .

If you are wanting to work on hitting fades in general, it's always good practice to play some games of Pitch & Putt so that you can have fun while learning!

Conclusion

Fades are a great shot that can add distance to your tee shots without adding too much curve. They're also great because they keep the ball straight and on target, which will save you strokes over time.

If you want to work on hitting them correctly for your next game, just follow this simple guide, and you'll be hitting perfect fades in no time.