How to Fade a Golf Ball
By Steve Silverman
Golfers who have built a solid swing and have a good foundation for the game are capable of learning new shots that can lower their score and make their round of golf more productive. One of those shots is a fade. To the beginner, a fade looks very much like a slice, which is a mistake that golfers do no want to make. However, a fade is a controlled shot that goes left to right helping the golfer reach the green or at least have an easier set up for the following shot.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Address the ball as you would normally, opening your stance by 4 to 6 inches.
Open the club face as you set up. Your clubhead should be pointing in the direction you want the ball to end up. Take one practice swing but no more than that. Overthinking the swing will almost certainly get you in trouble.
Bring the club back as you normally would. When you bring your hips through the hitting zone, make contact with the ball by pointing the club face in the direction you want the ball to end up. Your ball should take off to the left (the direction your feet are pointing), but it will end up in the direction your hands finish (to the right).
Do not change your grip at all. By changing the angle of impact, many golfers think they have to hold the club tighter than normal. That is not true. Keep the grip at a "5" on a scale of 1 to 10.
Practice hitting the fade at the driving range. This is a difficult shot to master and it is far better to practice it 10 or more times on the range before you break it out during an important match or tournament.
Tips & Warnings
Picture the flight of the ball in your mind before you hit it. Once you visualize it, take one practice swing and then hit the ball.
Only use these shots on holes that curve (dogleg) or you find yourself in trouble in the rough.
About The Author
Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.
