3 Steps to Hitting a Power Fade With Driver
A fade is a gentle and controlled golf shot that, for right-handed players, moves from left to right through the air. If you want to hit a power fade off the tee, Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Gary Gilchrist offers this three-step lesson.
Hitting a Power Fade With Driver in 3 Steps
Gilchrist outlines three steps to mastering the power fade with driver off the tee.
- Set up with the ball slightly forward in your stance. Doing this opens your shoulders at address, and helps you take the club away along that shoulder line, which is slightly outside.
- Aim the club face on your intended starting line. If you’re a right-handed golfer trying to hit a fade, your starting line is slightly left of your intended target (where you want the ball to land).
- From the top of your backswing, your shoulders should be slightly open, promoting a slight outside-in path. Keeping your club face square to your starting line through impact, combined with this out-to-in path, will start your ball left or your target and curve it back to the center.
When to Hit a Fade
Hitting a fade can be an asset to your game, but it’s all about knowing when to do so.
With a driver, the most logical spot to hit a fade, for right-handed players, is on holes that dogleg to the right. This allows you to play a shot shape that mirrors the shape of the hole. If you’re a long enough hitter, fading the ball around the dogleg corner can cut off your approach distance significantly.
Risk With a Fade
Hitting a fade requires some changes to your mechanics. These changes can easily turn your attempted fade into a nasty slice, which is a shot that curves uncontrollably to the right. Executing a fade properly takes time and practice.
Own Your Fade
Before you try to hit a fade out on the golf course, master the shot in practice and on the driving range.
Once you're comfortable enough that you can shape the shot on-demand, and only then, begin hitting in on the course in the appropriate situations.