How do you draw and fade a golf ball? Add these shots to your locker...
Want to be able to add shot-shaping to your game? Here's our tips on drawing and fading the golf ball...
Now if you received your first set of golf clubs for Christmas, we highly recommend focusing on hitting the ball straight before you move on to shot-shaping. You know, don't run before you can walk and all that jazz. But if you're looking to take your golf game to the next level, being able to switch between draws and fades will help you shoot lower scores.
It's certainly not essential to be able to play both a fade and a draw and you are more than likely to naturally play one of these shot types in your normal swing, but being able to do both will definitely come in handy.
It can be a frustrating moment walking up to your ball, knowing you can only hit a fade and seeing the green round the corner of a line of trees, where you need to shape the ball from right-to-left.
Some players will simply refuse to take the shot on, whilst some will attempt a draw but not really know what they're meant to be doing, leading to an absolute horror show that ends up costing a couple of shots.
Below are a few tips on how you can start fading and drawing the ball, so next time you're at the driving range, give them both a go and before you know it there will be no dog leg that can defeat you.
How to draw the golf ball:
In the set-up, it's important that your clubface stays square to the ball. A lot of amateur golfers think that because the ball needs to start right of our target, they need to have the clubface aiming right of target, which is certainly not the case.
We use our body to aim right, not the clubface. So the line of your feet needs to aim where we want the ball to start, so pull your right foot back slightly (if you're right handed) and allow your shoulders to set up with the same line.
By setting up with this position with your feet and shoulders, you are in an automatic set-up for an in-to-out swing path, which is the crucial factor when hitting a draw.
When looking down at the ball, imagine there is a cross in the middle, splitting the ball into four quarters. Now you want to focus on hitting the bottom right corner, around 4 o'clock if you look at the ball as a clockface.
By hitting the inside of the golf ball, your follow through should then feel right of your target and your hands will roll over. Your ball should start out to the right, drawing back towards the target.
How to fade the golf ball:
For a fade, we essentially want to set up the opposite way to how we play a draw.
Again, start by aiming with the clubface at the target and place the ball a little further forward in your stance.
Now adjust your feet to aim where you'd like the ball to start its path, so pull your left foot (right handed golfer) back slightly to open up your stance.
Make sure your shoulders are on the same path as your feet. Swing your club back and on the downswing, feel as though you're following the line of your feet to create an out-to-in swing path.
The ball will start along the same line as your feet and shoulders and fade back towards the original target, where your clubface was aiming at set-up.
