If you learn how to draw and fade a golf ball you will have added two extremely useful shots to your armory. Not only that, but it will give you an insight into how to control or cure a slice, should you ever develop one. The slice is the bane of any golfer’s game, yet the draw and fade are nothing more than deliberately played controlled hooks and slices respectively.

Imagine a situation where you have a shot into the green, perhaps 200 yards or so, towards a pin that has a trap or a water hazard just in front of it. You won’t be able to pitch and run the ball up to the flag, and to try and stop the ball dead would a bit risky. If you undercook it you are in trouble, and if you don’t get the spin right it could run on right off the green.

Imagine also that you have a pretty straight shot to the green, but there is a massive tree right in the way. What do you do? In both of these situations your ideal shot could be a fade or a draw, and which you use would depend on a number of factors including wind direction, the angle you want to approach the flag from and your own preference. The draw is a shot that curls right to left, just like a controlled hook, and the fade is left to right, like a controlled slice.

Your choice of a draw or fade might also be influenced by the fact that a draw is normally higher, and travels 15 – 20 yards more than a fade in windless conditions. So how do you decide and how do you play each shot? The decision is sometimes personal and sometimes dictated by conditions and circumstances. However, let us assume that you have decided on the shot. How do you play it?

Many golfers have looked in awe at pros who play the draw or slice at will as it suits their position. Many even play the curved shot as their preferred form of drive, unless a straight shot is essential. How do they manage that? In fact it is very simple, and if you have ever had a hook or slice that you have had to cure, then creating a draw or fade is just the opposite in many cases. You are best to practice these shots on the driving range since they take a bit of practice to control, and you can play both types of shot with the same club.

First play a normal straight shot, so that you know you have no inherent hook or slice in your game. If you do, then you will have to get it cured before you can do the same thing in a controlled fashion! However, assuming that your swing and drive are OK, then for the draw adjust your stance so that your feet are pointing to the right of the target. Then adjust your grip slightly round to the left, or counter-clockwise on the shaft. When you drive towards the direction of your feet, i.e. right of target, your adjusted grip will cause the club to close early so that when it hits the ball it will do so at an angle to the direction of the target.

As you drive through the ball this angle on the club will impart a counter-clockwise spin on the ball. The dimples on your golf ball will exaggerate the effect of the drag this spin creates so that there is more air pressure on the right hand side of the ball, the side rotating into the direction of travel than on the other side, rotating away from the direction of travel. The end result is that ball curves from right to left.

For a fade, you do the opposite. Aim your feet to the left of target, and adjust your grip clockwise on the shaft. This closes the club face late, so that a clockwise spin is imparted on the ball, and ball will curve out to the right. These curves are not immediately apparent, and could take about 100 yards or so to become visible, but they rapidly develop and can become quite severe if not properly controlled.

Although that is one way of spinning a golf ball to achieve the effect that you want, any other means of imparting a sidespin will do the same job. Lagging your chest behind your shoulders, or bringing it over the ball quicker than your shoulders will also spin the ball, and different golfers have their own way of achieving a draw or fade shot.

Knowing how to play such a shot deliberately is also useful in the event of you developing a hook or a slice since the cure is the exact opposite of what you do to manufacture the shot. If you have a slice, as many golfers do, simply aim your feet directly to the target and then turn your grip slightly clockwise. This will close the clubface quicker so that it is straighter to the direction of the target when you hit the ball.

This is true of many swing problems. If you learn how to control it, you can sometimes use that knowledge to your advantage in the event of being faced with a difficult shot that needs more that just a normal swing.

By: Andre Sanchez
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Many amateur golfer feel that draw and fade shots are beyond them. Although we’ve all seen professional players perform draw and fade shots at will many golfers think its one of the skills that separated pro’s from amateurs. Actually draw and fade shots are quite simple skills to master.

A draw shot is a shot that starts out straight but curves to the left (“draws to the left”). A fade shot is the exact opposite, a shot that starts out straight but curves to the right (“fades to the right”).

Once you have mastered these shots your golf game will never look back. In fact it will be like carrying an extra to sets of clubs with you every time you go on the course.

The benefits are enormous. You no longer need to take two shots to get round obstacles you can just draw or fade your ball to the target.

Some golfers are naturally inclined towards either a draw or a fade shot – Colin Montgomerie, for example, has a natural fade in his game. But any golfer is capable of playing both. You should practice these shots with all your clubs and find out how comfortable you are playing them. Although you should bear in mind that with shorter irons draw and fade shots can all too easily become hooks and slices.

To play a draw shot:

• Have your clubface straight on to the ball and keep your grip strong.
• Keep the clubface square to the ball but aim your shoulders and feet slightly to the right.
• Use your feet as a guide for the path of your swing.
• As you hit the ball you will feel that you are about to follow through to the right of your target.

To play a fade shot:

• Have the clubface square to the ball. Tighten the grip of the lower fingers on your left hand.
• Feet and shoulders aimed to the left of the target.
• Your feet should provide the path of your swing
• Bring the club across the ball on impact.

Simple tips but the results are incredible. Golf is a game of options and decision making. So the more options you have at your disposal the more chance you have of posting decent scores.

Although you may be daunted by the idea of trying a draw and fade shots it really is worth trying. Go to the driving range and try some shots. Your game will never look back.

By: Navy Tiek
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