Intentional Ball Flight // Shape It On Purpose

Play the
Fade

The fade is the most useful shape in golf when you know how to hit it intentionally. Left-to-right, stops fast, runs out on firm ground. Not a mistake — a tool.

How to Hit It Book Coaching

Fade vs. Slice — Know the Difference

The slice is a panic shot — ball goes far right, fast, with no control. The fade is a precision tool. Same general direction (left-to-right for a right-hander) but entirely different mechanics, spin, and outcome.

On a TrackMan, the difference is immediately visible: face-to-path relationship, spin axis, and descent angle all tell the story. Most golfers who think they fade actually slice.

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The Fade (Intentional)

Ball starts left of target, curves gently right. Moderate spin axis. Steep enough descent angle to stop quickly on firm ground. Comes from a controlled inside-out path with an open face relative to the path.

The Slice (Miss)

Ball starts at or left of target, curves sharply right and keeps going. Flat spin axis. Shallow descent — rolls out significantly. Comes from an outside-in path and open face.

How to Hit a Fade

Aim Further Left

If you want the ball to finish at 12 o'clock, start it at 10 o'clock. The ball curves during flight — you have to account for that from address.

Inside-Out Path

The club approaches the ball from slightly inside the target line and swings to the right of the target through impact. Not an outside-in path — that creates a slice. An inside-out path is the basis of the fade.

Face Slightly Open to Path

The clubface at impact points slightly right of where the path is moving. That's the combination that produces fade spin. Not open to the target — open to the path. The face aims where you want the ball to start.

Shallow Attack Angle

Not a steep, descending strike — a shallower angle produces the launch and spin characteristics of a fade that stops quickly. On a launch monitor, fade spin and launch angle are both controllable with attack angle and face-to-path.

Drills for a Repeatable Fade

Alignment Rod Gate

Place two alignment rods on the ground forming a gate 2 inches wider than your clubhead at the target line. Swing through the gate on an inside-out path. If you can't do it without moving the rods, your path is wrong.

Path Drill

Impact Tape Face Check

Apply impact tape to the clubface. A fade pattern shows marks on the toe side of center. If they're heel-side, you're closing the face — that's a hook pattern.

Impact Drill

Half Swing Control

Hit 50% fades with a 7-iron. Focus only on the shape — not the distance. The half swing builds the pattern without the speed that makes control harder.

Control Drill

"I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without first seeing it in my mind. As a kid I saw every shot shape — fade, draw, high, low — before I hit it. You learn to see it, then you learn to shape it."

— Gary Player

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