Golfers who want to improve their game often wonder how to hit a draw or a fade shot. In this video from our "Golf Swing Tips" series, Coach Mike discusses the key setup checkpoints that can help you influence how the ball moves.
Ball Position
First, let's talk about ball position, which has a huge influence on the golf swing. To hit a draw shot, the ball should be positioned slightly back of normal, while for a fade shot, the ball position should be slightly forward. If you take the same swing and put the ball position further back, the club will arrive earlier at the ball and move more into out towards right field or away from the body. Conversely, if you move the ball more forward, the club arrives later, and the club works out across the body, cutting and spinning back to the right.
Body Position
Our body position also has a significant influence on the shot. To help you set up correctly, you can use four lines of rods: yellow for the target line, light orange for the club path across the swing, and dark orange for the club moving away or a draw swing.
How to Hit a Fade
To hit a fade shot, you should first get your club face square and pointing at your target at address. The face should not be pointed left for a fade because this can result in a variation between face and path during the swing. Your stance should be open, with your left foot slightly behind the right, and your shoulders should match your feet. Finally, your foot pressure should be more on the left heel and right toe.
How to Hit a Draw
To hit a draw shot, your club face should be perfectly squared to your target at address, and the ball should be slightly back in the stance. Your stance should be closed, with your right foot slightly behind the left, and your shoulders should match your feet. Your foot pressure should be more on the left toe and right heel.
Conclusion
To summarize, ideal fades and draws are when the path is greater than the face. For a cut, we see a negative club path and a negative club face. For a draw, we see a positive club path and a positive club face, but the path is greater than the face.
By adjusting your setup, you can quickly tame down a slice or a hook. So remember, for a draw, ball position slightly back, right foot back, shoulders match, pressure left toe, right heel. For a cut, ball position forward, pressure left heel, right toe, feet open. Draw and fade shots are super easy when you do them from the correct setup.
