If you’re standing on the tee box and your only thought is "don't go left," you’re probably already in trouble. Golf is a game of intent. Most amateurs spend their entire lives trying to cure a slice, but better players? They’re trying to do the exact opposite. They want that buttery, controlled curve that starts just left of the target and falls gently back to the center. That’s the dream. Honestly, learning how to hit a fade golf shot is the single fastest way to lower your handicap because it’s the most predictable flight in the game.
Lee Trevino famously said you can talk to a fade, but a hook won't listen. He wasn't kidding. A hook is a violent, tumbling beast that runs into the weeds. A fade? It lands softly. It stays on the short grass.
But here’s the thing. Most people think a fade is just a "weak slice." It’s not. A slice is an accident; a fade is a choice. If you’re hitting a "power fade" like Dustin Johnson or Cameron Champ, you’re actually hitting the ball quite hard, just with a specific set of physics working in your favor.
The Physics of the Fade (No, It’s Not Magic)
You've gotta understand the relationship between the club path and the face angle. This is where everyone gets tripped up. For years, old-school pros told us to "swing along the feet line." That's actually kinda misleading. According to modern Launch Monitor data—stuff from Trackman and GCQuad—the ball starts where the face is pointed and curves away from the path.
To learn how to hit a fade golf shot, your club face must be open relative to your swing path, but closed relative to the target line.
Let that sink in for a second.
If your face is open to the target, the ball just goes right and stays right. That's a push-slice. To hit the "pro fade," you want the ball to start left of the flag. So, your face at impact needs to be pointed slightly left of the target. However—and this is the "secret"—your swing path needs to be even further left than the face.
If the face is 2 degrees left and the path is 5 degrees left, you’ve got a 3-degree difference. That’s your fade. It’s basically just math, though it feels a lot more like art when you’re standing over a 5-iron with water on the left.
👉 See also: Why the 2025 NFL Draft Class is a Total Headache for Scouts
Setting Up for the Fade Without Overcomplicating It
Don't go changing your whole swing. That’s a recipe for a 5-hour round and a lot of lost balls. Instead, focus on the setup.
First, aim your feet, hips, and shoulders slightly left of your ultimate target. Not a mile left. Just maybe five to ten yards. Now, here is the part where people mess up: keep the clubface pointed almost at the target, or just a hair left of it.
You’ll feel like you’re standing "open." That’s good.
Your brain will want to fix this by swinging toward the target. Resist that. You have to swing along the line of your body. If your feet are aimed at the left edge of the green, swing the club toward that left edge. Because the face is slightly open relative to that "left" path, the ball will start left and then peel back toward the center.
It feels weird. You're swinging away from the hole to hit the hole.
Grip Pressure and Hand Speed
Check your grip. If you’re strangling the club, your hands can’t rotate. But for a fade, we actually want slightly less hand rotation through the ball.
Tiger Woods often talks about "holding the face off." He isn't literally stopping the club, but he’s feeling like the back of his lead hand stays facing the target longer. If your hands flip over, you’re going to hit a pull or a hook. Think about keeping the "logo" on your glove pointing toward the sky a bit longer after impact. It’s a subtle feel, but it keeps that face from closing too early.
✨ Don't miss: Liverpool FC Chelsea FC: Why This Grudge Match Still Hits Different
Why Your "Fade" Is Actually a Slice
We need to be real for a minute. If your ball starts right and goes further right, you aren't hitting a fade. You’re slicing.
A slice happens because the path is too "out-to-in" (over the top) and the face is wide open to the target. It loses all its power. A true fade still has plenty of compressed energy.
One way to tell the difference? The sound. A fade still has that "thud" of a well-struck ball. A slice sounds like a "clank" or a "swipe."
To fix this, make sure you aren't lunging at the ball with your upper body. When you try to hit left, the common mistake is to throw your right shoulder (for righties) out toward the ball. This makes the path too steep. You still want a shallow, athletic move.
Real-World Practice Drills
Go to the range. Find a target. Don't just whack balls into the abyss.
Try the "Alignment Stick Gate." Put one stick on the ground pointing at your target. Put another stick three feet in front of you, angled about 5 degrees to the left. Your goal is to make the ball fly through that "left" gate but curve back to the right of the target stick.
It forces your eyes to accept a "start line" that isn't the flag.
🔗 Read more: NFL Football Teams in Order: Why Most Fans Get the Hierarchy Wrong
Another great one is the "Two-Glove Drill." Put a glove under your lead armpit. If you’re trying to learn how to hit a fade golf shot, keeping that lead arm connected to your chest helps you turn your whole body through the shot rather than just using your arms. If the glove falls out too early, you're likely "casting" the club, which leads to that weak, spinny slice we're trying to avoid.
Common Pitfalls to Watch Out For
- Aiming too far left: If you aim forty yards left, you're basically just playing for a disaster. Keep it subtle.
- The "Heel Strike": Fades naturally tend to move toward the heel of the club. If you’re catching it too close to the hosel, back up an inch at setup.
- Ball Position: Move the ball up in your stance just a tiny bit. Maybe half an inch further forward than your standard shot. This gives the club more time to "out-travel" the path, encouraging that left-to-right spin.
When Should You Actually Use a Fade?
It isn't just for show. The fade is the "safety shot."
When you have a tight fairway with trouble on both sides, the fade is your best friend because it doesn't run as much as a draw. It hits the ground and "checks up."
Also, if the pin is tucked on the right side of the green, a fade is the only way to get close. You aim for the middle of the green (the fat part) and let it drift toward the hole. If it doesn't fade? You're still in the middle of the green. If you try to draw it into a right-side pin and it doesn't draw? You're in the bunker or the parking lot.
Jack Nicklaus built an entire career on this. He was arguably the greatest player ever, and he almost exclusively hit fades. He liked knowing the ball wasn't going to "over-curve" to the left.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Round
- Check your alignment: On the range, intentionally aim 10 yards left and try to hit the ball back to the target. Do this ten times in a row.
- Monitor the start line: If the ball starts right of your target, your face is too open. If it starts left and stays left, your path isn't "out" enough relative to the face.
- Hold the finish: A good fade usually results in a "high" finish. Try to keep your hands high above your head at the end of the swing. This usually prevents the "low-left" hook finish.
- Club up: Because a fade has more backspin, it won't travel as far as a draw. If you’re 150 yards out and that’s a smooth 7-iron, hit the 7-iron but realize it might land a few yards short. Don't be afraid to take one more club.
Mastering the fade is about discipline. It’s about accepting that you don't need to hit the ball 300 yards dead straight to play good golf. You just need to know where the ball is going to end up. Once you trust that the ball will move left-to-right, the whole course opens up. You stop playing "defensive" golf and start attacking pins. That's when the game actually gets fun.
Go to the range. Start small with a 9-iron. Feel the "hold off" through impact. Once you see that ball peel back toward the flag once, you'll never want to hit a straight shot again. Straight shots are accidents; fades are a skill.
Next Steps for Mastering the Fade:
- Film your swing from behind: Ensure your club path is moving to the left of your target line after impact.
- Experiment with tee height: For a driver fade, teeing the ball slightly lower can often help "neutralize" the upward strike and make it easier to cut across the ball.
- Focus on the "Exit": In your follow-through, try to feel the club head exit "low and left" relative to your body. This ensures you aren't swinging too much toward the right-field bleachers.