Fade

Question
Hi Robb...

My name is Jaunne, Im a left handed golfer and am strugling with my drives...i seem to be fading 90% of them and am not sure why.do you have any basics for me to follow to correct my fade?

Answer
HI Juanne;

Well...this is caused by any number of factors.  I would ask a question of how far is the ball drifting on your fade i.e., is it a 3 yard fade or a 30 yard fade.  Your statement of fade lacks any descriptive details needed for a proper analysis.  And a fade to one player may be considered a slice to another.

I will answer with this in an attempt to assit you.

Here are the three (3-4) most common factors of a fade.

1.  Ball Flight Law number one...Club face position at impact...in your case it is open at impact.  This in itself is the number one factor for any ball direction.  Here's is a big hint, check your grip...AT ADDRESS!

For you it would be back of right hand and the leading edge of the face face are parallel to each other and please do yourself a favor and grip it firmer.  

2.  How can you control the club face with a light grip?  You can't! Would you hold an ax lightly when swinging it?  I think not! No I am  not saying use a death grip, just a firmer grip.  Rank your grip pressure between 1 and 10.  Good players have a solid firm grip on it at about 8 on the one to ten scale.  Grip pressure should not change during the swing...this creates inconsistency in control and direction.

3.  I would look at your club head path and your angle of approach, i.e., straight back and straight through towards the target for as long as possible.  The golf swing is both elliptical and also oval.  The flatter and more elliptical your circle is in relation to the ground through the impact zone the better.  Think of an EGG on it's side!

The steeper your angle of attack on the forward swing is, the more chance you have at the ball coming off the face of the club offline.
Proof positive here is in the example of a putter.  with a putter you are looking to create nothing but pure over spin towards the hole.  If you hit down on the ball when you are putting the ball hops up and off line and you miss the putt.

4.  Have your local professional do a proper club fitting for you.  Your clubs may be ill fitted for your swing.

In either case...think sweep the ball off the grass or Tee rather than hitting down.  Try this for a while and get back to me..I am sure you will a noticeable difference.  And Go see your local PGA Professional.

One final thing...could you please take the time to rate my answers thanks.  I would appreciate any and all feed back.

Good Luck, Happy Golfing, Have A Great Day and watch out for the dinkums.

Robb Nunn
PGA Professional
http://robbnunn.com
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