How do you hit a power fade?

[Happy Dragon]

I know how to hit a cut, but what I want is a POWER fade. My carry with the driver is 270 yards with my normal ball flight, a 5-yard draw. I can cut the ball, but I sacrifice quite a bit of distance. My cut/slice swing carries about 250 yards. I'm long, but not long enough to sacrifice 20 yards of carry.

I want to learn the power fade that Davis Love III, Fred Couples, and Jack Nicklaus have. It's a much more controllable shot, especially under pressure.

Thanks!

[enduro]

I'm not a master of this shot. But, the idea is you want to align yourself left and then open the club face to where you want the ball to end up. Probably down the middle of the fairway. and then use a bit of a weaker grip to help prevent the club face from closing. Take a normal swing.

The ball should take off left and then make a turn at its apex and land and roll into the middle of the fairway.

Like I said, it's a shot I don't really have on demand, mainly because I'm liable to lose the club face at impact and hit it straight.

[Zeph]

Open stance, clubface aimed at the target. Sounds like how you set up for any type of fade to me, I have read the term power fade, but never seen an explanation of how it differs from a regular fade.

[wrx_junki]

To the two guys above, as a 5 handicap I think he knows the basics of a fade.

To the poster, check out Clement's video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PZRAZEyWQqU

[Zeph]

Why do you get more distance with a power fade? Is the clubhead speed higher?

[senorchipotle]

Why do you get more distance with a power fade? Is the clubhead speed higher?

well, that all depends on the golfer. the thing with the power fade is, you're lined up in such a way that you can put everything you have into it, and your miss won't be as bad as if you're playing a draw. if you line up properly, get a big turn, and lay into it, even if you hit it badly it won't be as bad as a missed draw hooking into the woods. at least, that's why i play it. you don't get as much roll as a draw, but you get more on the fly. plus, it allows you to get more lag because you're delaying the release for a split second longer. this also requires quick hands, otherwise you'll powerslice it into the woods.

[kleraudio]

Played with a guy yesterday that hit these shots off of every tee. He hit like 90% of fairways while I snap hooked 50% of mine into the woods. He shot like a 79 or 80 and I shot a 93...

So after witnessing that, I think I may have to learn the power fade as well, Im jealous! It seemed like a very very controllable shot, more so than my draw! If it didnt draw, it hooked, right into the trees, and penalties = 93!

That vid posted was awesome and Im really looking forward to giving it a go. My slice has recently turned into a snap hook!

[David in FL]

In most cases a "power fade" is simply a soft cut as described by someone who secretly wishes that they could hit a draw....... ;-)

Semantics notwithstanding, there's no way around it.......you'll lose some distance over that draw of yours. The trade off is that for most of us that choose to play the fade, it's more accurate and consistent.

[enduro]

To the two guys above, as a 5 handicap I think he knows the basics of a fade.

Then why is he asking anything? There isn't a secret tip some of us know or anything like that. It's simple; aim left, don't get the club face square or closed to the swing path. It takes time to master it and make it reliable.

[denver_nuggs_15]

One kid on my golf team played a power fade off the tee. He set up for a fade, teed the ball a bit lower, and said he hit slightly down on the ball to keep it lower. He may have hit straight through it, but he said he wasn't hitting up as much as if he were playing a draw. Hope this helps.

[Drifterland]

I know how to hit a cut, but what I want is a POWER fade. My carry with the driver is 270 yards with my normal ball flight, a 5-yard draw. I can cut the ball, but I sacrifice quite a bit of distance. My cut/slice swing carries about 250 yards. I'm long, but not long enough to sacrifice 20 yards of carry.

I want to learn the power fade that Davis Love III, Fred Couples, and Jack Nicklaus have. It's a much more controllable shot, especially under pressure.

Thanks!
Howdy... With all due respect everyone above is telling you how to hit a fade, which ofcourse has it's place, but I will try my best to explane the power fade and how to use it to kick major ass.

Have you ever seen tiger tee off with a 2-iron? He hits it 260-275 while he normally plays his 2-iron around 235-240. The way he gets so much extra yardage is using the same principal found in the power fade.

When he sets up he leaves the face wide open on the Iron and hits it as hard as he can, trying to hook it. Effectively giving him a monster 2-iron.

Now to the power fade. A pro never fades the ball the way most weekend golfers do unless they need to really slice it. An amateur aims left, points the clubhead at the target and swings a bit out to in trying to spin it more even though they set up to make a normal swing, just along a different path. Killing distance and accuracy and this also leads to the occasional pull/hook.

A pro on the other hand aims a little further left than his amateur friend and aims the clubface at the target. Now instead of try to fade it (Cutting across it or flicking your hands) he just swings aggressively with a draw swing, though still creating a slight fade because his setting up with the club open. This shot goes forever because he approached the ball from the inside and from a more shallow angle.

Go out and try this with a 5 or 6 iron. Hit your normal fade first and then set up a bit further left of the target and swing with that nice draw swing. Since the clubface is open and you are releasing fully, hitting hard, letting your body out race you a bit you will never be able to hit it left, and it will fly forever!

I will try and post a video on my blog soon that will explain the power fade in more detail.

[mcfc_nick]

To the two guys above, as a 5 handicap I think he knows the basics of a fade.

To the poster, check out Clement's video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PZRAZEyWQqU

hahaha

2mins 40, Stay (high pitch) out!

[Franco!]

It's been my natural shot for my whole 'career'
I like it so much more than a draw because I feel that if I just swing agressively through the ball, it's gonna go somewhere near straight.
That's been my main swing thought with the fade, 'hit the ball hard over this spot'

[Leftygolfer]

Howdy... With all due respect everyone above is telling you how to hit a fade, which ofcourse has it's place, but I will try my best to explane the power fade and how to use it to kick major ass.

Have you ever seen tiger tee off with a 2-iron? He hits it 260-275 while he normally plays his 2-iron around 235-240. The way he gets so much extra yardage is using the same principal found in the power fade.

When he sets up he leaves the face wide open on the Iron and hits it as hard as he can, trying to hook it. Effectively giving him a monster 2-iron.

Now to the power fade. A pro never fades the ball the way most weekend golfers do unless they need to really slice it. An amateur aims left, points the clubhead at the target and swings a bit out to in trying to spin it more even though they set up to make a normal swing, just along a different path. Killing distance and accuracy and this also leads to the occasional pull/hook.

A pro on the other hand aims a little further left than his amateur friend and aims the clubface at the target. Now instead of try to fade it (Cutting across it or flicking your hands) he just swings aggressively with a draw swing, though still creating a slight fade because his setting up with the club open. This shot goes forever because he approached the ball from the inside and from a more shallow angle.

Go out and try this with a 5 or 6 iron. Hit your normal fade first and then set up a bit further left of the target and swing with that nice draw swing. Since the clubface is open and you are releasing fully, hitting hard, letting your body out race you a bit you will never be able to hit it left, and it will fly forever!

I will try and post a video on my blog soon that will explain the power fade in more detail.

Is this right? I have a real hard time hitting a fade for distance. My normal driver is right around 250 or so. When I try to hit a fade which is more of a straight ball I will at best hit it 230. When I hit a fade with my driver I have to hold off the release or I will hit the dreaded double cross. So I just need to open the face more, aim farther right (lefty) and then use my normal swing. Hmmm... Maybe weaken the grip just a touch.

[Drifterland]

Is this right? I have a real hard time hitting a fade for distance. My normal driver is right around 250 or so. When I try to hit a fade which is more of a straight ball I will at best hit it 230. When I hit a fade with my driver I have to hold off the release or I will hit the dreaded double cross. So I just need to open the face more, aim farther right (lefty) and then use my normal swing. Hmmm... Maybe weaken the grip just a touch.
Learned it from Lee Trevino! On of the power fade masters. Try and find a video of tiger driving with his two-iron.

[Leftygolfer]

Learned it from Lee Trevino! On of the power fade masters. Try and find a video of tiger driving with his two-iron.

Would a stiffer shaft aid in not hooking the ball? I am going to keep my old trusty but put a V2 on it or something comparable with a stiff shaft this winter. I really need to learn this shot. So many courses set up really bad for me.

I wasn't doubting you but it just makes it seem too easy.

[Drifterland]

It Does sound a little too easy, but that is the stuff. And yes the stiff would. And odviously since your a ten you aren't the normal weekender so you are trying to get better and better. You will actually start to prefer a stiff shaft so you can hit more fairways. What is your swing speed? is it about 95-100? If it averages 100-102 a stiff would help allot but if you swing 90-95ish you won't be able to tell a huge difference because the hook effect of the R-flex gets worse the faster the speed.

[Leftygolfer]

I swing right around 97-100. I can carry my driver 245. I hit my 7 155. I use stiff in everything but my driver. But my big pull hooks are not just my driver.

But I definitly have the feeling if I really go after it I will miss it right even if I put a good move on it.

I really want to not fear the right side and can still go after it when I want.

I would love to go get fit but I just can't do it. I am in the process of buying a house and the 75 or so it will cost for a shaft is all I can justify to my wife.

[Zeph]

Howdy... With all due respect everyone above is telling you how to hit a fade, which ofcourse has it's place, but I will try my best to explane the power fade and how to use it to kick major ass.
*Snip*
Good post, I think I've read or heard the same explanation before. Will give this a go next time I'm at the range.

It makes sense also. You get the most distance with a draw, the motion coming from the inside on the ball, but a fade offer better accuracy. So, by aiming way off and coming from the inside, the swing path is in reality like a small fade, relative to the target line, but because of the set up, you can swing like hitting a draw.

[Drifterland]

Good post, I think I've read or heard the same explanation before. Will give this a go next time I'm at the range.

It makes sense also. You get the most distance with a draw, the motion coming from the inside on the ball, but a fade offer better accuracy. So, by aiming way off and coming from the inside, the swing path is in reality like a small fade, relative to the target line, but because of the set up, you can swing like hitting a draw.
Yep, you nailed it on the head.

[wrx_junki]

Interesting, one of my friends does this and thought it was weird but definitely works well.

[Happy Dragon]

Howdy... With all due respect everyone above is telling you how to hit a fade, which ofcourse has it's place, but I will try my best to explane the power fade and how to use it to kick major ass.

Have you ever seen tiger tee off with a 2-iron? He hits it 260-275 while he normally plays his 2-iron around 235-240. The way he gets so much extra yardage is using the same principal found in the power fade.

When he sets up he leaves the face wide open on the Iron and hits it as hard as he can, trying to hook it. Effectively giving him a monster 2-iron.

Now to the power fade. A pro never fades the ball the way most weekend golfers do unless they need to really slice it. An amateur aims left, points the clubhead at the target and swings a bit out to in trying to spin it more even though they set up to make a normal swing, just along a different path. Killing distance and accuracy and this also leads to the occasional pull/hook.

A pro on the other hand aims a little further left than his amateur friend and aims the clubface at the target. Now instead of try to fade it (Cutting across it or flicking your hands) he just swings aggressively with a draw swing, though still creating a slight fade because his setting up with the club open. This shot goes forever because he approached the ball from the inside and from a more shallow angle.

Go out and try this with a 5 or 6 iron. Hit your normal fade first and then set up a bit further left of the target and swing with that nice draw swing. Since the clubface is open and you are releasing fully, hitting hard, letting your body out race you a bit you will never be able to hit it left, and it will fly forever!

I will try and post a video on my blog soon that will explain the power fade in more detail.

Thanks Drifterland. This was helpful, I'll give it a try. I like the idea of being able to swing hard and free and not fear the left side of the course.

[Zeph]

I've read many say you should hold off the release on this shot, is this right, or should the release through the ball be as with any regular shot, like a draw? Wouldn't holding off the release lose you some of the distance you are trying to achieve with this shot?
Since the clubface is aimed at the target, holding off the release sounds to me like it would make the ball go too far right.

[Leftygolfer]

Good tip. Went out last night in the yard, had a few found balls to shot into the woods. I did as the poster above said, I swung hard and a 5 yard fade. I need to work on the range but I really like this shot.

Thanks!!

[Drifterland]

I've read many say you should hold off the release on this shot, is this right, or should the release through the ball be as with any regular shot, like a draw? Wouldn't holding off the release lose you some of the distance you are trying to achieve with this shot?
Since the clubface is aimed at the target, holding off the release sounds to me like it would make the ball go too far right.
Release normally, you don't want to hold off. Like you said it will kill your distance, and that is exactly why we aim the face at the target, so we don't have to sacrifice distance.

[$2 Nassau]

Great advice, and it really helped to jog my memory. My natural ball flight is right to left, but has turned into a pretty nasty hook over the past year and I'm having more trouble controlling it lately.

Earlier this year while FL I had one of my best driving rounds I ever had. Was tired of hitting hooks so I opened up my stance, layed the face open a little and then just swung aggressively. I was pounding these tight little fades all day long.

Since then I've been trying recpature that with almost no success. But I'm pretty sure I've been doing a "fade swing" which either makes me blow it way out to the right, or sometimes even hook the ball.

This helped me to remember that all I did that day was open up my stance and the clubface and then just swing as I normally would with no thoughts of manipulating the swing path.

Can't wait to go out and work on this.

[Leftygolfer]

It is essentially an intential push.

[Drifterland]

Basically

[Scott_K]

Thanks for explaining the difference between swings Driterland. This is very helpful because I've always tried to use the outside to in swing path to create the fade and felt that part of my finish plays a role in the result of the shot. With the driver, I like to let loose with the swing and hit the ball and have a different swing compared to my iron swing due to the weight of the clubs. My swing speed average is around 105, I can peak out higher, but that's when I get to the point where I can't hold my finish for a few seconds. After reading the 'how hard do you swing' thread, I tried to slow down my swing a little bit yesterday at the range, but had a very hard time doing it. My tempo was horrid.
I'll have to give this a try at the range.

[kleraudio]

I gave this a try as well, but opening up my burner driver's face felt quite awkward to say the least.....

The weight of the club just felt off, and all my shots took off down my body line but never came back....

Sounds easy in theory but its quite hard to pull off!

Jim

[enduro]

It is essentially an intential push.

A push goes straight to the right. A fade starts left and then turns left. The degree of which is determined by the golfer.

[Zeph]

A push goes straight to the right. A fade starts left and then turns left. The degree of which is determined by the golfer.
Push fade then. You set up to push the ball right, but the clubface and alignment create a fade. You are pushing it right from the alignment of the body.
If you hit this shot with the body aligned to the target, you'd push fade it to the right.

[Drifterland]

Push fade then. You set up to push the ball right, but the clubface and alignment create a fade. You are pushing it right from the alignment of the body.
If you hit this shot with the body aligned to the target, you'd push fade it to the right.
Exactly! That guy above you needs to read my earlier explanation.

[enduro]

Push fade then. You set up to push the ball right, but the clubface and alignment create a fade. You are pushing it right from the alignment of the body.
If you hit this shot with the body aligned to the target, you'd push fade it to the right.

Yeah,...I tend to avoid that shot. :-P

[Zeph]

Swinging from the inside is preferable, and the reason you hit it right is the open clubface. With a shut clubface you'd hit a draw.

[DeanS]

Push fade then. You set up to push the ball right, but the clubface and alignment create a fade. You are pushing it right from the alignment of the body.
If you hit this shot with the body aligned to the target, you'd push fade it to the right.

I was doing this at the range and thought I was doing the whole power fade shot wrong because of the follow on fade. Thx for clearing that up. :-P

[Leftygolfer]

I have been working on this shot. The hard thing for me with this shot is aiming far enough to the right. I have my eyes so trained to line up down the left side and hit a hook.

I hit some great ones with this but also pushed a couple right and hit a couple true slices (haven't done that for years).

I want to have both the fade and draw as need be and it takes good alignment and a good swing to have that control.

[threedolphins]

I struggle with hooking the ball too, so I tired this today and it worked quite beautifuly. It was almost impossible to hit the ball out of play. It did feel wierd teeing the ball low though, and having my body aimed left...it was very unomfortable. I did pure one attempt accidently when my hands released... and I never did find that ball, it just sailed straight as can be...into the wilderness.

If I am honest with myself though, I cannot really call it a power fade...its more like a 230-240 yard bananna ball of accuracy. I lost a lot of my rollout yardage, but I think this will be a good shot for me when I am struggling with driver.

So thanks for the tips all, and the OP for starting this thread.

[CalBoomer]

I tried the set-up described by Drifterland. What I don't understand is this. How is lining up to the left with the clubface down the target line any different from lining up to the target line and opening my stance? In either case I am going to swing inside-out. It really seems the same to me, just a different way of describing it. Open stance, weak grip, swing inside-out. Am I missing something here?

[Zeph]

On a normal fade, you don't aim as far to the left. You aim slightly left and aim the clubface at the target. You then swing along the body alignment, which will be outside to inside relative to the target line. You cut across the ball and must be careful not to roll the arms too much over and hook it.

On a power fade you aim even further left. If you swing along the body line , it would curve a lot from left ro right. Instead, you make sure to swing like when hitting a draw, club into the slot, inside to outside and full release through the ball for more distance.

As far as I've understood, the reason a draw is longer is because the clubface is closing on the ball, rotating from open to close. On a fade you are holding off the release to cut it. You lose distance because the clubhead is moving off the ball, pushing it out. On a draw, the clubhead is closing on the ball and giving the clubhead greater speed, which will give greater distance.

The purpose of the power fade is to combine a draw and fade. You take the accuracy of a fade and combine it with the distance of the draw. To close the club on the ball, hitting a draw, you must come from the inside, or you'd pull it. If you align like a normal fade and swing inside to outside, you are swinging along the target line and the ball can only move from the target line and to the right. With the slightly more open stance you can swing inside to outside which will be a few degrees inside of the target line. The clubface is aimed at the target, so you can hit a full release, closing through the ball, swinging inside to outside, launch the ball left and curve it 5-10 yards back. You'll have to experiment some with how much you aim left and how to aim the clubface.

I didn't pick up the part about tee height, but are you supposed to tee it lower with the driver?

If I'm wrong about something here, please correct me so we can get this topic straight.

[Drifterland]

On a normal fade, you don't aim as far to the left. You aim slightly left and aim the clubface at the target. You then swing along the body alignment, which will be outside to inside relative to the target line. You cut across the ball and must be careful not to roll the arms too much over and hook it.

On a power fade you aim even further left. If you swing along the body line , it would curve a lot from left ro right. Instead, you make sure to swing like when hitting a draw, club into the slot, inside to outside and full release through the ball for more distance.

As far as I've understood, the reason a draw is longer is because the clubface is closing on the ball, rotating from open to close. On a fade you are holding off the release to cut it. You lose distance because the clubhead is moving off the ball, pushing it out. On a draw, the clubhead is closing on the ball and giving the clubhead greater speed, which will give greater distance.

The purpose of the power fade is to combine a draw and fade. You take the accuracy of a fade and combine it with the distance of the draw. To close the club on the ball, hitting a draw, you must come from the inside, or you'd pull it. If you align like a normal fade and swing inside to outside, you are swinging along the target line and the ball can only move from the target line and to the right. With the slightly more open stance you can swing inside to outside which will be a few degrees inside of the target line. The clubface is aimed at the target, so you can hit a full release, closing through the ball, swinging inside to outside, launch the ball left and curve it 5-10 yards back. You'll have to experiment some with how much you aim left and how to aim the clubface.

I didn't pick up the part about tee height, but are you supposed to tee it lower with the driver?

If I'm wrong about something here, please correct me so we can get this topic straight.
Very good explanation Zeph. Teeing the ball lower may help players hit this shot with the driver, but I think it's best to try and work the ball from a pretty high tee.

The reason we get more distance from A draw or power fade is because we are hitting the ball and releasing fully, creating max clubhead speed and control by using our natural golf swing. When the dude above you (Calboomer) hits the fade as he is describing he unintentionally holds off the release by swinging out to in relative to his body.

When anybody on any shot holds off the full release that player will lose 5-15 mph. And at about 2.5 yards per mph with the driver nobody wants to lose 15-35 or so yards by hitting a normal fade... Unless you need to slice it, then you have to but you get the idea.

[CalBoomer]

When you come right down to it, a "power fade" is really just a mild controlled push. So why is it better than a straight ball or a slight pull or a mild draw? One reason that occurs to me is that the ball is contacted before the right arm pronates and the club face begins to close, which is always a dicey part of the golf swing even for pros. So subtle errors in follow-through timing are less likely to have as a big an effect on the push as on types of hits in which contact occurs slightly later in the swing.

[Jay-Bird]

How do you hit a power fade?

I'd rather know how to hit for power when you're faded.

[misty_mountainhop]

Duh! Have to laugh! Been trying to work on this daily the last ~3 weeks as my natural draw often leaves me missing right, especially on longer clubs. Dodgy back and getting too old to stay with the shot long enough these days. Weak shot when I hit a draw is often a push-fade.

I should have read this thread and saved myself 3 weeks discovering essentially what's been discussed above! Discovered a couple of days ago that if I aimed some way off left (further than typically I wanted to) and basically just hit it full out with the club aiming target(ish) I get some of the most consistent, surprisingly long 5-10 yard fades. Beautiful!

Need to groove it for next season but I'm sold.

[brianc]

Playing a fade is actually quite simple and it is a much easier to control and more consistent shot than a draw.

1. Play the ball back further in your stance than you normally would: For example: Instead of playing the ball even with the inside of your left heel with a driver(for righties), creep it back to split the difference between the inside of the left heel and your zipper. This rule applies to all of the clubs. Long irons would be played about center of stance, mid irons just right of the zipper and short irons (9I and wedges) way back splitting the difference between your zipper and inside of your right heal.

2. Open your stance: Do this by keeping your right foot in place and creeping your left foot back so the toes of your left foot are about even with a quarter of the way back on your right foot.

3. Use a high takeaway: This will not work with a flat swing plane. The take away needs to be parallel and high. This applies for all clubs: Wedges up through driver.

Please let me know if this explanation is too confusing and I will try and clarify. I learned how to play this type of shot a few months ago from my brother who once upon a time was an assistant pro and a scratch golfer....I knocked about 10 strokes off my game and went from shooting in the 100s-110s to an 18 handicap in about two months (this is my first year really taking golf seriously).

This setup may not work for everyone but it works for me. I literrally could not even hit a driver a few months ago and now am consistently about 275 off of the tee and always in play.

Hope this helps.

[kleraudio]

Playing a fade is actually quite simple and it is a much easier to control and more consistent shot than a draw.

1. Play the ball back further in your stance than you normally would: For example: Instead of playing the ball even with the inside of your left heel with a driver(for righties), creep it back to split the difference between the inside of the left heel and your zipper. This rule applies to all of the clubs. Long irons would be played about center of stance, mid irons just right of the zipper and short irons (9I and wedges) way back splitting the difference between your zipper and inside of your right heal.

2. Open your stance: Do this by keeping your right foot in place and creeping your left foot back so the toes of your left foot are about even with a quarter of the way back on your right foot.

3. Use a high takeaway: This will not work with a flat swing plane. The take away needs to be parallel and high. This applies for all clubs: Wedges up through driver.

Please let me know if this explanation is too confusing and I will try and clarify. I learned how to play this type of shot a few months ago from my brother who once upon a time was an assistant pro and a scratch golfer....I knocked about 10 strokes off my game and went from shooting in the 100s-110s to an 18 handicap in about two months (this is my first year really taking golf seriously).

This setup may not work for everyone but it works for me. I literrally could not even hit a driver a few months ago and now am consistently about 275 off of the tee and always in play.

Hope this helps.

This is exactly why I want to hit a fade, its so much more controllable and ends up in play way more often than not!

Thanks for the tips, right now I hit a slight draw, but when I miss, its a BAD hook and I lose a ball and have to take a penalty, killing my scores! My rounds are usually 89-93, if I could keep those misses in play, I'd save 7-8 strokes!

Great advice man!

[normdamarine]

Now to the power fade. A pro never fades the ball the way most weekend golfers do unless they need to really slice it. An amateur aims left, points the clubhead at the target and swings a bit out to in trying to spin it more even though they set up to make a normal swing, just along a different path. Killing distance and accuracy and this also leads to the occasional pull/hook.

A pro on the other hand aims a little further left than his amateur friend and aims the clubface at the target. Now instead of try to fade it (Cutting across it or flicking your hands) he just swings aggressively with a draw swing, though still creating a slight fade because his setting up with the club open. This shot goes forever because he approached the ball from the inside and from a more shallow angle.

This is exactly the way I play the shot, however I use a driver that has a 2* open face that makes it a lot easier to do... I love this shot because it almost always takes the left side of the course ot of play for me... I lost a little distance, I can still get it around 300 yard but a normal shot for me is 290ish... But I can control the heck out of it... A draw is very hard to control... I use to play one and it took me 2 years to get rid of it... Happy I did...

[CalBoomer]

Howdy... With all due respect everyone above is telling you how to hit a fade, which ofcourse has it's place, but I will try my best to explane the power fade and how to use it to kick major ass.

Have you ever seen tiger tee off with a 2-iron? He hits it 260-275 while he normally plays his 2-iron around 235-240. The way he gets so much extra yardage is using the same principal found in the power fade.

When he sets up he leaves the face wide open on the Iron and hits it as hard as he can, trying to hook it. Effectively giving him a monster 2-iron.

Now to the power fade. A pro never fades the ball the way most weekend golfers do unless they need to really slice it. An amateur aims left, points the clubhead at the target and swings a bit out to in trying to spin it more even though they set up to make a normal swing, just along a different path. Killing distance and accuracy and this also leads to the occasional pull/hook.

A pro on the other hand aims a little further left than his amateur friend and aims the clubface at the target. Now instead of try to fade it (Cutting across it or flicking your hands) he just swings aggressively with a draw swing, though still creating a slight fade because his setting up with the club open. This shot goes forever because he approached the ball from the inside and from a more shallow angle.

Go out and try this with a 5 or 6 iron. Hit your normal fade first and then set up a bit further left of the target and swing with that nice draw swing. Since the clubface is open and you are releasing fully, hitting hard, letting your body out race you a bit you will never be able to hit it left, and it will fly forever!

I will try and post a video on my blog soon that will explain the power fade in more detail.

Kudos to Drifterland for this post. His instructions are as bullet-proof as a Julia Child recipe--and much simpler. I practiced this with my driver for a couple of hours this morning. I must say I didn't believe it could be this simple. I aimed my set-up about 20 yards left of a 200-yard flag but kept the club face square to the target line at address. I used my normal grip (strong left, medium right) and inside-out swing. The best shots were Hoganesque (long and mostly straight with at most 5 yards of fade off the set-up line and slightly left of the target). The worst were shorter with a mild slice about 10 yards to the right of the flag. I could not hit one ball to the left of the set-up line, no matter how quick or hard I followed-through. Weakening my grip or trying to follow through along the target line only produced unacceptable slices. The best results came with normal over-the-shoulder follow through. The only modification to his instructions which seemed to help was to move the ball back a hair at set-up.
I'm really looking forward to trying this all out on the golf course tomorrow.

[Drifterland]

Kudos to Drifterland for this post. His instructions are as bullet-proof as a Julia Child recipe--and much simpler. I practiced this with my driver for a couple of hours this morning. I must say I didn't believe it could be this simple. I aimed my set-up about 20 yards left of a 200-yard flag but kept the club face square to the target line at address. I used my normal grip (strong left, medium right) and inside-out swing. The best shots were Hoganesque (long and mostly straight with at most 5 yards of fade off the set-up line and slightly left of the target). The worst were shorter with a mild slice about 10 yards to the right of the flag. I could not hit one ball to the left of the set-up line, no matter how quick or hard I followed-through. Weakening my grip or trying to follow through along the target line only produced unacceptable slices. The best results came with normal over-the-shoulder follow through. The only modification to his instructions which seemed to help was to move the ball back a hair at set-up.
I'm really looking forward to trying this all out on the golf course tomorrow.
Thanks man, but I'm no Julia Child, She is awesome! Good luck on the course Tomorrow!

[kleraudio]

I went out and tried this *again* today and still cant do it... Thats three times of trying and still cant do it... Is it the burner driver since it has like a 1 degree closed face? Do you open the face and re grip? When I do that it feels really really awkward..

The ones that did fade, (instead of taking off down my body line and not coming back) only went like 225 yards........

This sounds so easy in theory but in reality cannot be pulled off by me!!

[CalBoomer]

I went out and tried this *again* today and still cant do it... Thats three times of trying and still cant do it... Is it the burner driver since it has like a 1 degree closed face? Do you open the face and re grip? When I do that it feels really really awkward..

The ones that did fade, (instead of taking off down my body line and not coming back) only went like 225 yards........

This sounds so easy in theory but in reality cannot be pulled off by me!!

How exactly did it not work? Did you continue to draw? Or slice excessively? I kept my grip the same. But at set-up I moved my hands forward so that the club face was open and square to the target.

[brianc]

I went out and tried this *again* today and still cant do it... Thats three times of trying and still cant do it... Is it the burner driver since it has like a 1 degree closed face? Do you open the face and re grip? When I do that it feels really really awkward..

The ones that did fade, (instead of taking off down my body line and not coming back) only went like 225 yards........

This sounds so easy in theory but in reality cannot be pulled off by me!!
Def not the Burner driver....I play a 2008 Tour Burner 9.5 and can pull it off. It just takes some time to get used to it....it is essentially completely changing the way you swing at a golf ball. My suggestion would be to reach out to the pro at the local range or pro shop and take a few lessons from them on how to accomplish what it is you want to accomplish. The only reason I am able to pull this shot type off is because my brother (former assistant pro) spent several teaching sessions with me. Those guys (teaching professionals) can see what us amateurs cannot.

Keep after it man....you'll get it.

[kleraudio]

Thanks Brian and Cal....

Cal- the ball just took off down my body line and never turned back, if that was a course it would be 250 yards away, 3 fairways over!!

So obviously the face was square to my body line. I succesfuly swung down my body line but I cant seem to keep the face looking at my intended target line.... When I take my stance, I open the club face and regrip so its a regular grip but with the clubface open, it feels so damn awkward, the weight of the club feels completely different and everything...

I dunno,


Brian, I'd love to take some lessons on this, but at 50 a pop, I just cant do it right now... Unless I dont swing a club for a few weeks and go over there, but then I'd lose everything!!

Thanks guys, I really hope I can get this soon enough!

Jim

[JimmyAyo]

A "Power Fade" is nothing more than a desired trajectory shot, similar to a sweet line drive in baseball, that goes from left to right as a righty and right to left for a lefty. You will line up as if you are going to hit a fade. An open stance is an exaggeration but more or less, slightly aimed towards the fade direction. The swing is more outside inside than your typical draw swing of inside outside. I hit both of these frequently depending on the hole. Also, the ball needs to be further up in your stance as to that of a draw. An open club face will make you slice the ball into another zip code so ensure that club face is aimed where the ball is desired to land and the swing and alignment will create the power fade.

[hippyboy]

Kudos to Drifterland for this post. His instructions are as bullet-proof as a Julia Child recipe--and much simpler. I practiced this with my driver for a couple of hours this morning. I must say I didn't believe it could be this simple. I aimed my set-up about 20 yards left of a 200-yard flag but kept the club face square to the target line at address. I used my normal grip (strong left, medium right) and inside-out swing. The best shots were Hoganesque (long and mostly straight with at most 5 yards of fade off the set-up line and slightly left of the target). The worst were shorter with a mild slice about 10 yards to the right of the flag. I could not hit one ball to the left of the set-up line, no matter how quick or hard I followed-through. Weakening my grip or trying to follow through along the target line only produced unacceptable slices. The best results came with normal over-the-shoulder follow through. The only modification to his instructions which seemed to help was to move the ball back a hair at set-up.
I'm really looking forward to trying this all out on the golf course tomorrow.

Totally agree with this post, thanks mate.

I tried it over the practice ground today & hit 50 of the most consistant drives ever!!