Slight fade...straighten it out or learn to play it?

[Soup Fan]

My natural shot shape with my mid-long irons appears to be a slight fade. Nothing uncontrollable or unpredictable, but a fade nonetheless (fade is the one that goes to the right...right?!?!?). I have always tried to put a premium on hitting the ball straight, but in order to do that I am losing significant yardage (IE my 6 iron only going 140) because I have to slow down my swing speed. When I speed things up to where my yardage is right, I am fading the ball. This only seems to be effecting my irons 5-7, btw.

So...should I learn to play my fade? Once again, it is not a slice or a severe fade, but I have never based my entire gameplan around shaped shots, so I am wondering what the best way to adjust to it is...is it as simple as aiming left of my target? Or should I go back to trying to straighten it out, and if so, what might be the cause?

Once I can drag my broke as brother to the range, I will post videos, btw. I promise I am working on getting videos up.

[Treemagnet]

How is the flight of your woods,driver, does it only get worse as the club gets longer. And I would fix the problem and go for the straight ball over the fade.

[Shindig]

Learn to play it. I used to hit it straight, but now I recognize that was more likely out of some sort of luck. I have a slight fade on my tee shots - when I'm not hooking it (let's not talk about that). My irons go for a slight fade. IIRC, Nelson was the only top player to ever play aiming to hit the ball straight. Everyone else has a predominant ball flight. Unless you're playing U.S. Open sized fairways lined at the first cut with tons of trees, a slight fade is just fine. Allow for it - aim a bit down the left side, to effectively enlarge your fairway. If you know the ball is either going straight or turning right, aim where a straight shot is safe and a fade is safe.

If you know your driver/etc always fades, you've essentially cut out half the hole before you tee off. That's great!

And it makes going for pins easier if your irons sometimes fade, sometimes go straight, but tend not to draw.
* Pin on left? Go for it! Fade = on the green still.
* Pin in center? Go for left third of green. Fade or no fade, you're close.
* Pin on right? Go for center. Straight = still on green, fade = closer.


Fade is left to right if you're *right* handed.

[Soup Fan]

Actually, I am hitting my driver and 3 woods pretty straight. I am guessing that if I sped things up I would end up fading like with my irons but I am happy with my distances on those clubs right now so I am not gonna go screwing with them.

Not sure when I can get out on the course to test this all out...looking forward to having an excuse for sucking real bad trying out something new!

[Garthmo]

fix it, you obviously have a swing flaw that gets worse with more swing speed, my guess is an outside in swing path the harder you swing the harder is is to stop it. amongst other things.

[mdrengl]

And I would fix the problem and go for the straight ball over the fade.

You know, Jack Nicklaus has a 'power fade'...

Fading the ball isn't a bad thing. But if you are fading the ball with only a select few clubs, then your swing is changing and not consistent. Consistency is something all players are striving for.

[powerfade]

I used to fade it all the time whether I wanted to or not. In reality, I was coming 'over the top' starting the downswing with my shoulders throwing the club out, then down. This meant I had no real control of the golf ball. I just adapted to that swing.

Have someone watch you, or take video, to see if this is the case.

Start that downswing from the bottom up. This will get the hips moving left before the shoulders, avoiding the OTT move.

[Soup Fan]

I am teeing off in about 45 minutes...we shall see how all this goes.

The point about this is only happening with select clubs and, therefore, is a mechanical inconsistency is a salient one. If I am playing with my brother today, I will have videos tonight.

[immts007]

IIRC, Nelson was the only top player to ever play aiming to hit the ball straight.

Moe Norman? Well, I guess he was only a top player in Canada...

[glebert]

From an interview with Ben Hogan:

GOLF: How often have you ever tried to hit a ball dead straight?

HOGAN: Never.

GOLF: Never?

HOGAN: Jesus Christ can't hit a golf ball straight. It's virtually impossible—at best it's an accident. Besides, you give yourself much more margin for error by maneuvering your shots one way or the other. Much more control.


That being said, I try to hit the ball straight anyway.

[immts007]

From an interview with Ben Hogan:

I recall a story about Hogan watching Moe Norman on the range hitting one long perfectly straight drive after another and saying 'accident' after each one. Finally, after about a dozen or so, he walks off saying to Norman "Just keep hitting those accidents, kid"

[bogeyhitter25]

Play it, that's what I do. Of course I'm a 20+ handicap, so I'm doin' something wrong.

[mruseless]

Just curious, how do you mark in Scorecard for a drive that goes dead straight up the fairway, but lands in a bunker in the middle of the fairway? Just leave it blank?

[powerfade]

Missed fairway.
Bunker.

Sandy-par is in play!

[bigoak]

This is a very good tip. but too much movement may bring a block into the shot, but too much of anything is bad

[mruseless]

Just curious, how do you mark in Scorecard for a drive that goes dead straight up the fairway, but lands in a bunker in the middle of the fairway? Just leave it blank?

Oops, sorry about this, I posted this on the wrong thread!! Not sure how that happened.

[King Cobra II]

A lot of the games greats loved to play the fade with the irons. It gives a softer bounce. While you may not get the yardage you'd get from a draw, if it's consistent and not unpredictable absouloutly play it.

[Soup Fan]

So I got to play yesterday afternoon and, of course, ended up hitting the ball fairly straight most of the day, so I got burned on a few approaches where I ended up missing left. I did play my fade perfectly one time, though, on a long par 5 that dog legs right around a lake. I was able to fade my 4th shot (6 iron) around the water and put it on the left side of the fringe. The ball came out lower than I had hoped for but the result was as planned, at least, and I had a fringe putt for par (which I zipped 20 feet past, btw).