Draw vs Fade: Which is Cooler & Reliable

[nevets88]

The fade that a 20 handicap hits vs one that a scratch player hits are entirely different. Imho PGA Tour player fades look pretty cool. They keep going and going. They don't have that wimpy go up then down flight that you see everyday on the munis. 

[Rahul]

Couldn't agree with you more...that is what I'm talking about. I have played with some scratch players and most of them play fades or at least have a go to shoot which is usually fade. That being said some can move ball both ways..pretty cool to watch

[Herkimer]

I see that I voted with the majority.  Most golfers on public courses don't hit draws.  I do hit a draw as my normal shot.  I get more nice comments about it than when I hit a fad.  So I'd say a draw is "cooler" for amateurs to see -- because they can't draw the ball and because they usually see slices.

I'd say the fade is more reliable.  Lee Trevino summed it up perfectly when he said, "You can talk to a fade but a draw won't listen."  Nicklaus hit a high fade for basically his entire career. 

[NM Golf]

You can talk to a fade, but a hook won't listen! I voted fade for both because its my natural shot shape and I am super cool. 😜

[308 Ragin Cajun]

I would like to develop a draw for my tee shot for a little more distance.  My usual shot when making good contact is fairly straight with both woods and irons.

[rehmwa]

Voted equal/equal.  But, frankly, what's really cool is being able to hit the one you need for that shot.

Stock shot? - I tend to lightly draw my irons.  Woods and hybrids fade.  Those kind of happen without thinking about it.

 

when I try to curve those clubs the other way....fading irons usually doesn't work too well for me without a LOT of focus.  Drawing woods and hybrids I need to be VERY careful about not overcooking the shape....  it would be good practice to get better with those, even if the result is just better control resulting in a better stock shot.....As I get better, I'm finding less situations where I have to go against my stock shot.....I think that's a positive sign.

[nevets88]

Low fade cooler than low draw.

High draw cooler than high fade.

Any shot that massively curves, doesn't matter which way, that is just plain cool.

[Typhoon92]

Agree with Iacas on this but I do think a draw looks cooler.  No reason why.

[RWC]

Whatever is consistent is the coolest.

For me its a pull draw - curtesy of an OTT move I constantly have to battle. Tried to move it toward a fade but haven't been able to do so. As long as its constant at least I know I can pretty much ignore the right side of the fairway.

 

 

[Nail]

I voted equal/equal but i probably like the look of a fade a bit better.

[NJpatbee]

I have never been able to draw the ball off the tee reliably so I probably thinks its cool because I struggle with it.  My fade is fairly reliable for my driver, hybrids, and irons though.

[Aflighter]

 I say the fade is cooler and more reliable.Draw is nice for getting more distance but it isn't going to hold a green on an approach like a fade will and for me a fade is more my natural swing.

[Aguirre]

This may sound odd ( I have no idea if it is), but when I'm playing my best golf, I fade the ball with my longer clubs, hit it pretty straight with a 6 & 7 iron, and draw the shorter clubs. It's probably swing specific, but this has long been my pattern.

EDIT--I think the draw is cooler, but personally have found the fade more reliable. The fade stops faster on greens. For me, this hasn't been a problem, because I'm drawing the ball with my shorter clubs, and they won't have unreasonable runout regardless.

Edited November 11, 2018 by Aguirre

[Papa Steve 55]

I can hit a fade just by being lazy, some heathens call it a slice.....

[CaseyD]

Why did the draw become the “proper/correct” swing over the fade?  Even now all you is the correct path is inside out?  The fade and draw are the same thing just opposite curvitures(obviously). So what made the draw correct and the fade “amateur”?

[klineka]

18 minutes ago, CaseyD said:

Why did the draw become the “proper/correct” swing over the fade?

Because prior to launch monitors, people saw that draws went further than fades, without realizing that loft was changing which accounted for the main differences in distance on the two shot shapes.

All else equal, draws and fades go the same distance.

[iacas]

38 minutes ago, CaseyD said:

Why did the draw become the “proper/correct” swing over the fade?  Even now all you is the correct path is inside out?  The fade and draw are the same thing just opposite curvitures(obviously). So what made the draw correct and the fade “amateur”?

Who says it's the "proper/correct" shot?

[Pretzel]

33 minutes ago, iacas said:

Who says it's the "proper/correct" shot?

Exactly, there are plenty of pros and teachers who advocate hitting a fade. Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson (if you can call it a fade), Lee Trevino, Ben Hogan, Vijay Singh, and Dustin Johnson are just a few of the big names that predominantly prefer (or preferred) to play a fade. All of them are/were capable of moving the ball both ways, but would play a fade by default unless a draw was clearly the better option.

During the Masters broadcast you always hear tons about how left handed players have an advantage there (compared to other tour events) because the entire course sets up quite nicely for a left handed fade. Statistically it does appear that left-handed players win more often at Augusta as compared to other events, though it's possible that this has something to do with the recent crop of left-handed talent (Mickelson, Wier, and Bubba) that combined for 6 Masters wins in the past 15 years. That said, it's still an anomaly compared to other events and majors where lefties haven't had nearly the same level of success.

The reason most hear an emphasis on a draw is because the average golfer usually struggles with a slice, and it's hard to slice the ball if you have a swing that hits a draw usually. As such advice to hit draws is popular because people are trying to stop their slice.