Learn to Hit a Power Fade

Unlike a slice, which spins to the right (for a right-handed golfer) and results in a loss of distance, the power fade can be a valuable weapon in your arsenal. Here are a few tips on how to play a shot that none other than Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus relied on throughout their legendary careers.

1. Tee It Right

For starters, place the ball on the right side of the tee box, giving more room for your drive to move to the left before curving towards the center. Keep your tee low, which encourages your swing to stay level through impact and discourages a pull hook.

2. Alter Ball Position

Place the ball slightly forward in your stance, toward the left heel. This promotes a higher launch and helps leave the face slightly open at impact. Aim for the left quadrant of the ball. This increases your chance of having it fade back to the center.

3. Open Your Stance

The goal is to promote an outside-to-in swing path, so the first order of business is to open your stance by aligning your feet, hips and shoulders slightly to the left of the target line. Your body should be in the direction where you want the ball to start off, which is towards the left.

4. Weaken the Grip

You want your grip to be slightly weaker than normal. Therefore, rotate your top hand a little counterclockwise. Instead of seeing three knuckles on your top hand at address, you should see two. Also, hold the club a little more in the palm of your top hand. Your bottom hand should also rotate slightly in the same direction as your top hand. Turn your lower hand a little to the right, which will make it easier to leave the clubface slightly open at impact.

5. Lean Left

To hit a fade, you want that slightly outside-to-in motion, but be careful not to come in from too far outside, thus cutting across the ball and creating a slice. You only need to attack the ball from a degree or two outside-to-in to create an effective fade. If you don’t lean toward your left side at impact, it’s easy to hit a pull-hook. The hook will happen because your arms and wrists will turn over, causing your clubface to be aimed well left of the target at impact.

6. Take It Away High

The backswing should be more upright than normal. In order to achieve this, swing along your shoulder line in an outside-to-in line relative to your target. At the top, you want your hands to be high above your trail shoulder. At the finish, you want your hands to remain low and left.

7. Hit Down on the Ball

Focus on a descending strike by slightly leaning the shaft forward. Average golfers often come over the top of the ball when attempting a power fade, which creates a weak slice. Hit from the inside by rotating the clubface a few degrees to keep it open.

8. Finish Strong

Make sure you transfer your weight properly and finish high, with your chest facing the target, which will help maintain power and control.

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