Hitting a controlled fade down the middle of the fairway is something the top professionals often demonstrate. When it comes to club golfers shaping the ball often happens by accident. Or, they don’t know how to do it properly with consistent technique. As strange as it might sound, hitting the ball arrow straight is much harder than shaping the ball. For a straight shot, a golfer must get both club path and face pointing exactly at a target at impact. This is extremely difficult.
So, learning to shape the ball might be easier than you think.
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In the article below, PGA professional Jack Backhouse explains what a fade is, and when it can be useful and ultimately how to hit a fade with driver.
What is a Fade?
It is probably worth starting at the very beginning with the basic ball flight laws. For a right-handed player, a fade is a golf shot where the ball starts to the left of the target, curves to the right in the air, and finishes on target. This shot shape is also referred to as a cut.
If the ball curves beyond the target and misses to the right, it is now a slice. If the ball starts left and doesn’t curve back to the target, it is a pull.


