Listen to these tips to understand why your ball fades

Part of being a good golfer includes being able to shape the ball flight. One of the keys to being able to shape the ball is understanding why the ball curves the way that it does.

To help understand these nuances, Instructor Bill Schmedes III has a drill that uses two alignment sticks to help you fade the ball.

“The ball starts in a direction because that’s typically where the clubface will be pointing,” Schmedes III says. “The club path will then typically work left of that if we’re trying to hit a fade. The differential between those two is what gives the golf ball its left-to-right spin.”

For the drill, line up two alignment sticks near your feet. One will be straight down the target line, and the other open to the target. Then line your clubface up so that it’s facing the target, while your feet, hips and shoulders are lined up with the alignment stick pointing left of your target.

“If we just make a swing from here, the club will naturally work on my body, allowing for that left-to-right spin,” Schmedes says.

If you still feel like you are having issues, another thing to focus on is your positioning at the top of the swing. Make sure that your upper torso can load and get stacked on top of your lower body. This allows you to get your arms out in front as you swing through the ball and the club can work left.

Now that you understand why a fade happens, it will be easier to take the shot out to the course.

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