Understanding how to hit draws and fades is invaluable for amateur golfers, as the ability to shape your shot to a target is a skill that will almost certainly lead to lower scores.
Accessing tough pins or the correct side of the fairway is something tour pros do well, and if you want to play better golf it's a skill you will need to practice.
In the video and article below, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Trey Niven shares his expert tips for how to hit draws and fades on demand...
What Is Shot Shaping In Golf?
Due to the advancements in technology, it's now easier than ever to see how well tour professionals shape their shots. Shot tracking now forms a fundamental part of television coverage, and with the developments in premium golf balls that allow the ball to spin more than ever, some of the results are truly inspiring.
Learning how to hit draws and fades will add another dimension to your performance on the course, and the theory behind achieving it is not that difficult to understand.
Much of it comes down to set-up, and making small adaptions to your address position. Ultimately, it comes down to the correlation between the clubface and the golf ball.
The start of a golf ball's flight is usually dictated by the direction in which the clubface is pointing at impact, while the swing path in relation to that will control the curvature.
How to hit a fade
It's a shot that's becoming more and more popular among the world's best, who are happy to sacrifice a few yards for the added control. Even Rory McIlroy, who ascended to the top of the game by overpowering courses with his delightful draw, has added it to his locker in recent years.
For right-handed golfers, this means starting the ball left of target with an out-to-in swing path which is 'more left' than the clubface. To achieve this, you'll want to get your feet, knees, hips and shoulders aligned left at address. The club should also be aiming left of target but you want it to be open relative to the rest of your body.
When practising, use an alignment stick like I have in the video above to make this process easier, placing it between your feet and the ball to help you line up. From there, move the ball position further forward in your stance and swing down the line of your feet to create the out-to-in path required. It'll take some practice to get right but will come in very handy and could even become your go-to shot.
If you need some extra assistance, make a gate with two tees like below and place the ball in the middle. This will create an excellent visual for you to swing through which will further encourage the cut shape.
How to hit a draw
In order to hit a draw, the opposite applies. To get the ball moving right-to-left through the air, you want the club to be working from the inside with a face that is open to the target but closed to the path.
Use your alignment stick again to get your body aiming right, which will encourage an in-to-out swing direction and nudge the ball back in your stance to near the centre. With the face pointing right of your target but left of your body, the ball should draw nicely if you swing down the line of your feet once again. For slicers, this will help you learn how to stop cutting across the golf ball.
