Power Fade

The power fade is an advanced golf shot that has been used for years, but recently mastered and brought to the forefront of the golf game by young players such as Tiger, Phil Mickelson, and Ernie Els. For advanced players, the power fade adds a whole new element to one's arsenal of shots... but do not mistake the power fade for the ballooning-megaslice that is hit by most amateur golfers. Follow these tips and you can add this go to shot to your arsenal!

  1. Start the process of learning to hit a power fade by heading to the driving range and getting warmed up with your standard routine. Learning and mastering a shot such as this will be a long process with a very gradual learning curve. You should be able to get the ball flight, shape, and mechanics of the shot with just instruction. However, as with any golf shot; trial and error along with feel will be the main tools for learning and manipulating your new shot.
  2. Warm up with a mid iron, move to a high iron (3 or4) or a driver. These will be the clubs that the power fade will most likely need to be executed with because of the long distance shots that these clubs produce. Start by picking a target at the correct length for the club that you have elected to hit.
  3. Now that you have picked a target you will want to approach the golf ball with your normal address routine. Altering your feet at address is the easiest way to alter ball flight and shape without confusing and ruining your current swing mechanics. Alter your address by aiming 10-15 yards to the left (for right-handed golfers) of your target. The object of this shot is to start your ball on path with your feet, and as the ball nears the end of its rise to gradually but strongly away from you and in towards your target.
  4. Now that you have addressed your ball and are aiming 10-15 yards to the left of your target, the next step to hitting a power fade is to use a slightly open clubface. This can be achieved by re-gripping your club with a “weaker grip”, which allows the clubface to stay open through impact while still using your normal swing mechanics.
  5. The next step to hitting a successful Power Fade is slightly changing your swing path. Obviously, in the perfect golf swing the club will travel exactly “down the line” which points straight towards your target. However, in the Power Fade the key is to use an “outside-to-in” swing path. This path will create sidespin across your ball, and ultimately result in the cutting power fade you are trying to achieve.
  6. Finally, you should have a good idea of the technique and mechanics used to hit a successful Power Fade. The next step is to try it for yourself. The Power fade is a shot that will take many days on the range in order to master not only the shot itself, but be able to control the amount and height of the fade you are hitting.