I am surprised at the content of this article below. Rahm and DJ are quoted. Do pros no longer work the ball?
During my 50 years of golf, it seems more pros play a fade. And a bunch of them convert to fade after hitting a draw as their normal shape.
I think of Trevino, the ultimate fader. Did he ever draw it? I thought it was said he could hit whatever. But I also recall he struggled to be able to draw when needed, such as 13 and 15 at Augusta. Did he ever hit draw there? Do a lot of fader modern pros just not draw on those holes? I also recall that a lot of them used to hit 3wd off the tee there because they said it's easier to draw.
EDIT: A fade on Augusta's 13 or 15 would not roll as far as a draw, which I recall, a draw could gain quite a bit of distance rolling down that fairway even though a 3wd carried less. Hence, the reason a pro would rather draw it on those holes.
So… just develop a good fade and stick with it? Sure seems like most pros either have it or develop a fade for their bread-and-butter shot. What do you think? Here is the article. A short video is on the page, too, worth watching.
EDIT: I suppose this post is pertinent to what the pros do and pertinent to a golfer who is seeking a skill level such that shot shape is possible. (Many high handicappers aren't seeking such skills.)
https://rapsodo.com/blogs/golf/faders-eat-filet-how-jon-rahm-creates-his-preferred-shot-shape
by badharp
34 Comments
I just try to put the ball in the short grass and stay out of trouble. I have an effective punch shot that I use when I do get in trouble and have trees that I have to go under to get back in play. That’s my arsenal until I’m holding a wedge or putter.
I faded several balls into the ocean when I played that hole a few months ago.
These guys work the ball at a more precise level than the average golfer even considers. They hit high, hit low, add spin, drop spin. It’s all about how the ball lands on target, not as much working the ball with a draw or cut specifically.
I just try to hit it straight
I just want to find my ball after I hit it.
It’s talking about tee shots.
Due to the D plane and relationship between angle of attack and path, a fade is easier as it’s more natural with a forward ball position.
There’s videos on YouTube about it this. Also why “good drivers” have tended to prefer fades.
If you don’t, you have to drop the club inside or aim right and hit pull draws.
That’s why in hogans book he has the driver stance closed and the wedges open.
3w off the tee is easier to draw because you hit down more typically than a driver, which promotes an in to out path. It’s just geometry, and choosing what to fight and what to just go with.
This topic comes up often here and I always end up having to argue with a mid or high handicap who doesn’t understand this concept so I’d just say to go watch the trackman videos on angle of attack and path, as they cover the topic. Not you OP, but to the person who decides they’re going to prove this wrong, before you write out your whole post, just go watch the trackman videos about it on their official channel and save me having to respond again.
As a side note, this is why a lot of amateurs say they can’t stop slicing a driver but hit other stuff ok. They don’t understand the geometry going on.
I was told if you can hit a shape consistently, whether a draw, cut, or fade, just play that shot. No need to work the ball everywhere. Just be consistent.
Most pros have a single shot type and hit it unless they absolute can’t. Sure, they CAN work the ball both ways when needed, but the risk of poor execution of a less common shot type usually won’t outweigh the benefits.
TV broadcasters add all kinds of half-truths to make golf seem more interesting!
I caddied for a pro years ago. He played a fade with every club but specifically fitted his 3w to have a natural draw to offer some options on the course.
He COULD hit a draw but it was much less accurate and consistent so he only used it when required (I.e forced to go around an obstacle).
Driver face technology really helped the faders. Scheffler’s, Koepka and DJ’s fairway finder sliders with less spin just means the drives get out there further than with older drivers of previous era, and is more repeatable.
It’s much easier to then transition that to the rest of your bag than a draw. And the fade stops a heck lot quicker on the greens. There was recent post about Scheffler’s strokes gained pattern where they actually note the association with his shot shape.
Trevino’s quote was, “you can talk to a fade, but a hook won’t listen”. He clearly felt that the fade was a much easier shot to control.
If you want to break 70, it helps to be able to shape the ball. But even still, it’s not necessary.
For breaking 100, 90, 80…..it’s not at all necessary and I’d go so far to say that you shouldn’t try to work the ball.
90%+ of tee shots are absolutely stock. Essentially a driving range shot. And if you hit the fairway in a flat lie, you have another completely stock driving range shot. You can play great golf doing nothing but hitting simple stock driving range shots and making putts. Does Steph Curry shoot each free throw a different way? Don’t make the game harder than it has to be.
Today I only hit a fade and now I’m scratch
You have to learn to hit a draw, I still can only draw my irons and struggle to cut them, but ideally I want to fade everything if I could. Draw misses go harder, they just do.
I’ve always heard that “a draw won’t listen, but a fade will.”
guy I was working with specifically told me if I ever had the change to check out Rahm on a driving range do it. He works the ball big time, hitting fades that sometimes go 100′ or more off line.
since when is a fade not working the ball? a draw is only one way
They do work height
Fades are much more common now with modern low spin balls. Before solid core balls, most good players hit a draw to take spin off the ball. Now with lower spinning balls, it’s more advantages to hit a fade for a bit more spin and control. A fade is easier to control and get to stop on greens.
I went from a draw to a fade for my normal shot like ten years ago.
My misses are so much more chill when fading. I fade 99% of the shots.
There is nothing inherently more beneficial about a fade in a vacuum.
95% of the time, you should be able to hit your stock shot and adjust your target to match the shape of the hole. The only time is when there are obstacles that prevent you from starting the ball on your desired line.
Enjoyed this post. I naturally hit a fade and it goes straight down the middle. I know I’m coming a little over the top but I couldn’t drop the ball any better on the fairway. I still try to draw but it’s very hard for me. Maybe I will just stick with the fade
As a random amateur who just plays for fun, I have never bothered to try to learn a different shot shape than what came naturally to me, which is a nice, easy draw. Lots of people in these comments saying “a fade is more natural” but that’s really going to depend on the person. Perhaps it’s more common for people to swing that path, but that’s a different thing. I wouldn’t say it’s “more natural” to be right handed, for example.
In general, people are going to use what works for them and what works with their body, and I think that’s for the best as long as someone’s swing is repeatable.
Nobody works the ball off the tee, really. Even JT, the guy who probably works his irons the most on tour, hits 14 fades off the tee. When a hole forces him to hit a draw, he either pulls 3 wood, or it ends up getting really awkward really fast. See his tee shots on 18 at The Players every year.
More guys work the ball with their irons. But even still, there are guys who’s “working the ball” is either hitting a 2 yd draw or their normal 5 yd fade. There are very few players out there actually hitting all the shots. Shotmaking is pretty much dead on tour. It’s a far better strategy to just hit the center of the green with your standard shot shape when the hole doesn’t suit you, and then go after a few pins/round when the hole perfectly suits your stock shot.
I just thought of an example where a draw is MUCH preferred. A hole at my old country club, a par 5, and the teebox was back in somewhat of a tunnel of trees. Actually, a wall of trees down the left and right sides of the fairway. The landing area sloped left. First… if you hit a big slice as your normal shot, you were pretty dead on the tee, because when you start the ball down the fairway off the teebox, your slice is going into the trees on the right. But even if you didn’t hit a slice as your normal shot, a draw (not a big hook) is much preferred because you want to make sure that when your ball lands, it kicks left, not straight or right into the rough. Yes, the fairway slopes left, but sometimes the ball didn’t kick left even if you hit it straight, it would bounce straight forward. Into the rough.
>Do pros no longer work the ball?
Outside of Tiger, most pros never really worked the ball that much. I think the statistic is that pros play their preferred shot shape something like 97% of the time and the other times are mistakes or if they absolutely have to work the ball around something.
As for the fade thing. Plenty of guys play a draw on tour but the whole “easier to control a fade” thing is probably because these guys have no issues being over the top or slicing the heck out of the ball so they can confidently swing left and know it’s not going to go a mile right. Ametuers who can’t control their gigantic slice should still be learning to play a draw to neutralize their slice swing but there’s nothing inherently better about drawing or fading the ball.
I’ve heard that a lot of newer non-blade style clubs are harder to shape. Is that true? Could that be part of why less players in general seem to be able to shape it, or seem to be less interested in shaping the shot? I’ve always hit a slight fade growing up and reading Nicklaus’ book it just made sense. But man if I try to to draw, it just doesn’t. No matter what I try to change and If I try to do too much I just hit the ground or nothing lol I know the mechanics, but something in me is seriously just uncooperative
I wish I trusted a fade, if I don’t trap it from the inside it feels like a S***k and actually is one from time to time.
Hit and hope! The joys of a two way miss.
Your link seems to be broken…is it just me?
I remember watching Koepka at Augusta and thinking “this guy hits that high fade on every hole, he is good but won’t be successful there without being able to draw off the tee “.
He did not play the course, he placed the course underneath his shot. The holes that ask for a draw, he substituted accuracy along with his fade. I waited for him to admit that he needed to add a draw off the tee shot to his bag… I’m still waiting.
Easy for you to say brother
Pros are playing a fade mostly because hitting it further is more common nowadays.
When you hit a fade the ball rolls less and fairways have been getting thinner and thinner at the pro level. So when you have a ball that rolls less you don’t have to worry about it running through the fairway if you can just drop a dart on it that barely moves. You only need to worry about distance carried and accuracy compared to also dealing with weird bounces, grain, fairway angle, and taking weather into account. It’s not about covering distance for them it’s about placing it in the fairway where the next shot is easier.
Whether you hit a fade or a draw, the idea is that knowing for certain your shot will curve to some degree in your intended direction allows you to take one side of the course out of play, which is valuable.
If you play a fade, you can always aim up the left and give yourself the whole fairway to work with, knowing it won’t go further left. So the fairway is now twice as wide as if you aimed down the middle not knowing if it’ll fade or draw
I think it’s pretty solid advice to stick to a single shot shape for driver. If you absolutely feel like you have to work a tee shot for a given hole, then maybe it’s better to choose a different club for that shot, one that’s easier to shape.