2 questions

[muscleironlover]

How to hit fairway woods off ground, and how to hit the "pro fade&

I am having severe trouble with hitting my fairway woods from the ground. My main miss is either a topped shot that pops up and lands about 20 yards down the fairway, or else a pull hook. (My average miss is usally a pull with the shorter irons and a hook with the 3 iron through driver). Thus, my second question: how do you hit the pro fade while still releasnig the clubhead throught the ball? I have tried, but either end up pull hooking it (because of open stance) or else pull slicing it (because I don't release the clubhead). Advice? Thanks in advance!

[ezra76]

I can tell you what has worked for me but I'm a different player with a different swing.

 

Hitting FW woods - stay connected and don't try to kill it for starters. Envision hitting the ball with the leading edge of the club. Practice hitting them off a tee and move that tee gradually down to the point the tee head is barely above the ground.

 

Here's a tip that'll work for both your questions actually. Put a headcover 3 feet behind the ball and another about 5 or so feet in front of it. Take the club back inline with the rear one and come through down the line at the one ahead. That'll help with the FW woods and get in position for the inside fade. I simply open my stance slightly and swing down the line for the "pro" fade... I'm assuming the one I hit with a 4yd. movement and leaves a 58* pitch shot over the bunker on a 335 yd. hole is the one you mean. I actually fade every drive. If you can dig up some footage of Cabrera at the US Open, that's an inside fade, I'll see if I can find one.

[muscleironlover]

Alright thanks Ezra. Is the only key to the "pro fade" to hit it with an open stance along the headcovers? Thanks!

[brandocommando7]

It kinda sounds like your ball position is too far forward. Lay down 2 clubs in a + , your 3 wood should be between center of stance and your left heel. your irons 3-6 about one ball or so in front of center and 7-wedge about center to a ball behind center as you get to wedges. I sometimes have ball placement issues when I widen out and try to get ahold of one. You will not be able to hit a fade with your ball to far forward as your club is relaeasing and starting to close. And like ezra76 says just face left and make normal swing at a target left but have your club face aimed torwards your intended landing target, remember to grip club as it is turned, not just turn the face or it will end up square at impact and you will hit it straight.

[crew_138]

My own way...

 

Envision about an 5ish inch long channel behind the ball and about the same in front. No matter how ugly my swing is or anyone else's is will not mean a thing as long as my club face is square in that channel the whole way through. If I cut through the channel from the top... fade, and if I cut through the channel from the bottom face still sqaure at impact, in theory should draw.

 

Whether you hit behind the ball, hit it on the screws, or hit down on it will determine the flight of the ball.

 

In my minds eye, I want to stay in my 'channel' for as long as my body will let me, as I like to stay connected to the body, like the other member posted.

 

I think no matter how you learn to hit the pro fade the object is to control the side spin put on the ball. whether that be opening the stance, opening the face, or buying the fade bias woods.

 

It really comes down to practice really, fade is an easy shot to control in my opinion.

[ezra76]

It's defitely a better shot to control. I played a shorter very tight course with my buddy for the 1st time the other day. He's played it before. He hits draws. I kicked the crap out of him. I was able to hit driver SW on a lot of holes by just cutting it back off a tree on the left side to the middle of the fairway. He started losing them left, then tried to fade it and hit a few massive pushes, just not his ballflight. I think he knew it was over when on a dogleg left he hit an iron, I drove it over all the trees and cut it back onto the false front a foot off the green.

 

I was a push-slicer from the start. I figured out how to hit it a lot straighter, then draw it, then went back to hitting 90% fades off the tee. I even went to the slightly open faced driver so I can aim up the left side and cut it back.

 

The thing is it's different than a slice. It's hit from the same inside position as a straight or draw shot, not an OTT move. The real one moves about 5yds., never more than 10 L to R for me and is as long as a straight bomb. The best thing is say you have a 40yd. wide fairway, aim straight up it and you only have 19yds. on each side to miss. Hit a fade up the left side and now you basically have to be off by 39yds. to miss it.