Fade hitting off of the turf?

Thanks Tom for the help! Love it! Admittedly it had been a great winter and off-season is still on hold! Thanks again!

I agree, Aaron - that is pretty whimpy..... 🤣 (Especially since until yesterday we've pretty much been in the 60's and 70's here at the beach.)

Anyway, here is my reply when members tell me that they're hitting the shorter clubs well but are experiencing contact and/or ball flight issues as the clubs get longer:

Oftentimes when golfers are hitting everything well except for the longer clubs it can be attributed to one of the following:

1) They don't start with - or maintain - enough weight on the front side. In general with the longer clubs we should add a little more front weight load at address - more like 60/40 instead of the 55/45 prescribed for the other clubs. This forward weight should gradually increase to the top of the backswing (70/30) and build further on the downswing - approximately 80/20 halfway down, 90/10 impact, and 95/5 finish.

2) Their hips are not continuing their lateral slide through impact. This is common with the longer clubs as the wider stance means that the hips have a greater distance to travel. If the hips stop moving laterally towards the target on the downswing then their rotation takes over, changing the low point and rerouting the club. This can produce a variety of undesirable results including fat and thin contact, topped shots and popups, straight pulls, and “banana” slices. Here is a drill from the Fixing Common Swing Problems section specific to building in more lateral hip slide in the downswing. Alternatively, if you prefer to focus on your Tailbone-to-Target action during the backswing, then your downswing will not require nearly as much lateral hip motion since they are already well forward by the time you get to the top.

3) They are not allowing the length of the club to dictate the backswing path and are getting too steep as a result. The shaft length of the longer clubs encourages more of an around the body backswing as established by the shaft plane at address. It may "feel" flat as you take it back along the shaft plane for the first few feet, but as long as you maintain the "weight forward, shoulder down, and hands in" components while allowing the club to work around you, it should put you in the proper position at the top so you can attack the ball from the inside. This KFC Club members video may help in this regard.

This is a common issue that I am regularly asked to fix, so if yours doesn't relate to any of the above causes - or if it does and you are experiencing difficulty resolving it - we can always arrange for a V1 swing video analysis to pinpoint the culprit and offer an appropriate solution.

Stay warm!

TS

Hi Tom, actually I live in Fort Mill, SC so we can basically play all year. I just play less as I am a cold weather whimp. Lol But yes, I will definitely work thru the indoor section. I hope to schedule a one on one someday as well, we spend a few weekends at Litchfield. Thanks and have a great holiday!

@aaron.l.dixson - Since you mentioned the "off-season", I assume you're in a location where you can't get out to practice or play much for the next few months? If that's the case, then you may wish to look into the Indoor Training Program, placing some additional emphasis on the Downswing section.

That’s my “off-season” work on. One of many work on’s. Lol

@aaron.l.dixson I have the same issue as you, particularly my 4 iron, which is my longest iron. Hybrids and shorter irons I'm ok.

You could be hitting it slightly fat from the turf. More than likely, the toe strikes the ground first and opens the face slightly causing the fade. Try taking foot spray and make a line on the ground or you could place a tee next to the ball and see if the divot is in front of the ball.