Texas Children's Houston Open

Memorial Park Golf Course



Driving

A Fade Off The Tee

By Lucas Glover Photos by J.D. Cuban
June 01, 2010
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I mostly hit draws off the tee because that's my natural ball flight. But when I want to hit a fade, the good news is that I have to make only a couple of swing adjustments to get the job done.

At address, I stand a little closer to the ball. That way, I won't swing at it from inside the target line as much as I normally do. The more your path comes from the inside, the harder it is to curve the shot left to right. I also open my shoulders and hips a bit at address, setting them on the line where I want my ball to start.

Once I'm set up for the fade, I try to make a swing where I feel as if I'm holding the clubface open just a bit through impact. I don't want the toe of the club to turn over the way I would when I'm drawing it. The feeling is, my body's turning toward the target and my hands and club are trailing behind with very little rotation. You can go at it as hard as you want, but you have to complete the swing or you'll risk slicing the ball. So don't stop after impact.

Lucas Glover has won two PGA Tour events, including the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage.