Greg Norman on the Power Fade

[PowerFade]

"The best ball flight in golf is a power fade. A draw-type swing with the face a shade open at impact. My whole career I aimed at the left edge of the rough and swung as hard as I could. I never worried about the ball going left. I've had my problems, but driving the ball long and straight has never been one of them."

-- Greg Norman, Golf Digest, March 2004, p. 118

Interesting, isn't it?

When I'm hitting well this is exactly what I do and the ball goes long! But I never knew I was doing this until a month ago when I was on a launch monitor and then read his comment in GD. My problem is leaving the clubface too open and the ball goes too far right and less often snapping the head closed and pulling it to the left. At least now I know what I can work on.

Anyone know any more details of the mechanics of this type of swing?

[LobWedge]

"The best ball flight in golf if a power fade. A draw-type swing with the face a shade open at impact. My whole career I aimed at the left edge of the rough and swung as hard as I could. I never worried about the ball going left. I've had my problems, but driving the ball long and straight has never been one of them."

-- Greg Norman, Golf Digest, March 2004, p. 118

Interesting, isn't it?

When I'm hitting well this is exactly what I do and the ball goes long! But I never knew I was doing this until a month ago when I was on a launch monitor and then read his comment in GD. My problem is leaving the clubface too open and the ball goes too far right and less often snapping the head closed and pulling it to the left. At least now I know what I can work on.

Anyone know any more details of the mechanics of this type of swing?

That's my ball flight too. The swing is not for the faint of heart, you need to swing hard (aka, generate a lot of clubhead speed) because the swing depends on higher than average backspin to maximize distance and counteract the "slice" spin on the ball.

Jason Zuback won 4 world titles with a power fade. Tiger has a similar action when he hits the 3-wood/2-iron stinger.

You need to clear your hips through the zone. It's definitely a lower body swing. You may find that you get the best results with your stance square to slightly open, but not too much or you bring the slice in to play, and definitely not a closed stance of any kind, that just makes you block it right.

The last thing is make sure your hands and arms are quiet. No flipping or you get the duck hooks.

[BC MIST]

The last thing is make sure your hands and arms are quiet. No flipping or you get the duck hooks.

"The left wrist if flat; the right wrist is bent." Mark Evershed - Canadian Golf Instructor

Result = Power Fade (With the correct setup position)

[PowerFade]

Interesting. Two questions:

1) Assuming this is the impact position, what is the back of the left wrist facing? Target or slightly to the right of the target?

2) Where did you read this? I'd like to hear more from Evershed.

"The left wrist if flat; the right wrist is bent." Mark Evershed - Canadian Golf Instructor

Result = Power Fade (With the correct setup position)

[PowerFade]

Thanks for your comments. Zuback is another animal. I can't see me in his swing at all (not that I should!). I'm going to go back to the GD swing sequence with Jason and check out his position at impact.

That's my ball flight too. The swing is not for the faint of heart, you need to swing hard (aka, generate a lot of clubhead speed) because the swing depends on higher than average backspin to maximize distance and counteract the "slice" spin on the ball.

Jason Zuback won 4 world titles with a power fade. Tiger has a similar action when he hits the 3-wood/2-iron stinger.

You need to clear your hips through the zone. It's definitely a lower body swing. You may find that you get the best results with your stance square to slightly open, but not too much or you bring the slice in to play, and definitely not a closed stance of any kind, that just makes you block it right.

The last thing is make sure your hands and arms are quiet. No flipping or you get the duck hooks.

[BC MIST]

Interesting. Two questions:

1) Assuming this is the impact position, what is the back of the left wrist facing? Target or slightly to the right of the target?

2) Where did you read this? I'd like to hear more from Evershed.

(1) From my perspective the position of the back of the left is mostly dependent on where it was at address. If the left hand grip is weak, say 12:00, then it will face the target, however, if it is stronger, 2 knuckles, 3 knuckles, it will be facing to the right of the target. The key though is that the right wrist, once the swing has started, never loses its obtuse angle, ie., it never fully releases or flattens. Now, many will say that it should release. That's their opinion. When I had a conventional golf swing and swing down on the ball, holding the right wrist, I had amazing control over the flight of the ball. My hooking problem at that time disappeared, and was replaced by a hint of a fade, a ball flight that you obviously prefer.

The other neat thing about this right wrist hold was that if I wanted to, I could swing as hard as I could, and not hook it. Mark sells a device called the "Power Click" which clicks as you start back and the idea is to hold off the unclicking until after impact. The right wrist does lose some of its obtuse angle,but it never straightens or flattens. BTW: There is another device out there that teaches the same thing. It's the "Tac Tic" and is available from Dr. Gary Wiren at www.golfaroundtheworld.com . I think.

(2) After playing and studying golf swings for too many decades, it's obvious that most teaching methods are based on perception and feeling and not on scientific fact. Mark is one of the few innovative instructors who debuncts most of the theories and teaches his students to swing "on plane", the only position from which consistently good shots can result, without compensations. He has a number of tapes, and a book or two. Once the concept of what you are trying to do is understood and believed, achieving the desired result is not that difficult.

Here is a starting point: http://www.t-g-s.com/tgs/njindex.shtml

[PowerFade]

Thanks for the info.

(1) From my perspective the position of the back of the left is mostly dependent on where it was at address. If the left hand grip is weak, say 12:00, then it will face the target, however, if it is stronger, 2 knuckles, 3 knuckles, it will be facing to the right of the target. The key though is that the right wrist, once the swing has started, never loses its obtuse angle, ie., it never fully releases or flattens. Now, many will say that it should release. That's their opinion. When I had a conventional golf swing and swing down on the ball, holding the right wrist, I had amazing control over the flight of the ball. My hooking problem at that time disappeared, and was replaced by a hint of a fade, a ball flight that you obviously prefer.

The other neat thing about this right wrist hold was that if I wanted to, I could swing as hard as I could, and not hook it. Mark sells a device called the "Power Click" which clicks as you start back and the idea is to hold off the unclicking until after impact. The right wrist does lose some of its obtuse angle,but it never straightens or flattens. BTW: There is another device out there that teaches the same thing. It's the "Tac Tic" and is available from Dr. Gary Wiren at www.golfaroundtheworld.com . I think.

(2) After playing and studying golf swings for too many decades, it's obvious that most teaching methods are based on perception and feeling and not on scientific fact. Mark is one of the few innovative instructors who debuncts most of the theories and teaches his students to swing "on plane", the only position from which consistently good shots can result, without compensations. He has a number of tapes, and a book or two. Once the concept of what you are trying to do is understood and believed, achieving the desired result is not that difficult.

Here is a starting point: http://www.t-g-s.com/tgs/njindex.shtml