How to Hit a Power Fade in Golf: 5 Easy Steps for Control

Most golfers dream of a tee shot that starts on the target line, moves gently to the right (for right-handers), and lands with dependable distance.

That’s the power fade. It’s different than the unwanted fade. It’s not a weak slice, it’s a deliberate, high-speed move created by pairing a slightly open clubface with an out-to-in swing path.

The key ingredient to hitting a power fade is precise wrist control that keeps the face just a touch open through impact.

Key Takeaways

If you don’t have time to work through our entire guide on how to hit a power fade, here are the most important tips you can take with you right now.

• Fade Flight Laws: A power fade requires a clubface ~2° open to the path and a path ~2–4° left of the target.
• Lead-Wrist Extension: Maintain some least wrist extension around +5 – +15° into impact to hold the face open.
• Setup Matters Most: Aim your body left, your clubface at or just left of the target, and move the ball a touch forward.
• HackMotion Advantage: Real-time wrist numbers confirm whether you’re preserving extension or flipping the face shut.
• Practice in Layers: Build the motion in small pieces, top-of-swing checks, slow 9-to-3 swings, then full-speed drills.

How to Hit a Power Fade

Step 1: Set Up for a Fade

To hit a power fade, you first have to set yourself up correctly. Focus on the clubface, your alignment, ball position, and the weight distribution.

• Clubface: Point the face at the target or 1 – 2° left.
• Alignment: Feet, hips, and shoulders 3 – 5° left (open) of the target line.
• Ball Position: One ball forward of stock position; promotes catching the ball on a slightly ascending, left-moving path.
• Pressure: 55% on lead foot at address to discourage hanging back.

Step 2: Grip and Lead Wrist

If your grip is too strong, you make it harder on yourself to hit a power fade.

Adopt a neutral to slightly weaker grip so the lead wrist can stay in mild extension without excessive forearm roll.

For a straight shot in the setup, you’ll see some extension in the lead wrist.

As you take the club back and then transition into the downswing, the goal is to lose all of that extension and move towards lead wrist flexion.

With a power fade, your goal is to reduce extension only slightly on the backswing and still keep +5 – +15° at impact.

Step 3: Top of the Backswing Check

If you are struggling to hit the power fade, your clubface at the top of your backswing may be shut.

This closed or shut clubface is something you’ll have to recover from to have a slightly open face at impact.

Work on the HackMotion Combined Top Drill shown in the Drills to Groove the Power Fade section, where you can verify that the lead wrist position is in slight extension at the top of the backswing.

Step 4: Create the Proper Downswing Path

Now that you’ve got the correct setup and understand where the clubhead should be at the top of the backswing, you can start working on the downswing path.

Begin by feeling your lead hip bump slightly toward the target before your shoulders unwind.

Keep your trail elbow tucked to help the club approach from the inside.

Because your body will be open at impact, the club path should move slightly left of the target, perfect for a controlled power fade.

For a helpful visual, place two headcovers on the ground: one about six inches in front of the ball, the other about three inches outside it.

Swing through this gate without clipping either to groove the proper path.

Step 5: Hold the Face Open Through Impact

Finally, the last step to achieving a power fade is to hold the face slightly open through impact.

Maintaining your wrist extension will let the hands stay just forward of the clubhead, but your shaft lean will be less than it would be for a draw shot.

You can use HackMotion biofeedback to set an alert at the +5 to +15° extension in the impact zone. A beep or vibration lets you know you preserved the fade-friendly face.

Drills to Groove the Power Fade

Once you have the fundamentals down, it can help to practice some drills and work on your clubface control.

Hitting a power fade is mostly about getting your setup and grip right and then holding that face just a little open through impact.

Combined Top Drill

The Combined Top Drill is built into the HackMotion app. It’s a simple drill that helps you dial in the perfect position at the top of the backswing.

Headcover Gate Drill

The Headcover Gate Drill is one that any golfer can set up on the range to help with hitting both fades and draws.

• Video timestamp – 4:03

Dynamic Transition Drill

The Dynamic Transition Drill is often used to help golfers who struggle with squaring the face at impact, but it can also work if you want to learn to manipulate the face open through impact

Clubface Control Stop Parallel Drill

Here is another drill that will train the position of your clubface through impact.

Use this one to manipulate the face slightly closed and slightly open so that you end up with the perfect power fade ball flight.

• Video timestamp – 13:55

Final Thoughts

The power fade is an elite player’s shot. It’s a reliable scoring tool that holds fairways and greens. Master it by pairing a face that’s a hair open with an out-to-in path.

HackMotion removes the guesswork by instantly telling you whether your wrists have preserved the necessary extension. Stack these drills into your next range session.

Need more wrist mechanics help? Dive into the full Golf Drills Library for step-by-step videos and extra HackMotion specific practice plans.