How to Fix a Fade in Golf: Simple Tips to Hit It Straight

While a fade can be a helpful shot with a high launch and a soft landing, it’s not always the ball flight you are looking for. If you are hitting an unwanted fade, it’s likely because your clubface is left open at impact. 

The open clubface is controlled by the angle of your wrists at impact.

If you want to get rid of the fade, we will help walk you through the steps and provide a few actionable drills you can bring to the driving range to fix it before it turns into a slice! 

Key Takeaways 

Here are a few things to know about how to fix the unwanted fade in your golf game. 

• An Open Clubface at Impact Is the Main Culprit: Most unwanted fades stem from a clubface that’s open relative to the swing path. Excessive lead wrist extension, a weak grip, and an open stance all contribute to leaving the face open.
• HackMotion Data Pinpoints Excessive Wrist Extension: By tracking your lead wrist angles in real time, HackMotion helps you see exactly when and where you’re cupping (extending) the wrist.
• Actionable Drills Accelerate Improvement: Drills like the Motorcycle Drill and Combined Top Drill teach you how to maintain a square or slightly closed clubface at impact. This will help stop the fade before it becomes a slice.

What Causes a Fade in Golf?

A fade happens when the clubface is open relative to your swing path at impact. The most common reasons that could happen are:

• Excessive Lead Wrist Extension – Your lead wrist is cupped (extended) at the top and/or at impact, leaving the face wide open.
• Weak grip – Your lead hand is too far under the handle (not seeing enough knuckles), making it harder to close the face.
• Open stance at setup – If your feet, hips, or shoulders are aligned left of your target (for right-handed golfers), you create a left-to-right bias.
• Lack of rotation in the forearms: You never fully rotate your forearms or flex your lead wrist in time, so the face stays open.

Three Simple Steps to Fix Your Fade Forever

Walk through each of these steps individually to help build better fundamentals and ensure your fade goes away for good. These tips will help straighten your shots out and give you more consistent results on the course. 

Strengthen Your Grip

Your weak grip could be making it difficult for you to rotate the clubface and hit a square golf shot. Strengthen your grip to give your trail hand a little more control in squaring the clubface.

• Turn your lead hand slightly to see at least two or three knuckles at address.
• Cover your lead thumb with the lifeline of your trail hand.
• A stronger grip naturally promotes earlier face closure.

Square Your Feet and Shoulders

Sometimes, you may not realize that you are setting up to hit a fade before you even take the club back. Try a square setup like this to see if it straightens out your fade. 

• Align parallel to or slightly right of your target (for right-handers).
• If you’re unsure, use alignment sticks to confirm everything is square. 
• Check feet, hips, clubface, and shoulder alignment to ensure everything is square.

Reduce Lead Wrist Extension

Understanding wrist action in your golf swing is key to hitting more controlled shots!

Lead wrist extension or cupping of the lead wrist will cause your clubface to open. Many amateur golfers increase the extension in their lead wrist from the setup position to the top of the backswing.

This leaves an open clubface at the top and not enough time to square it on the way to the golf ball. 

• Check your HackMotion to ensure you are not adding extension in the lead wrist from setup to the top of the backswing. 
• At the top and into the downswing, feel your lead wrist flatten or bow slightly.
• Use HackMotion to check if you’re moving from extension toward flexion.
• This ensures the face is more closed (or at least neutral) by impact.

Drills to Help You Stop Fading the Ball

Below are four drills tailored to reduce a fade by focusing on how your wrists control the clubface. Each drill is actionable, and two of them can be paired with real-time feedback using the HackMotion app. 

Motorcycle Drill

If you’ve determined that your lead wrist angle at the top of your backswing is the issue causing you to fade the ball, then the Motorcycle Drill is a perfect option to train the proper wrist angles.

The Motorcycle Drill trains you to twist the handle as if you’re rolling a motorcycle throttle downward. 

It reduces lead wrist extension and helps to square the clubface earlier. The Motorcycle Drill is in the HackMotion app so you can work on it in real time. 

Arm Straight / Punch Finish Drill

Working on hitting punch shots makes it easier to maintain the correct angles through impact. If you want to learn to hit the ball a little more left of your target this arm straight punch finish drill is the way to go. 

• Video timestamp – 10:00 – 16:39

Static Impact Position Drill

If you are unsure as to where your golf club should be at impact, the Static Impact Position Drill is a good one to practice. This helps to develop muscle memory so you can consistently find this correct impact position. 

Forward shaft lean and a flat or flexed lead wrist reduces the change of an open face at impact. 

• Video timestamp – 0:50 – 4:42

Combined Top Drill

This drill is a “bridge” between slow-motion practice and a full-speed backswing. By training the wrist to stay in the correct “green zone” at the top, you set yourself up to have a square face (or slightly closed) as you transition and hit the ball.

Sometimes working on fixing the wrist at impact leaves you having to do too much squaring with very little time to do it. 

FAQs

Why Would You Want to Fix a Fade?

While a slight fade can be helpful at times it’s better to hit a fade when you are planning one and not unintentionally. Squaring the clubface earlier gives you more consistent contact, better accuracy, and often more yards.

What’s the Difference Between a Fade and a Slice?

A fade is a small left-to-right curve that’s often controlled and intentional. A slice is a severe curving ball flight veering well right (for a right-hander).

How Does HackMotion Help With Fades?
HackMotion gives real-time wrist data. If your lead wrist is overly extended at the top or during impact, you’ll see it on the sensor.

Can I Practice These Drills Without Hitting Balls?
Yes. Slow-motion or paused rehearsals help you feel proper wrist positioning. Once comfortable, introduce a ball and compare your HackMotion data with actual ball flight.

Final Thoughts

A chronic fade generally comes down to an open face. By focusing on lowering lead wrist extension (especially from the top of your swing down), you can square the face much sooner.

Use HackMotion for exact, real-time wrist measurements and then apply the wrist related golf drills to get the right feel and get rid of your fade for good.