Gilbertc13
Mizuno Staffer
For anyone else out there struggling to hit a fade and watching these tour guys power fade it, this is for you
The Knucklefade
Basically, the knucklefade is a fade with a draw swing. The ball does not so much fade as resist hooking. That is what the old timer's would call it. Essentially the ball stays airborne as long as any shot in the game while maintaining a lower spin rate (similar to a draw), and when it hits the ground it runs like a scalded dog. Plus, as the ball does not curve nearly as much as most draws the ball flight is not so much ACROSS the target line, but parallel to the target line so the ball is MUCH less likely to chase off into the rough. A knucklefade is still rolling down the fairway when most draws have found the left rough.
Cabrerra (when he is swinging well) aims left and hits a HARD knucklefade. There is no conflict between his body and his arms as all he has to do is get his body out of the way to make way for his arms and club to release on their own. Tiger, on the other hand, has a tendency to aim right, get a bit underneath, and as a result, his body tends to get in the way of the club (blocked out). To compensate, he uses hand and arm flash speed to attempt to square the clubface. This is most true for his driver prior to distancing himself from Haney. Tiger's golf swing has improved markedly post-Haney and he is actively trying to fade the driver again. He got a bit closer to the ball, aimed a bit more left, and slightly more upright. A player is FAR less likely to get body blocked if they set up square to open, which allows the body to really rotate and clear HARD left, which (if the arms are properly acclimated and in-synch) allows the club to release itself lower, more left, and around. As a result, NO manipulation of the club is necessary to square the face. Done correctly with a driver, a low spin fade from the inside is produced, which is the longest, straightest drive on the planet. Cabrerra had it at Oakmont (especially on Sunday), but his swing is still a bit unorthodox and he will have his own timing issues from time to time.
The best ball strikers that I have observed when they are playing well will not move the ball either way more than five yards, unless they are trying to sling or carve it. The best that I have observed will strike the ball on a virtually straight path until the ball reaches its apex and the forward momentum is wearing off. Then the slight amount of sidespin kicks in and the ball falls one way or another. It could just as likely be a draw or a fade.
EVERY great DRIVER of the ball that I have observed has had the ability to fade it from the inside, which is the ability to aim down the left side, set the face aimed at left center, and rotate through the ball to the LEFT and hold the toe off (or lead with the heel), resulting in a ball that kind of knuckles or bores and then falls right. They KNOW one thing: it ain't goin' LEFT. What some of the old timers used to call "fading it with a draw swing."
Driving IS the most important part of a tournament players game. Drive it straight and with some distance and you can CHOOSE when to go on the offensive or play more conservatively. Drive it in the junk on every other hole and the GOLF COURSE dictates your whole round.........
The knuckle fade is in my opinion, the only way to drive the ball for BOTH distance and accuracy. You can count on this type of fade under the highest level of pressure. It is NOT that easy to groove for some good players, but "once you got it, you got it, and it ain't goin' nowhere!"
The set up changes needed to hit the knucklefade are as follows:
Align your body where you want the ball to start.
Align the clubface to a point between where you want the ball to start and the primary target, so the ball can land and run out to your primary target.
Position the ball slightly more forward than normal.
Some players like to stand slightly closer to the ball.
Once the setup is ready, concentrate on two things:
Unwinding the body left in order to delay the toe catching the heel. Really try hard to bust it into the left trees with NO HANDS. To practice this, hit some balls with a glove/washrag under your upper left armpit so that your upper left side does not block, stays connected with the trunk, and goes left with the trunk. The thought of trying to "hit the biggest draw that I can hit without using my hands and arms, usually produces a powerful knucklefade.
Always make sure your last thought is where you want to start the ball and not where you want it to end up. If you set up correctly and make a good swing it will fade slightly. You must trust it to do so. If your last thought is your primary target, then you will almost inevitably swing at the primary target and a push or snap hook will result. So focus on bustin' it at your starting point.
Because the mass of the clubhead is on one side of the shaft being swung on an inclined plane, the clubhead naturally wants to open on the backswing and then close on the through swing. The clubheads natural arc is from the inside to back to the inside. When you combine the two -- clubhead traveling from the inside and a clubhead that wants to close naturally through impact if the arms are in synch and properly acclimated to the body -- the shot produced is a very soft draw. This is difficult to hit with a driver due to the low loft of the clubhead and the fact that the ball does not stay on the face for very long (that is grip the face). That is why most good players draws off of a driver have a sort of tumbling draw flight (that is, lacking spin). Because the slightly open face of the knucklefade adds a slight amount of loft which keeps the ball on the face for a nano-second longer, the fade has a much better flight.
I used this today early and found the fairway. Still inconsistent with it which lead to a day with weak heel cuts but it was still fun
Sent from HTX
The Knucklefade
Basically, the knucklefade is a fade with a draw swing. The ball does not so much fade as resist hooking. That is what the old timer's would call it. Essentially the ball stays airborne as long as any shot in the game while maintaining a lower spin rate (similar to a draw), and when it hits the ground it runs like a scalded dog. Plus, as the ball does not curve nearly as much as most draws the ball flight is not so much ACROSS the target line, but parallel to the target line so the ball is MUCH less likely to chase off into the rough. A knucklefade is still rolling down the fairway when most draws have found the left rough.
Cabrerra (when he is swinging well) aims left and hits a HARD knucklefade. There is no conflict between his body and his arms as all he has to do is get his body out of the way to make way for his arms and club to release on their own. Tiger, on the other hand, has a tendency to aim right, get a bit underneath, and as a result, his body tends to get in the way of the club (blocked out). To compensate, he uses hand and arm flash speed to attempt to square the clubface. This is most true for his driver prior to distancing himself from Haney. Tiger's golf swing has improved markedly post-Haney and he is actively trying to fade the driver again. He got a bit closer to the ball, aimed a bit more left, and slightly more upright. A player is FAR less likely to get body blocked if they set up square to open, which allows the body to really rotate and clear HARD left, which (if the arms are properly acclimated and in-synch) allows the club to release itself lower, more left, and around. As a result, NO manipulation of the club is necessary to square the face. Done correctly with a driver, a low spin fade from the inside is produced, which is the longest, straightest drive on the planet. Cabrerra had it at Oakmont (especially on Sunday), but his swing is still a bit unorthodox and he will have his own timing issues from time to time.
The best ball strikers that I have observed when they are playing well will not move the ball either way more than five yards, unless they are trying to sling or carve it. The best that I have observed will strike the ball on a virtually straight path until the ball reaches its apex and the forward momentum is wearing off. Then the slight amount of sidespin kicks in and the ball falls one way or another. It could just as likely be a draw or a fade.
EVERY great DRIVER of the ball that I have observed has had the ability to fade it from the inside, which is the ability to aim down the left side, set the face aimed at left center, and rotate through the ball to the LEFT and hold the toe off (or lead with the heel), resulting in a ball that kind of knuckles or bores and then falls right. They KNOW one thing: it ain't goin' LEFT. What some of the old timers used to call "fading it with a draw swing."
Driving IS the most important part of a tournament players game. Drive it straight and with some distance and you can CHOOSE when to go on the offensive or play more conservatively. Drive it in the junk on every other hole and the GOLF COURSE dictates your whole round.........
The knuckle fade is in my opinion, the only way to drive the ball for BOTH distance and accuracy. You can count on this type of fade under the highest level of pressure. It is NOT that easy to groove for some good players, but "once you got it, you got it, and it ain't goin' nowhere!"
The set up changes needed to hit the knucklefade are as follows:
Align your body where you want the ball to start.
Align the clubface to a point between where you want the ball to start and the primary target, so the ball can land and run out to your primary target.
Position the ball slightly more forward than normal.
Some players like to stand slightly closer to the ball.
Once the setup is ready, concentrate on two things:
Unwinding the body left in order to delay the toe catching the heel. Really try hard to bust it into the left trees with NO HANDS. To practice this, hit some balls with a glove/washrag under your upper left armpit so that your upper left side does not block, stays connected with the trunk, and goes left with the trunk. The thought of trying to "hit the biggest draw that I can hit without using my hands and arms, usually produces a powerful knucklefade.
Always make sure your last thought is where you want to start the ball and not where you want it to end up. If you set up correctly and make a good swing it will fade slightly. You must trust it to do so. If your last thought is your primary target, then you will almost inevitably swing at the primary target and a push or snap hook will result. So focus on bustin' it at your starting point.
Because the mass of the clubhead is on one side of the shaft being swung on an inclined plane, the clubhead naturally wants to open on the backswing and then close on the through swing. The clubheads natural arc is from the inside to back to the inside. When you combine the two -- clubhead traveling from the inside and a clubhead that wants to close naturally through impact if the arms are in synch and properly acclimated to the body -- the shot produced is a very soft draw. This is difficult to hit with a driver due to the low loft of the clubhead and the fact that the ball does not stay on the face for very long (that is grip the face). That is why most good players draws off of a driver have a sort of tumbling draw flight (that is, lacking spin). Because the slightly open face of the knucklefade adds a slight amount of loft which keeps the ball on the face for a nano-second longer, the fade has a much better flight.
I used this today early and found the fairway. Still inconsistent with it which lead to a day with weak heel cuts but it was still fun
Sent from HTX
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