Why Do My Golf Shots Fade to the Right?

Seeing your golf shot start out perfectly straight, only to watch it curve helplessly to the right, can be one of the most frustrating experiences in the game. That unwelcome left-to-right shape, known as a fade or a slice, robs you of distance and lands you in trouble. This article will break down the real reasons your shots are fading to the right and give you clear, actionable steps and drills to straighten them out for good.

First, What Actually Makes the Ball Fade?

Before we can fix it, we need to understand the basic physics. A golf shot’s curve is determined by one simple relationship: the angle of your clubface at impact in relation to the path your club is swinging on.

• Your swing path is the direction the club is traveling as it hits the ball (e.g., in-to-out, out-to-in).
• Your clubface angle is the direction the face is pointing at the moment of impact.

For a right-handed golfer, a fade happens when the clubface is open (pointing to the right) relative to your swing path. You might be swinging perfectly "straight" towards the target, but if your clubface is pointing even slightly to the right of that path at impact, the ball will curve right. The dreaded slice is just a more aggressive version of this.

So, the question "Why do my shots fade?" is really "Why is my clubface open to my swing path?" Let's look at the most common culprits.

Cause #1: The "Over-the-Top" Swing Path

This is the most common reason for a slice among amateur golfers. An "over-the-top" move is when your downswing is initiated by your shoulders and arms, throwing the club "over" the ideal swing plane. This creates a steep, outside-to-in swing path where the club cuts across the ball from right to left. When this happens, it's very difficult to square the clubface. Most of the time, the face is left open to this new path, resulting in that weak fade or slice.

How to Fix It: Shallow Your Downswing

The goal is to reverse this move, creating a swing path that approaches the ball from the inside, or "shallowing" the club. This gives you more time and space to rotate your body and square the clubface naturally.

Drill: The Headcover Drill

1. Tee up a ball as you normally would.
2. Place your driver's headcover (or another soft object like a towel) on the ground about a foot outside of your golf ball. It should be directly in line with your target.
3. The goal is to hit the ball without hitting the headcover.
4. If you have an aggressive over-the-top move, your instinct will be to swing down and hit the headcover. To avoid it, you'll be forced to drop the club into a more inside "slot" on the downswing.
5. Start with slow, half-swings to get the feel of the club approaching the ball from the inside before building up to a full swing. This drill gives you instant feedback without over-complicating your swing thoughts.

Cause #2: A "Weak" Grip

Your grip is your only connection to the golf club, and it acts as the steering wheel for the clubface. A lot of golfers who fade the ball have what’s called a "weak" grip. This doesn't refer to grip pressure, but rather the position of your hands on the club. A weak grip is when your hands are rotated too far to the left (for a right-handed golfer).

When you hold the club this way, the clubface naturally wants to return to an open position at impact. No matter how hard you swing, an improper grip makes it incredibly difficult to deliver a square clubface.

How to Fix It: Neutralize Your Grip

Getting your hands into a "neutral" or slightly "strong" position promotes a natural squaring and release of the club through impact. It might feel weird at first - as is the case with many things in the golf setup - but it will train the clubface to do what you want it to.

Grip Checkpoints for Your Lead Hand (Left Hand for Righties):

1. Place your left hand on the club so it’s primarily held in the fingers, not the palm.
2. When you look down at your hand, you should be able to see at least two knuckles (the index and middle finger knuckles). If you can only see one or none, your grip is too weak.
3. The "V" formed by your thumb and index finger should point towards your right shoulder or even just outside of it. If it’s pointing at your chin, your grip is too weak.

Making this small adjustment can seem awkward, but it has an enormous impact on clubface control. Commit to this new hold on the practice range, and it will soon a solid foundation for a straighter ball flight.

Cause #3: Faulty Setup and Alignment

Often, a fade is born before you even start your swing. Many golfers, in an effort to stop the ball from going right, subconsciously aim their bodies far to the left of the target. They think, "If I aim left, the ball will curve back to the fairway."

The problem is that you still swing the club towards the actual target. By aiming your body left and swinging at the target, you are manufacturing an out-to-in swing path - the very same move we found in our first cause! This a trap that only makes the fade worse.

How to Fix It: The Railroad Track Method

Proper alignment is fundamental but easy to get wrong. Use this simple process on the range and a more streamlined version on the course to ensure you're aimed correctly.

1. Start Behind the Ball: Stand a few feet directly behind your ball and pick a specific, small target in the distance (e.g., a specific tree, a patch of fairway).
2. Find an Intermediate Target: Draw an imaginary line from your target back to your ball. Find a spot on that line just a foot or two in front of your ball - it could be a discolored blade of grass, an old divot, or a leaf. This is your intermediate target.
3. Align the Clubface: As you set up, aim the leading edge of your clubface only at that intermediate target. It's much easier to aim at something a foot away than 200 yards away.
4. Set Your Body Parallel: Once the clubface is aimed, set your feet, hips, and shoulders on a line that is parallel to your target line, like railroad tracks. Your body lines should point left of the target, while your clubface points directly at it.

Cause #4: Your Body Stops Rotating

Power and consistency in the golf swing come from the big muscles - the hips and torso. The downswing is a sequence where your body unwinds to deliver the club to the ball. A common fault that leads to a fade is when the body "stalls" or stops rotating through the impact zone.

When your hip rotation slows down or stops too early, your arms and hands are left to control the shot. They often take over with a flippy, weak motion, leaving the clubface open and swiping across the ball. To hit a powerful, straight shot, your body needs to lead the way through to a full, balanced finish.

How to Fix It: Feel Your "Belt Buckle to a Finish"

The key is to feel continuous rotation through the shot instead of just hitting *at* the ball. You want to swing *through* it.

Drill: Body Rotation Finish

1. Take your normal setup.
2. Make a few slow, easy practice swings with only one thought in mind: finish with your belt buckle and chest pointing at the target.
3. Feel how, to get to this position, your right heel must come off the ground and you must finish with nearly all your weight on your left foot.
4. When you go to hit the ball, don't worry about the result. Focus entirely on achieving that full, balanced finish. This thought encourages your body to keep turning, clearing your hips out of the way so the club can swing down on a proper path and release naturally without stalling.

By hitting shots with the intention of holding a balanced finish, you promote the very downstream motions that prevent the face from being left open at impact.

Final Thoughts

That persistent fade to the right almost always comes back to an open clubface relative to your swing path. By addressing the root causes - like an over-the-top path, a weak grip, poor alignment, or a stalled body rotation - you can move from managing a frustrating slice to hitting the powerful, reliable shots you're capable of.

As you work through these fixes, remember that clear guidance is your best friend. Sometimes the cause of a fade can feel obvious, but other times you might need a second opinion on what your swing is actually doing or how to play a difficult shot that’s tempting you to make a flawed swing. With an AI tool like Caddie AI, we made it possible to get immediate, expert-level feedback. You can ask what might be causing your fade, get a drill to fix it, or even snap a photo of a challenging lie on the course and get smart, simple advice on how to play it a way that prevents the big miss. It takes the guesswork out of improvement so you can focus on making your next swing your best one.