Day 6: High and Low Fade

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Learn the control secrets of Ben Hogan by mastering the high and low fade shot.


Alright. Here's where things start getting hard. You may be laughing to yourself, "Okay. I thought everything else was hard already." This is where things start getting a little bit more into the fine details, let's say, of starting to manipulate things so that you can consistently hit the same shot over and over again. The reality is, is that if you sit out here and practice and hit enough balls, you'll learn how to manipulate the club face enough to get the ball to kind of do what you want. The question is, can you do it 99% of the time? The trick to doing it 99% of the time is not just practice, it's understanding the fundamentals and the mechanics of what make the ball do what we are asking it to do.

                In today's video, we're going to talk about hitting high and low cuts. The trick to this shot is understanding the mechanics of swing path and club face angle, and what the tendencies are. That's the one thing I like to use ... I like to use that word a lot because golf is full of tendencies. The club will tend to do this if you do that. When you're going to hit shots and you're trying to be repeatable, because the whole point of shaping the shot is to make it do something that you're trying to be less aggressive with and trying to give yourself more margin of error, so as it works its way around the trouble, you want to be able to make sure it does that every single time.

                When you go to hit a cut, and as we're turning to change trajectories, low verus high, I'm going to start with the low one first because it's the hardest. As you're going to hit the low cut, you need to understand what we want to do with the ball position. Now as I mentioned in the first video about hitting the ball low, we don't necessarily want to move the ball way back in our stance except on this shot. There's always something that's going to jump up and bite you, so that's where you've got to understand there's some variance here as we start changing trajectory and shot shape.

                Now, as we're starting to hit a low cut, I am actually going to move the ball back on my stance a little bit. Now why do I want to do that just with the cut? Well, understand that as the club is working down toward the ball, the more time it has to keep moving forward to the bottom of the swing arc, the more time the club face has to rotate closed. The more time it has to rotate closed, the less likely you are to hit a cut, so what I'm going to do is again, build in margin of error. Now I'm not talking about moving the ball back off the back foot. We're talking about changing the ball one ball width. That's it. That's enough to change the club face angle two or three degrees, which will make the ball cut 15, 20 yards. It's a small amount but it's important because as you move it back in your stance, it buys you more time, it builds in more margin of error to ensure that that club face doesn't have a chance to shut down on you.

                Let's say my normal ball position may be here. Now I'm going to move it here for the low cut. Everything else stays the same, so the stuff we worked on in the low shot, I'm bowing my wrist, I'm opening the chest a little bit, so we're putting those two things together now, right. So these fundamentals we learned in the first few days, now we're starting to put them together in different trajectories, so for the low cut, I'm opening my chest a little bit, bowing my wrists a little bit, moving the ball back a little bit. Those three things go together.

                Now when we want to reverse that, we want to hit the high cut, what do we want to do? Well then we're going to move the ball back just into it's normal position. The important thing to understand here is now that club face has more time to close, so we've got to be more aggressive with keeping the club face open, but the benefit to hitting the high shot is that as you rehinge your wrists instead of just roll it while keeping it bowed like you would on a normal shot, the rehinging helps hold the club face open a little bit. As you were doing your little half shot drills and doing this, you probably found that the tendency was for them to leak out to the right and you had to start kind of finding a little bit of rotation with your wrist and rehinging to help get the ball up in the air and online.

                Now, the benefit to this, or the simple thing about it is this is going to happen naturally. As I go to hit this high cut, so I let my wrist rotate, the club face is right before impact is still about two to three degrees open. It's going to be very high. It's going to go out to the right, so I've got to aim myself a little bit to the left.

                To recap, when you're hitting a low cut, you move the ball back a little bit, bow your wrist, hold the face open, rotate the chest. When you go to hit the high cut, everything stays the same except the wrist changes. You don't change your swing plane. You don't change your path. The balls goes back to a normal position because you don't want that steeper angle of attack that's delofting the club, we want to get the ball up over this tree and around this corner because we put it in a bad spot or we're just trying to go for a green in two. The same thing is true with a fairway wood. I'm going to leave the ball in the same spot. I'm going to open my chest a little bit, and try to let that club face rehinge, my wrist rehinge on the other side of the ball.

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Michael
Could you please describe and define “rehinging”?
August 25, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Michael. Take a look at Using the Wrists in the Golf Swing Video for technical details on the wrist. Chris will explain hinging. The best way to describe without showing you. The lead wrist will be flat to bowed at impact. Adding hinge/cupping is the the wrist bending backwards. Opposite of a bowed wrist position.
August 26, 2019
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Michael
Hi. Thanks very much for the many RotarySwing videos. I am finding my golf game very interesting & much to learn to play better. I am getting to 80yrs & have the following questions. 1.When & how do I set my Left Wrist bowed or cupped to hit the various types of draw/fade shots and low/high shots. 2. Especially how to adjust for the amount of bowing and cupping to get a desired amount of curving in each fade shot, draw shot, low/high fades and low/high draw shots. Thanks. Michael
June 7, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Michael. That takes practice unfortunately. You will find when you start learning how to curve, or hit high and low how much exaggeration of each that you need. We could measure a set amount. But, let's say I told someone to feel 50% extra bowing. From player to player 50% could mean feeling a lot, or a little considering their current swing. You need to pick targets and trajectories to gauge how much you need to feel in order to get required movement.
June 7, 2019
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richard
after practicing the rotary swing, I have a slight draw to my drives I do use a strong grip so the club is closed at impact but it doesn't happen all the time if the ball is too far forward, I tend to hit a pull fade ball ending up on right side of fairway The draw is pretty to watch and goes long, but I never dry to hit it, sometimes it comes off some hook left, some fade ight, some pull fade, some push draw I've been convinced to accept the flight I ALWAYS tee on the side of trouble and hit away from it my question? how about the tee shot into the wind, do I tee it regular, do I change my plane(flatter) do I play it back, do I keep my shoulders level? any of this stuff work with rotary swing
November 5, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Richard. Change setup and ball position. Use the Proper Tee Height Video and play more of a stock, or even lower type shot. If you tend to have a draw. More or less the strong grip you have (all things being considered in swing are correct) is causing that ball flight.
November 5, 2018
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Justin
I have a question on the location of the smash bag relative to your address position. Specifically , is it located at the ball position or where your divot would be 3- 6 inches ahead of the ball?
February 27, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Justin. It may depend on what you are trying to achieve. For the vast majority of drills you can place it where you would be making impact (ball).
February 28, 2017
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David
What does rotary swing think about Ben Hogans swing? He seems to do some things that are counter to rotary. The wide stance along with how low his head goes all the way to impact. Also I have read that he had a "hit it with his body" pivot based swing. What is the consensus on his swing within the rotary swing teachers and can I reconcile his obvious success with rotary instruction? Thanks!
May 7, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David. I could be here for days on this topic. There are some good and bad in his swing. But, it was all built to fight off a hook. The issue is there a lots of players that have succeeded with different methods. However, we teach what is safest on the body and more efficient. Take a look at the Truths of Instruction Part 1 Video to hear more discussion on your question.
May 9, 2016
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Greg
Doesn't the initial ball flight start where the club face is aimed and therefore draw away from your intended target line?
March 24, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Greg. Yes, the ball flight laws were blown up when trackman was able to uncover gear effect and the D-Plane. These were filmed before that information was available. You still can maneuver the ball the way described above. When we have a more readily available way to maneuver according to ball flight laws we will post updated videos.
March 24, 2016
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Greg
If you have aimed your body or swing path to the right of the target line, where do you aim your club face? Are you having the club face square to the swing path and causing the curve with the release? Also is the ball position still off the logo of shirt. Take me through if you would the setup routine of hitting a draw.
March 23, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Greg. Setup to the shot as if you were going to hit a stock straight shot at the target or pin. Ball position underneath the logo. Slightly close the stance or aim the stance slightly to the right of the target while keeping the club aimed at the intended original direction (Stance slightly closed, club at target). From here let yourself swing just slightly to the right and allow for a little draw. Normal release and no need to add any excessive shutting down of the face.
March 24, 2016
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Joaquin
What do I do if I have a big draw even if I don't intend to?
September 5, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Joaquin. If you have a big right to left draw (right handed player). You need to practice a square impact. Work in impact in the taking a divot video. Also, you could be coming too much form the inside (Trace the Plane Line Video).
September 5, 2015
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Joaquin
My shoulders are more open compared to my stance. Can this be the cause?
September 6, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Typically, that would be causing a more Left to Left shot. Pull Draw versus sweeping Right to Left.
September 6, 2015
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Michael
Is the club face aimed at the pin or 10 yards to the right of the pin when drawing the ball?
February 9, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Michael. You are adjusting the stance. The club will stay aimed towards the target.
February 17, 2015
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matt
Regarding the wall...If I have water all down the left hand side of a fairway and I want to keep it out anywhere near that, would I hit a draw off the right side? I'm thinking of a course I play a lot and the second shot which is usually on a draw lie...I often hook it into the water. Thoughts? Should I try to fade it off of hook lie?
September 18, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Yes, you would hit a draw of the right side. Don't fight the slope too much. If you try to fade off a hook lie. You are more likely to cross up you lines and hit the ball in a number of directions. Aim more right to counter balance the lie. Don't be too aggressive. Nice and smooth. Don't force the draw. Allow it to happen with a solid swing off a hook lie.
September 18, 2014
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Nolan
On a dog leg left and hitting a draw, which side of the tee box is best to tee up on?
June 6, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Depending on the degree of dog leg. If you tee up on the left side. The draw will be more neutralized by starting down the right and drawing to the left side of fairway. If you tee up on the right. Try to aim more left at the apex of the dogleg. The ball flight should start just right of the bend and snap around the corner for you at the end.
June 6, 2014
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David
Not very good tip! Where should club face set @ address? Where should ball be placed in the stance?
May 9, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
The club face would be square to the foot line and the ball position should be in a normal position unless you are trying to flight the ball up or down. Can you tell me how more on why you feel as though this is a bad tip so that I can help give further clarification as needed.
May 9, 2014
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adam
About how far apart do you place the noodle from each other? It looks like about maybe a yard from the video?
May 5, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
1-2 yards is good to start fine tuning.
May 5, 2014
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adam
Great Thank you!!
May 9, 2014

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