[YodasLuke]

Luke:

Here is where you can really help me lift a little fog. If angled hinge is the preferred hinge for hitting, then what are the necessary adjustments one must make to compensate for the fade tendancy? Is it body alignment or is it clubface or is it ball position? If I take a square stance and use a hitting stroke with angled hinge, the ball should start at the target then fall right OR start right of the target and fall right?

At the moment, this is big for me. Thanks for your input.

Terry

Terry,
The clubface in angled hinging is closing and laying back simultaneously. Homer used the word fade in his book, and we have to assume that he meant a "controlled" slice (my words). It's funny to those of us in the pro business; because, we were instructed for many years that there was no such thing as a fade or draw. The ball either hooks or slices, and does so to different degrees. There's no quantitative measure to say whether a ball faded or sliced, and my measure may be different than anyone else. So, I'm off my soapbox; but, I had to add that little sidebar. I always laugh when I hear someone speaking of a "true draw" or "true fade."

I find such little movement in my own application, that it's almost not worth discussing. In my best sub par rounds, I do feel like the ball is fading slightly. Because of previous instruction, I had a hook that wouldn't stop. So, anything that keeps from turning left is perfect to me (Hogan and I are similar in at least one respect). As far as alignment goes, it's obvious that you wouldn't want to align yourself to the target if you know that it's going to fade (unless death awaits you left of the target). I would say that my alignment does favor a left alignment.

Now, in order to turn the ball to a greater extent (hooks and slices), I do place the club open or shut in my 10-2-B grip and adjust the alignment to the right or left of the target. Those are the unusual times that hitting it straight is not an option.