Nick Faldo Wing Up Driver Fade Drill: High Booming Drives

The Nick Faldo Wing Up Driver Fade Drill is a trigger, not a technical swing thought. There’s a quantum difference between the two, so read this next sentence slowly and out loud. The “trigger” will set you free on the course, but the “technical thought” will put you in a mental prison and send your scores skyrocketing.

I added the Nick Faldo Low Scope Fade Drill to the Golf Practice Planner today because I asked myself why do Nick Faldo, Jack Nicklaus, and all other pros have “go-to” shots when under pressure?

It’s easy to get lulled into trying to hit the most beautiful shot, but professional golfers are highly aware that golf is a chess game played on a very large green board. The pros know that golf is a game of strategy and not a game of-who-can-swing-the-prettiest. The pros know that golf is a game of triggers and not a game of technical swing thoughts.

That’s where the Nick Faldo Wing Up Driver Fade Drill comes to the rescue. By the end of this drill, you’ll have a trigger that will increase your launch angle which is crucial for high booming drives. 

I have to admit to being a Faldo fan. Most professional golfers aren’t exactly interesting to listen to, but Faldo is. He’s funny, down-to-earth, and has timeless drills that are still as relevant today as they were decades ago.

The thing I like most about Sir Nick Faldo’s drills is that most of them aren’t technical. Really! I mean it. Faldo is regarded as the most technical player of all time, but the reality is that his drills are designed to banish any technical thoughts when he’s on the course, and replace them with “triggers”. That’s why he won six major championships.

If you like this drill, don’t stop there!

Sir Nick Faldo personally liked two other drills when I posted them on my Twitter account. I know! Cool, isn’t it.

It’s not every day the best British golfer of all time gives you a digital-like. But the drills are highly likable, so I understand why he liked them.

Okay, stop bragging George. Give them the two drills.

Sir Nick Faldo liked the Nick Faldo Golf Shot Nicknames Drill and the Nick Faldo One Club Challenge Run Drill. Hope you like them as well.

Name
Nick Faldo Wing Up Driver Fade Drill: High Booming Drives

Category
Golf Mindset Practice Drills

Difficulty
6 out of 10

Time
10 minutes

Props
Golf club. Golf Practice Planner.

Steps

Step 1: Watch
Watch the video.

In the video, you hear Faldo say that he has been developing this drill for his driver swings. He calls this his “Wing And Up” swing. The wing gets a fade, and the up increases the ball launch angle. Faldo struggles with the “up” part because for all his career on the European Tour he practicing hitting down on the ball. During his main competitive playing days (the 1970s to 90s), this worked well due to the old persimmon drivers and balata balls. In those days you could hit down on the driver because the balata balls were so soft (Faldo compares them to bars of soap). With the modern drivers and balls, hitting up on the ball to create a high launch angle is now the modern way to thwack the ball long distances.

Step 2: High Launch Angle
Address the ball. Hit a shot. On the through swing break the left arm and lift the club up, to get a higher launch angle. The result is a shot that should go higher and longer than your default shot. Keep experimenting with the amount of break of the left arm and lifting up of the club. 

Step 3: Shot Nickname
Faldo gives his shots a nickname. You should too! Give this shot a nickname (e.g. “Wing Up Driver Fade”). When on the course, and each time you practice the shot, silently call out the nickname you’ve given it (e.g. “Wing Up Driver Fade”) to allow your subconscious to take over the shot.

Step 4: Keep Score
Hit 10 balls silently calling out the nickname shot (e.g.”Wing Up Driver Fade”) as you hit the shot. Calling out the nickname during the shot will short circuit your thinking brain (a good thing!). Give yourself one point each time the shot felt effortless because you summoned up the nickname which activated your subconscious. You get no point if you became conscious and thought about technique.