Editor’s Note: This story was first published in May 2022. Following Xander Schauffele’s first major victory at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, we’re revisiting his tips on how he hits a high fade with his irons.
Some of the amateur golfers I play with are happy just to hit the ball in the general direction of their target. But when you become skilled enough to start shaping shots based on the situation, the one you have to learn is the high fade. It’s really reliable for holding greens—especially from longer distances, which is where I use it a lot. I’m going to give you some tips for how to produce this ball flight, whether you’re swinging a middle or long iron, a hybrid or a fairway wood. You’re going to love how it launches high and lands soft. —With Ron Kaspriske
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PREPARE TO LAUNCH 
THE MORE YOU WIND UP, THE MORE SPEED YOU CAN GENERATE, AND THAT HELPS LAUNCH THE BALL SUPER HIGH.
There is more than one way to execute this shot, but for me, two keys happen at address. I play the ball farther forward in my stance than normal. I’m not talking off the lead heel like you might do for a driver, but definitely farther forward than center in your stance. This can help shallow your approach into the ball, which raises the trajectory. The other thing I do is set up a little open in relation to my target. For righties like me, that means my feet and body are aligned a little open, to the left of my target (above). This tweaks my swing path just enough so the clubface is open to it as I strike the ball. That combination creates the left-to-right spin you’re after.
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LOAD UP GOING BACK 
When you play the ball farther forward, the tendency is to stay stacked and static—meaning your weight distribution in the backswing hardly changes from what it was at address. For the high-and-soft fade, you’ve got to make sure to get a good bit of your weight to the right side as you take the club back. It’s not like you’re going to hang back there during the downswing, but to set up the right angle of attack into the ball, I get 80 to 90 percent of my weight on my right side when I reach the top of the swing. You’ll notice that my body doesn’t sway outside of my right foot (below, right). You’ve got to move off the ball and feel like you’re loading up to throw a big punch, but don’t drift away from the target. See how far you can wind up without swaying. You can even flare your trail foot to get a deeper turn.
SHIFT, THEN SWEEP 
I SHIFT INTO MY LEAD SIDE, BUT MY HEAD STAYS BACK, SO I CAN PICK IT OFF THE TURF.
You loaded up in the backswing, which is great, but you can’t hit this shot if you don’t get your weight moving forward as you start the through-swing. Push into your lead leg (above, left) to make sure you’re not hitting this shot off your back foot—which would likely result in a low or topped shot. After you push into the lead leg, your goal is to sweep the ball off the turf (above, middle). That means no deep divots!
Then keep swinging, letting your hands and club wrap around you nice and high (above, right). Combined with everything you did earlier in the setup and backswing, the ball will take off to your left with good height and then float down a little to the right. I’m telling you that if you get good at this shot, you’re going to have plenty of par and birdie opportunities.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
