Pull-Fade

A pull-fade starts left of the target line and curves back to the right through the air. The path is out-to-in (which starts the ball left), while the clubface is open relative to that path — enough to produce left-to-right curve — but still closed enough relative to the target line that the ball starts left rather than at or right of target. Many accomplished players use a controlled pull-fade as a stock shape, because it tends to be a repeatable pattern once the amount of path and face relationship is dialed in, and it holds up well in wind.

The distinction between a "playable" pull-fade and a problem pattern is degree and control. A stock pull-fade starts a modest, predictable amount left and curves back to finish at or near the target. A problematic version starts well left with too much curve to reliably return to target, or the amount of curve varies unpredictably shot to shot — usually because the out-to-in path itself is inconsistent rather than a repeatable, moderate amount.

Golfers who slice (severe out-to-in path with an open face relative to target) sometimes narrow the miss into a pull-fade as an intermediate improvement: the path is still out-to-in, but the face has closed enough relative to the target line that the ball starts left instead of at or right of target, capping the total curve. This is progress, but the path itself — the more distance-costing part of the pattern — often still needs work.