Types of golf shots

Fade and slice
An out-to-in swing of the golf club with respect to the target line, produces a slice which bends the ball to the right. A less severe slice is called a fade. Some times a slice is caused by not moving the left hip out of the way towards the left during the down swing. This error is not too obvious unless a high speed video is available for analyzing the fault. No matter what the cause, a slice is always the result of hitting the ball with an open club face. This part is always true.

An open club face cuts across the ball imparting a clockwise rotation. The transfer of force from the club to the ball results in two major component, linear forward force and rotational momentum. Initially the ball goes slightly left of the target line. As the forward component diminishes the rotational component takes over. The ball moves more and more towards the right. The shape of the ball’s trajectory is decided by the magnitude of each component at that particular point in time. A fade carries some back spin and lands softly.

Draw and hook
A shot that bends to the left a little is called a draw. It is the result of an in-to-out swing. A shot that bends a lot to the left is called a hook. Draw and hook shots are caused by hitting the ball with a closed club face. This type of impact causes the ball to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction. Initially the ball goes to slightly right of target. As the forward momentum diminishes, the rotational force bends the ball towards the left. A draw shot will usually go further than a fade because it also carries some top spin. On landing the ball rolls further on the ground. A shank is produced when the ball missed the face of the club completely and makes contact with the hosel, the lower end of the shaft where it connects to the face. A shanked ball goes sharply at an angle away from the target line, either left or right. This is caused by standing too close to the ball at address or dropping the shoulder at the start of the down swing. In any case, the ball did not make contact with the club face at impact. Its flight is completely out of control.
A topped shot (skull) is caused by striking the ball way above the equator. The ball will not become airborne for long. It rolls a short distance on the ground due to having a lot of top spin. However, every time the ball makes contact with the ground it loses distance due to friction with the tuff. Another factor also comes into play, the terrain (bounce). The direction of the ball becomes very unpredictable.
A sky shot goes very high and does not go forward far enough. The club face makes very little contact with the ball, mostly below the equator.
A fat shot is caused by the club making contact with the ground first, then it bounces forward and strikes the ball. Most of the power is absorbed by the ground before it was transferred to the ball. The ball loses distance even though it usually moves in the general direction of the target.