How to Fix a Golf Slice

Learning different swing feelings for the correct movement is the only way to fix a golf slice.

What you need to understand about swing changes is that they are uncomfortable to implement. Secondly, there will be a strong tendency to go back to your old ways.

Why? Because we always go back to what feels comfortable or familiar, the habit will always be there till we can change it in our minds first.

Enough repetitions of the new movement will alter the feeling and your mind and the key is to have patience and understanding.


There are two causes for golf slicing.

1. The clubface is open or facing right of your target at impact rather than facing your target squarely, and / or

2. The club head path is cutting across or moving right to left of the ball producing a clockwise spin on the ball.

These movements resemble the cut shot in tennis.

There are many reasons for slicing the ball but let us look at the most common ones to cure golf slice.


Incorrect grip

Most “slicers” grip too tight, because the club is in the palms of the left hand and not in the fingers. This blocks the hands from performing their proper rotary motion in the back swing and on the down swing.

Sometimes the hands are turned too far to the left on the grip, (in a weak position) a typical slicers grip.

This causes the hands to be rolled excessively open on the back swing making it very difficult to square them up at impact. The result is an open club face when the ball is struck.

Check here to see what a neutral grip looks like.

Correction

Turn the hands more to the right on the grip places them in a stronger position before you swing.

Now, it should be a lot easier to take the back swing without any independent rolling of the wrists clockwise and opening the club face too quickly.

A good idea here is to study and practice the takeaway. The club face will now square up easily at impact.

An open stance compounds the problem of slicing because the body is now aiming more to the left of your target.

This makes it difficult to take the club back on an inside path to the intended target.

Instead the club goes back on an outside path to the target and if the hips sway to the right instead of turning another slice is on its way!

My experience here is that many golfers aim there bodies more to the left to fix a golf slice. In fact the opposite is true.

Correction
Stand square to the target line to correct a golf slice with the hips, shoulders, and feet parallel to the target line. The best way to check this is to place two other clubs on the ground parallel to each other. I would suggest you employ this when practicing.

The best place to start fixing a golf slice is before you start your swing so get your address position correct first.

Your body will now be in a perfect position to make a good turn with the club swinging back on an inside path.

Over turning

Over turning the hips on the back swing encourages the club to be swung too much around the body and too much inside the target line.

This I find very common with youngsters because they so flexible.

Nice to be young!

This action usually causes a loop at the top of the swing bringing the club head down on the outside of the back swing path. The right shoulder moves outward away from you instead of dropping down and under the chin.

A very stuck position to be in and with more weight than needed on the right side it becomes difficult to transfer it back to the left again.

Correction

Minimal hip turn on the back swing is what is needed with maximum shoulder turn to stop your golf slice. Take a look at my golf swing drills here for the body turn.

Turning this way will ensure the correct back swing path for the club on a slightly inside path.

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Swaying

Sliding the hips to the right like a dancer with the weight moving over to the outside of the right foot. It now becomes difficult to transfer the weight back to the left on the down swing. This results in the player falling back after the shot.

Correction

Practice a “one piece” take away and the back swing without the right hip moving sideways to the right. Move the right hip behind you keeping the weight inside the right foot, a smart way to correct a golf slice and pivot the hips correctly. Check the take away here.

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Hands ahead of the club head

Check my impact position here The hands are in line with the club head and not too much in front of them. Slicers have there hands too far in front of the ball at impact.

Take a few slow swings with your arms and hands back and through the impact area.Try to feel the club head pass the hands in the impact area. This is the feeling of releasing the club and not holding it back as in the case with a slice feeling.

On a normal swing the hands will rotate extremely quickly through the impact area.

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Here is an excellent practical way to cure golf slice that you can try on the driving range.

This exercise will give you instant visual feed back.

Place two tees at 45 degree angles to the toe and heel of the club head as shown.

This gives you a visual for the swing path through the impact area of the club head moving from the inside to the outside of your target line.

The tees are placed approximately six inches away from the toe and heel.

A better player can place the tees closer than six inches, narrowing down the path.

The advantage of this exercise is that it will encourage you to groove a wider arc in your down swing and cure your golf slice.

Placing the tees the opposite way around will encourage a straighter path to the ball and help the player who has the opposite problem of hooking the ball.





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