Beginners Golf Swing Blog

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The golf slice is a massive impediment to any golfer who wishes to be the best player that they can be. Because in every round with every club you are losing massive amounts of distance and you are only scratching the surface of how good you can be.

To put the problem in context, lets say that you are capable of hitting a 5 wood 200 yards if you hit a straight shot. If you slice with the same club, all things being equal, your ball will only travel around 180 yards.

But if you draw the ball, and all other conditions are equal, the ball will travel around 220 yards because of the topspin that you will impart on the ball which will result in serious yardage when your ball hits the ground.

So you can see from this example that if you can turn a slice into a draw, you will gain 40 yards with your 5 wood.

And this effect will translate into every club you hit in your bag. Could you play golf with those extra yards?

You bet you could.

To cure a slice you will need to first ascertain precisely what is causing your slice..is it an open clubface through impact? Is it a cutting across action as a result of an out to in swing? Is it because your backswing is too steep?

Or is it a combination of these things?

To cure a slice you will need to study some decent teaching sources either in books or DVDs. You could visit your local golf professional but the danger here is a placebo effect which has you back in your old groove after leaving your pro..without any real reference for you to ‘self correct’ with a thorough understanding of what your major fault is which causes you to slice.

By: Terry Gorry

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The slice is the most common fault in golf and in this article I plan to explore what causes a golf slice and how to cure it.

The slice is an uncontrolled shot that causes the ball to curve off to the right of the ball-to-target line, causing a loss of both direction and distance.

Most slices are the result of an unintentional out-to-in swing path, though other faults may also produce slicing. Whatever the swing path, the clubface always moves across the ball from far right to near left (right handed players). This causes the ball to spin in a clockwise direction, which moves the ball from left to right as it flies through the air.

Faults that lead to a slice occur at either the address position or during the swing itself.

Possible Causes During Set-up.

Bad Grip.

A club that is held too tightly creates tension in the arms and can cause the player to have an out-to-in swing. Try to relax your grip by imagining you are holding a little bird. You don’t want to squeeze it to death but at the same time you don’t want it to escape.

Having a “weak grip”. A weak grip tends to cause an open clubface at address. If this is your problem try turning both hands clockwise on the club.

Alignment.

May be open, which promotes slicing, or closed, which promotes an over the top swing. Align your feet and shoulders so that they are parallel to the ball to target line.

Ball Position.

Do not place the ball too far forward, this is a common fault which causes the shoulders to open and promotes an outside-to-in swing path.

Move the ball back in your stance, but still forward of center, so that when you set the club down your shoulders are parallel with the ball-to-target line.

Clubface angle.

An open clubface at address will cause the ball to slice. Ensure that your clubface is aligned square to the ball-to target line.

Possible Cause During The Swing.

Poor weight transfer.

If you are not transferring your weight from your back foot to the front (target) your clubface will be open through impact.

Use the famous Gary Player “down the fairway” drill, where you play your shot and take a step forward on your follow through and walk after the ball.

Another drill is the stepping drill whereby you grossly exaggerate your weight transfer by lifting your front leg on the backswing, shifting all your weight on to the back foot and then stepping on the front foot and lifting the back foot on the downswing and follow through. Try it, it works.

Also very effective is to swing with your eyes close and concentrate on the weight shift. Do not worry about the ball when using this drill.

Club follows an out-to-in path (points to left of target at top of back swing).

With your club in this position you will have an out-to-in swing path.

Use the following drill to cure this. Address the ball as normal and then raise the club about 18 inches above the ball so it is hovering directly above it. Make a backswing that is not pulled quickly inside. Note the angle of the plane going back. Now make a forward swing in which the plane is under or shallower than the backswing plane. A “back – under, back – under” routine. Lower the club to the ball and repeat.

Upper body tension.

This is probably caused by gripping the club too tight. See above for holding a bird. Also relax the tension in the arms.

I trust that this article has helped you understand what causes a golf slice and how to cure it. It won’t happen overnight but if you practice the above drills you will soon find yourself playing golf without slicing.

By: Lawrence Bredenkamp

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Nobody likes to slice the golf ball as it results in both loss of distance and accuracy which in turn costs you strokes on the golf course. The way to get rid of that nasty slice is not really difficult but will require you to analyze your current swing and fix some of those mechanical errors that are causing the slice. Here are a few tips that can help you hit straighter shots more often:

Tip 1: Keep the right hand passive (right handed players)

Many players in their efforts to hit the ball far use their dominant right hand to try to muscle the club through the hitting zone. The problem with this strategy is that it usually results in poor shots since using the right hand tends to cause a problem known as casting.

Casting is simply releasing the club too early which result in an outside to in club path that imparts slice spin on the golf ball. One good way to eliminate this is to focus instead on pulling the club with your left hand on the downswing. This will help to almost naturally cause the clubhead to move in an inside to out swing path which is ideal for straight golf shots.

Tip 2: Use less wrists during the swing

It is best to avoid using the wrist too much during the golf swing. Think of your wrists as simply a support mechanism. Focus on making good shoulder turns and hip movements that produce an inside to out swing path. Using the wrists too much during the downswing will cause the club to usually release early which results in loss of power and slices.

Tip 3: Move the hips laterally rather than turning them during the downswing

Turning the hips too much on the downswing can cause a slice shot since it throws the club head to an outside to in path. Your hips should slide slightly towards the target through impact so avoid turning them too early. The hips should turn after impact when the momentum of the follow through naturally causes them to rotate.

Tip 4: Keep the head down through impact

This is a common tip given to all new players but it is important nonetheless. Raising the head up too early can cause the club to come from the outside and cause a slice shot. Make sure your head stays down through impact and comes up naturally with the right shoulder as the follow through completes.

Tip 5: Be sure the club is square at the address position

If the club head is open (pointing to the right of the target) at address then this will cause slice spin. Check the club head during address and make sure that it is facing the target.

Tip 6: Slow down your tempo

Tempo is unique to every player. Some players will naturally have a fast tempo and others a slower one. However, if you are always slicing the ball then try to slow down your tempo slightly especially on the downswing. Swinging too fast can throw off your mechanics in many areas that can result in slices so slow things up a little to help in your efforts to hit the ball straighter. Try some of these tips to help you reduce slicing the golf ball and shoot lower golf scores.

By: Marla Paulsone

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Every golfer knows the feeling of completely slicing their drive into the trees, bushes or anywhere, but the fairway. It is inevitable, it will happen to you sooner or later, even the pros suffer from a case of the shanks or bad slices from time to time.

Although at the time of the nasty golf slice you don’t have any no idea what went wrong with your swing because you just swung the golf like you did every time, there is always a cause and it can be a number of things.

A lot of golfers have things that they do when they swing that is unique or odd which they have become accustom to. Some golfers twist their wrists a certain way, some don’t interlock their hands on the club and other just look funky when they swing. What ever it is, if it was working at one time or another you are doing something right, but there are a few things that may be the cause of your slice.

First of all most golfers totally miss the importance of good hip rotation in their golf swing, without good hip rotation your swing will never result in a maximum amount of yards in your drive. Secondly it could be your follow through, golfers without the right follow through will always a little off target. Lastly keeping your eyes on the ball. It sounds really simple, but if you lose eye contact with the ball during your swing you will almost certainly develop and ugly slice in your golf swing.

By: Ryan Stains

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There are a number of theories as to why a golf ball is sliced, but the most common reasoning is that the ball is struck from the outside to the inside of the target line. Although rather uncommon, it is possible for you to strike the ball from the inside to the outside. This can really be troubling, as it will slice the ball from the right to the left.

Another golf slice tip to help eliminate this frustrating habit is to loosen your grip. Sometimes if your grip is too tight, it makes it difficult for your hands to rotate at impact. This is a simple solution, but many times your grip is combined with another problem as well. If your shoulders aren’t turning and your weight doesn’t shift to the right at the top of the swing for right handed golfers and to the left for left handed golfers, your body will be ahead of the ball. This will cause your club to open at impact and slice the ball.

One way that many people try to compensate for their slicing difficulty is by adjusting the way they line up. For instance, if you are hooking it from left to right, some people will purposely aim further to the left with the hope of ending up in the middle of the fairway. The problem with this is that you are relying on your shot slicing every time and are adjusting to an already annoying problem. To fix a problem with another problem is setting you up for trouble.

The best golf slice tip that I can give you is to practice your stance and the way you shift your weight. The more practice you do on driving ranges and on the golf course, the better chance you will have of correcting your slice. If you can overcome the slice and begin putting the ball on the fairway more, your score will drop a drastic amount. It is frustrating because your slice won’t cure overnight, but with determination and patience you will overcome this nuisance of a problem.

By: Josh Spaulding

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