The slice, in golfing terms, refers to the flight of the ball veering to the right or left, depending on the players’ dominant hand.

Ideally, you want to hit the ball straight down the course and not have it fly to the left or right. After all, a straight line is the shortest distance between 2 points, basic geometry.

However, if you are gripping the handle of the club too tight, this will result in an uneven swing and may cause the club face to hit the ball at an ‘open angle’. This open angled hit, no matter how minute, will drastically alter the balls trajectory in flight. Thus causing the ball to veer either to your right or your left.

A quick fix for this open clubface hit will be, turning your left hand towards the right and check if you can view the upper portion of your hand from this position. Also ensure that your palms are aligned before you swing.

Once this grip is mastered, it should drastically reduce your slices.

Another possible cure is by making sure that your feet and knees are aligned and touching each other when you swing.

This may feel awkward at first but with enough practice and time on the green, you should be comfortable swinging from this position and with this grip. You should then see a marked improvement in your swing and accuracy, as well as cure your slicing.

Just give these simple tips a try and see what happens. If anything, you will most likely enjoy that additional time on the green, so this is a win-win situation for you!

By: Tim Lee

About the Author:

People think playing golf is as easy as getting hold of the golf stick like a normal baseball bat and then hitting the ball. Bu there is more to it than just that, it is not just that easy for one to hit a golf ball and it lands on the tee that easily.

If you do not have the correct golf grip it is hard to be considered a good golf player. This is because it all results to a bad swing always. It is then very important for one to have the correct golf grip.

The first thing one should do if you are a right hander is to hold the top of the golf club with your right hand. Then your left hand should naturally from the shoulder, your hand being down the side of the golf club grip.

The left hand ends up turning slightly inwards, towards the body which is not wrong. The next thing is to bring the left hand from its hanging position and then place it against the golf club grip.

The one thing that should be noted is how the fleshy pad in your palm should run diagonally downwards to the shaft.

The next thing is to close the fingers of your left hand to form the perfect golf grip. The thing that should be noted is that the club should not be held too tight.

The pressure can be likened as to holding a tube of super glue that may result to one being damaged if not held carefully. It should be tight enough to hold but not too much to squeeze the glue out and make a mess.

The other thing for a correct golf grip is to place your thumb on top of the grip.

It should be a little to the right centre of the grip as you look down on it. The left thumb should not be pushed too far as it tends to give the feeling of a more solid grip yet it has the exact opposite effect.

This is because it ends up preventing the thumb to support the club at the top of the backswing.

The last final step to a correct golf grip is to bring your right hand from its natural and original position as you lay the club to the fingers. The index finger and the thumb should form a kind of trigger around the grip.

The last thing is to rest the little finger of your right hand into the groove formed by the first and second fingers of the left hand.

With all this steps followed carefully it results to a good grip that results to a good swing like that of Tiger Woods.

By: Ricky Lim

About the Author:

It is said that the majority of golfers suffer from one form of a slice or another. It can very often lead to reduced distance, lost balls in the rough and most irritatingly a disappointing score. It is possible to take steps to cure your slice. This article will offer a number of quick and easy steps to help solve your problem.

The slice is the product of an ‘outside – in’ swing plane where the clubface is open at contact with the ball. The result is a squirt to the right. It can be so bad that the ball can literally fly off on a right angled trajectory. Common reasons why this happens are a lack of full shoulder rotation, standing too upright, weak grip and a stiff swing to name but a few. Lets get in to some of the ways you can remedy these problems and get your handicap down to where you want it to be.

Check to see if your stance is too open at address. If your shoulders are aiming too far left and you are aiming your clubface at the target then you will cut across the ball. Try bringing your stance round so that your shoulders are almost aiming directly at the target.

To help flatten your swing plane be sure to bend from your hips to the ground. Standing too upright promotes too steep a downswing. Try and imagine you are swinging a baseball bat.

If you can’t see any of your knuckles on your left hand (your right hand if you play left handed) then your grip is ‘weak’. This will promote a slice so move your hand round the grip so you can see 2 of your knuckles.

A simple way of reducing slice can be addressing the ball with the clubface slightly closed. If your tendency is always to open the clubface at contact this may help in straightening out your shot.

To get you to have the correct shoulder rotation and stance so that the swing plane is moving ‘inside-out’ try this drill. Take your driver and place it across your shoulders. Have the grip by your left shoulder sticking out. Now set up as you would normally and make your shoulder rotation.

When you have completed the backswing the butt of the grip should be pointing about a foot beyond the ball. Anything nearer and your swing plane is probably too steep and you are likely to slice the ball. Practice getting your set up and shoulder rotation so that the butt ends in the correct position.

Try this to help promote a nice loose swing with the shoulders rotating fully through the swing. Stand with your legs together and play as you normally would. You will sacrifice distance but you will also discover a more consistent swing through proper shoulder rotation. This reduces the domination of the arms in the swing which often leads to the club moving off plane and cutting inside the ball.

On your backswing many teachers promote the idea that you should flatten your left wrist. When you come back on your downswing the wrists should then be rotating so that the clubface returns square to the target with the right hand rotating over so that it is on top of the grip on your follow through. This is a difficult motion to master for amateurs and results in the left wrist staying above the right and therefore causing an open clubface at impact. Try and eliminate this by concentrating on getting your left elbow to be pointing down at the ground on impact.

If you employ some or all of the tips contained here you should see a real reduction in the number of sliced shots during a round and you will get much better scores. Get out there and give it a go. Best of luck!

By: Michael M Lewis

About the Author:

Of all the things you can learn, learning how to fix a slice in golf can provide the biggest benefit to your golf game. When you slice the ball, you many times end up having to take penalty shots, as the ball goes out of bounds or in the water. Best case scenarios usually are hitting through trees or in a different fairway! Today, we’re going to learn three tips to help you to fix a golf slice and keep your golf ball in the middle of the fairway.

Tip 1: Proper Rotation of the Hands– After you have hit the ball, check to see where your hands are? Your right hand, or un-gloved hand, should rotate over and be on the top of your left hand after you’ve impacted the ball. If you are not rotating your hands in this way, than you are likely leaving the clubface open when the club hits the ball. The reason you want your hands to rotate is that in the process of that rotation, the clubface will close every time. This ensures a straight ball flight.

Tip 2: Check the Grip — There is a test that we’re going to try, to determine if you have a proper grip. First, insert two golf tees between your thumb and the webbing of your hand while you are gripping the club. Now you need to checkand see if the tees point toward the target, (ie, the middle of the fairway). If they do, then your weak grip is a typical slicer’s mistake. Make sure both tees are pointing straight in front of you. If this is happening, than you can be sure that you are grasping the club with the proper amount of strength. Remember that the hands are the ONLY part of the body that touches the club, so the grip is crucial if you want to fix a slice in golf.

Tip 3: Shoulders — When you are in your down-swing, your right shoulder should be LOWER than your left shoulder at the moment that the club hits the ball! Thismistake is commonfor many golfers who have problems with hitting slices. You need toexamine or video-tapeyour swing at the moment of impact. If in doing so, you find that you are keeping your left shoulder lower than your right shoulder, than stop right there, because you’ve found the reason that you’re slicing the ball.

Implementing these three tips can dramatically lessen the likelihood of a golf slice. Just think what kind of scores you will post if you can hit the ball straight everytime!

By: Matt Hammelstein

About the Author:

A golf slice can often be cured by some simple, basic corrections in
set-up.

For instance, while a golfer can occasionally compensate for a poor
swing, you cant play well with a poor grip. It is important, if you
want to fix your slice permanently, that you take the time to check
your grip using this simple drill:

Take a blade of grass and trap it between the fleshy pad on the
underside of your right thumb and the top of your left thumb. Now,
complete your grip and swing the club to the top of the backswing. If
the blade of grass has remained in position then your grip is secure and
firm, but if the grass has fallen out, this is a sign that your hands are
separating, which causes the club to move about at the top of the
backswing.

Having the clubface in the correct position at the top of your
backswing is fundamental to correcting a golf slice. Unfortunately,
thats not an easy position to check when the club is out of sight and
behind you. The way to check the clubface position is to look up and
check the direction in which the knuckles on your left hand are
pointing.

If they are well to the right, the clubface will be closed to the target
line, which in the downswing normally produces a right-to-left hook
flight. If your knuckles point to the right, the clubface will be open and
the result will be a sliced golf shot. If the knuckles point straight up to
the sky the clubface is square to the target line.

In fact, grip faults can often be the main reason for slicing in golf, and
the problem with grip faults is that they can get into your game
without you really being aware of them. To prevent this slow decline
in technique perform the following check:

Grip the club and make sure that you can see around two and a half
knuckles on your left hand. Then take a pen and draw a small dot on
your golf glove on the last knuckle showing. To ensure your grip is
correct on every shot, all you have to do is to look down at your glove
after taking up your grip. If you cant see the dot then your grip has
probably become too weak. Likewise if you can see a knuckle beyond
the mark, then your grip is probably becoming too strong.

Many players have a golf slice by allowing their left side to slide too far to the left in the
downswing, making it difficult to square up the clubface correctly at
impact. This can be a difficult habit to correct but there is a mental
drill that could help you keep those hips from sliding.

When you address the golf ball, imagine you are next to an open door
with your left side positioned against the wall. When you swing the
club back down to the ball, imagine the wall stopping your legs from
sliding to the left, while your arms and hands remain free to swing the
clubhead on through the open door. This will prevent your legs from
sliding to the left. It will also encourage you to adopt the correct
active hand action in your downswing.

By: Dave Powell

About the Author:

Let’s start out by challenging a dearly held belief that prevents far too many golfers from developing a good golf swing. Far too many golfers grip the club loosely, believing that their golf swing will be stiff and robotic if their wrists are too tight. This is not the case. If you want to improve your golf swing, get rid of this faulty idea and realize that you will do much better if you develop a tight grip.

Although many golfers have developed a bad golf swing through holding the clubs too loosely, no-one, except perhaps a few anxious newcomers, harms their swing by holding the clubs too tightly.

Many golfers tend to take a loose grip. This loose grip results in many errors that could be avoided easily. These errors are caused by hands opening at the top, the left wrist collapsing (or the right wrist, if you are a left-handed golfer), over swinging and various others.

You want a tight grip! Grab hold of that golf club and hold it tightly in your hands. Tight is right is your new mantra.

When you swing, your hands should be tight on the club. However, avoid holding yourself so stiffly that your upper back and shoulder muscles are cramped up.

Although the tight grip may feel awkward if you are accustomed to gripping loosely, it braces against multiple faults such as those mentioned earlier. This in turn helps you carry out the swinging motion most effectively.

This is the correct way to grip your club for an improved golf swing. Hold the club tightly enough that almost all fingers grasp the club. If you are a right handed golfer, the last three fingers of the left hand and the first three of the right hand are on the club. Left handed golfers will want to reverse this.

Resist the urge to place the forefinger of the right hand lightly on the club. By this, we refer to the finger that you hook round the shaft just below the thumb on your right hand. Be sure you hook this forefinger around the club firmly. This fingers tip should connect with the thumbs tip. Otherwise, at the top of the swing, the club will drop into the Vee that occurs between the thumb and forefinger. When this happens, you lose control at the top, and have to regain this control as the club swings downward.

In short, you want a tight, two-knuckle overlap for your golf swing.


Now, this is the correct way to how to stand up to the ball so you get a good golf swing. Its not difficult, but there are a couple of things to remember.

First, you want to stand in a position that allows you to swing the club back freely before easily arcing the ball downwards towards your feet. Divide your weight evenly between your left foot and your right foot. Slightly flex the knees. You are better off flexing too much than too little when you position yourself for your golf swing.

Bend slightly from the waist. Round or hunch your shoulders. Be sure your head is down. If you are a right handed golfer, you place your right hand further down on the shaft than the left hand. This in tern means that your right shoulder is lower than the left. Reverse this if you are a left handed golfer getting positioned for a golf swing.

Now go for it! Follow these golf tips and youll have an improved golf swing.

By: June Campbell

About the Author:

The grip is one of the absolute fundamentals of the golf swing. It is the only point of contact your body has with any part of the club and so having the grip is crucially important from the outset. You may have the best posture, stance and have a great swing but if there are fundamental flaws in your grip then the result is sure to be erratic. You may have heard of some of the professionals having very unorthodox grips such as being able to see 4 knuckles on their left hand but these are professionals and they know how to compensate for these things. As an amateur looking to lower their handicap you should aim to have a completely orthodox grip. If, like many golfers, your problem is how to correct a golf slice then perhaps you should go back to basics and check your grip.

As I said, the grip does not have much to do with the swing plane of the club and so your swing plane may be perfect and yet you are still slicing it. The thing to note is that the direction the clubface is facing at impact can very much be influenced by your grip. The cause of your slice may be an open club face at impact and this could be caused by a poor grip. So, how can you ensure you have a proper grip to help you find out how to correct a golf slice.

Gripping a golf club can be done effectively but differently by different golfers. People find grips that work for them and the shape and size of their hands. However, when it comes to slicing, very distinct faults can be identified in someone’s grip. Usually an open face at impact is caused by having either or both of the hands too much on the left side of the grip handle. So, in trying to find out how to correct a golf slice there are some simple checks you can do to check your grip is correct. First take a normal setup as if you are about to strike a shot and check how many knuckles you can see on your left hand. If you can see at least 2 then your grip is most likely not the reason for your slice. A similar check is to ensure the V shapes formed by both your hands on the grip both point towards your right shoulder.

Taking a solid, neutral grip is one of the first steps to hitting straight shots. If you’re a slicer and your grip fails one of the checks then you should certainly take a closer look at how you grip the club.

By: Lewis Freeman

About the Author:

Slices and pulls come from the same basic swing fault. Each time, the club head approaches the ball on an out-to-in swing path. Most golfers know, this is one of the most common errors in golf. The easiest way to know if your club is travelling from out to in, just look at your divot. When the divot time after time points to the left of the target, you are swinging outside in.

Anyhow, whether the ball slices or pulls is simply a function of the clubface. If the clubface is closed or even square at impact then the result will be a pull. If the clubface is square at impact, why is the ball headed left? Because of the club path moving from outside to inside. If the face is open at impact, the result will be a slice with a severe clockwise spin.
However, look at the club face to see where the ball
has left a mark. This will give you an idea where you
hit your impact according to your actual swing.

IN PRACTICE

That said, the slicing stroke for most golfers is most deeply felt in the longer clubs, mostly the woods. These straight-faced clubs are much less tolerant to an outside in path and the ball spins very much to the right.

ADVANTAGE WITH HIGHER LOFT

The greater loft of some drivers encourages backspin. This backspin tends to negate the slicer’s sidespin. Result? The ball will go straight but less distance.

SUGGESTIONS HOW TO FIX SLICE IF YOU CAN

To achieve the objective, there are five known tips. Try any of them. You will probably make some errors; otherwise use my technique according to your actual swing

TIPS #1: Start with your grip.

Shift both hands to the right on the club until you can spot three knuckles on the back of your left hand. Make sure, however, that the “V” formed by the thumb and index fingers of both hands are parallel. This grip technique will allow you to rotate the clubface and balance it up.

TIPS #2: Body alignment.

Align your shoulders, hips, knees and feet to the right of the target. Then, move the ball back slightly in front of your stance. This will help you creating a more inside to outside swing path.

Again these tips are easier, however if you are not comfortable, many people use baseball grips and it works because the V is still align.

TIPS #3: Try straightening your right arm earlier on downswing.

Picture yourself standing on a clock face. The ball is bang in the middle of the clock. Twelve o’clock is your target, with your feet aligned parallel. Feel as if you can swing the club from 7 o’clock to 1 o’clock. Or, from inside towards outside. However at time of
impact, both hands are facing down parallel each other. Try the exercise by stopping each time 1 inch before the ball impact to see if your hands are place properly and look at the club face to see if it is square.

TIPS #4: Keep your right arm straight on the impact.

As the club swings through contact, sense your club head closing as you insistently move your right arm over your left forcefully squaring up the clubface.

TIPS #5: Hitting shots from a side hill stretch out will also help.

Place the ball several inches above the level of your feet. Hit shots from there. Observe how this promotes a more rounded swing plane and a more controlling in-to-out path.

Hope this will help understanding much better your golf game.

By: Robert Petrucci

About the Author:

Golf grip is one of the most important features that will affect, the performance of the individual on the greens. It is advisable to improve the grip while learning to play golf, so that a person can be effective on the greens. It is seen that the grip of most professional golfers is quite similar.

It is important to find the best hand position and grip that suits the player. The correct hold comes only with experience and it is important that the person?s hold is consistent. Once a good grip is established, it is advisable to stick with it by adequate practice. It is important to practice gripping the golf club in a similar manner every time.

There are many ways to hold or grip a golf club. Usually a player uses two, three, or more different grip methods per round. The three most common grips are the ten-finger grip, the overlapping grip and the interlocking grip. It is important to determine the best grip for an individual. There are no restrictions on the type of grips, thus a player can experiment till the right grip is established.

The ten-finger grip is felt to be the easiest and oldest of the grips and therefore used mostly by novice players. It is more like a baseball grip. In this, the right-hand forefinger and the left-hand pinky, butt up to each other on the club. Even senior players or players with large hands feel most comfortable with the ten finger grip.

The Vardon grip, or the overlapping grip, is the most common and popular way to hold a club presently. In this method, the little finger of the right hand overlaps the forefinger of the left hand. Thus the left-hand pinky covers or wraps the right-hand forefinger.

Many great players such as Jack Nicklaus, Tom Kite, and Tiger Wood have the interlocking grip, which is the least common of grips. In this method, the left-hand pinky slips between forefinger and middle finger on the right hand and thus the left pinky and the right forefinger interlock.

By: Elizabeth Morgan

About the Author:

The slice is probably the most common problem that all golfers encounter when playing. In fact, some golfers spend years in frustration trying to remedy slice. Usually, slice happens just when you think your tee shot is just fine. Suddenly, the ball starts to curve to the right and promptly misses the target.

There are many ways to cure slice. Let us start with developing a good grip. As you hold the club, your left hand and thumb should be along the shaft and is aligned toward your right eye. Your right hand should wrap over the left, with the palm resting securely over your left thumb. Your grip should not be too tight or too loose. Gripping the ball too tightly can cause the ball to hook. On the other hand, a weak grip will open the clubface and cause slice. Take the time to practice your grip. Make small adjustments and try new grips until you find one that works and that you are comfortable with.

Another important component in stopping slice is to develop and practice a good stance. You can achieve this by standing square to the ball with your feet spread as wide as your shoulders. Keep your right foot pointing straight ahead and your left foot pointing a little to the left. Make sure your elbows and shoulders are in a natural, relaxed and comfortable position. Remember that posture is very important. Try to avoid throwing your lead shoulder up in the air prior to hitting the ball. Ask your friends to watch you as you hit a drive to see if you have the so-called ‘uppity shoulder’.

Finally, by simply correcting your golf swing, your goal to stop slice is half done. Remember that a correct backswing involves the hands, arms, and shoulders in one fluid and smooth motion. Meanwhile, the right downswing involves turning the hips, keeping your eye on the ball and making sure that your head is behind the ball as you proceed to your follow-through.

These are just a few of the tips and techniques on how to stop golf slice. You can also try various drills to develop specific areas of your play. These drills strengthen and develop your golf skills for the better. Just keep in mind that you need to devote time and effort through constant practice in order to achieve your goal of stopping slice.

By: Tim Lee

About the Author: