Beginners Golf Swing Blog

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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

About the Author:

When you’ve given as many golf lessons as I have, it doesn’t take much thought to figure out that slicing is golf’s most common swing error. In fact, many weekend players who attend my golf instructions sessions for the first time slice, with both men and women slicing about the same amount. And they all want to know one thing when they first come to me: How do I cure my slice?

Curing your slice isn’t easy, especially if you’ve had it for a long time. You’ve ingrained the swing fault in your muscle memory and making changes to it will feel uncomfortable and strange. But the benefits of slicing less far outweigh the costs. Hitting straighter shots more consistently not only keeps you on the fairway, it also cuts strokes from your golf handicap because it produces better approach shots.

Causes Of A Slice The causes for a slice are well documented in magazines and often discussed in golf lessons. Four things trigger a slice:

1. Upper body turns too soon

2. Hands are too high at impact

3. Upper body outraces the club on the downswing

4. Grip end gets too far in front of the clubhead at impact.

These errors leave the clubface open at impact-a major swing error. How major? Recent research by one club manufacturer indicates that a club with an S flex shaft with 9.3 degrees of loft and the face open at impact about 2 degrees results in a shot that finishes 16 degrees off the target line. Obviously, you must get the clubface square at impact to hit the ball straight.

Slices and Cures Let’s look at the four most common types of slice and consider four drills you can practice to help cure your slice. Your divots will tell you what kind of slice you have.

1. Opening Up Too Soon (The Pull Slice) This is perhaps the second most common slice type. Its generated by your right shoulder moving out and over on the downswing, causing the clubface to come into the ball on an outside-in swing path. Your hands sensing that the club is coming from the outside hold the clubface open to the path, resulting in a pull slice. With iron shots your divot points left of target.

Drill: Hit practice balls with your back foot moved back a few inches from the target line and your heel down. Swing the club back making a full shoulder turn. The idea is to feel as if you’re swinging the club primarily with your arms and shoulders through impact. Let your body respond to the swinging of the arms and the releasing of the clubhead.

2. Handle Too High At Impact If your hands are too high at impact just before and through the ball, you’ll cause the clubhead to get stuck behind you. Often this happens because the golfer tries to clear the hips too fast or doesn’t trust the loft of the club to get the ball airborne. Whatever the cause, you end up with a slice. There’s little or not divot with irons.

Drill: Take your normal address position. Have a friend hold a club so the grip hovers just above your hands. As you swing back and through your friend should keep his club’s grip end steady. Concentrate on letting your hand pass just under his club.

3. Body Outraces Club (The Push Slice) With the push slice your ball starts to the right of your target, then goes even farther right. Usually this means that your body outraces the clubhead. Some people call this a lunge. To compensate some people try flipping the club through the ball with their hands in an effort to square the clubface to the ball.

Drill: Use your driver or fairway wood. Tee the ball up. Take your address as you normally would but with your left leg positioned slightly inside the ball. Now stand only on your front foot. Swing the club back and through and try hitting the ball. Alternate hitting five balls on one leg, then with your normal swing. 4. Handle Too Far Ahead Of Ball Getting the handle too far ahead of the clubhead is probably the most common cause of a slice. The primary problem is back of forearms rotation. If you make a strong strike of the ball and it starts straight down the target line before curving to the right. With your irons the divot would be square to the target line.

Starting with knockdown pitches, rotate your left forearm (right-handers) during the swing so your left hand knuckles face the ground just after impact, with the clubface turning down. Let your right hand come off the club. Once you get the hang of this, use other clubs. This drill increases clubhead speed and squares the clubface for a straighter shot.

Keep in mind as you practice these drills that you may not want to turn your slice into a draw. Hitting a fade has its advantages, too. The key, regardless of the type of shot you develop, is hitting a dependable, more consistent shot that keeps you out of trouble and gives you control of the where the ball lands. The type of shot will cut strokes from both your scores and your golf handicap.

By: Jack Moorehouse

About the Author:

I recently worked with one of my readers who asked me for a second opinion on a video swing analysis that he had just received that brought up an interesting point about adjusting swing plane which I thought I would share with you.

He went for the lessons with the goal of increasing his driving distance by 10-15%. He was also experiencing pushed shots to the right.

The video analysis revealed that his swing plane on the back swing was very flat. Being a large-chested man who lacked a little flexibility in his upper body, he had developed a tendency to “wrap” the golf club around his body on the backswing. The net result of which was a shallow downswing that came into the ball from a sharp inside-out club head swing path that often caused the pushed shot to the right.

What he needed to do to help correct the push problem and also improve his distance potential was to adjust his swing plane to a more upright plane.

This would cause the club head swing path to move more down the target line giving him more margin for error at impact, and it would create more potential energy of the back swing from a higher top swing position that would result in increased swing speed at impact.

His instructor correctly picked this observation up. However, the way he presented the fix for the problem was a little misleading.

His advice was to “raise the hands” more on the backswing which essentially was the end result that he was looking for that would come with a more upright swing.

The reason why I thought I would focus on this is that I often read and hear about “raising the hands” as a means of creating a more upright swing. This is also a technique used by some instructors to encourage more trunk rotation on the backswing to increase backswing torque and swing speed.

Why I say this is a little misleading is that the student is presented with an instruction that can create other problems with their swing. As it turned out, that was what happened with our reader.

His instructor was encouraging him to get his hands up above his head and shoulders which encouraged more trunk rotation and raised his swing plane which is what his instructor was looking for, but due to his lack of flexibility, it created a lot of muscle tension in his left side and also created a severe break of his left elbow…

Swing plane is not governed by your hand movement – it is governed by shoulder movement. The higher hand position is the “result” of a more up right swing, not the means to get there.

In order to adjust your swing plane, your focus has to be at the start of the swing – not at the end of the swing trying to achieve a result that many golfers have no hope of reaching due to their lack of flexibility.

Swing plane is affected by how you rotate your left shoulder – the more you rotate the shoulders “horizontally” around your spine the flatter the swing plane, as was the case with our reader.

To increase the swing plane angle, rotate your shoulders more “vertically” by driving the left shoulder down instead of around at the start of the swing.

Initiating the backswing turn with a vertical shoulder movement instead of “lifting the hands”, helps you to remain relaxed in your left arm and maintain a stable left side with no elbow break – incidentally, this also results in less risk of an early hand release from the top of the swing.

We all know that increasing backswing torque increases swing speed.

Rotating your shoulders more achieves this end. However, you will not generate any more shoulder torque by breaking the left elbow just to get your hands into a higher position – you end up loosing torque.

The reason why you have to break the elbow in the first place is because your shoulders will not turn any further. If they have reached their limit of flexibility that’s the maximum torque you will achieve from the trunk turn.

The left elbow breaks because the arm muscle are unable to match the tension that has been built up in the trunk turn. Once the break occurs you release the torque contribution from your arm muscles which essentially “opt” out of the total torque build up in the turn.

The net effect is that you loose backswing torque after the break occurs.

Breaking the left elbow also creates another moving part in the swing that has to be coordinated back to the straight position at impact making the timing of the swing more difficult.

Be very careful about what you hear and read about a “high hand position”. Yes, it is the ideal position for power and consistency in the swing that we see in every professional swing, but you have to have the flexibility to achieve it.

If you lack the flexibility, do not attempt this as you will create more problems with your swing than you solve.

Recommendations:

1. Never try to swing beyond your “natural” swing range which is what this instructor was advising our reader. Always swing within your natural range of flexibility.
2. A move to a higher swing plane angle is good for both swing consistency and swing speed – you get there by more vertical rotation of the shoulder that comes from driving the left shoulder downwards at the start of the swing – not by trying the raise your hands above your head.
3. Do not break the left elbow. Even though your hands may not be able to go beyond shoulder height, maintain a firm left side to retain backswing torque and simplify the timing of the swing.
4. In order to achieve more shoulder turn, you have no other choice but to improve the flexibility of your back muscles. – Go through simple lower back stretching routines every day for 2-3 weeks and you will increase your turn angle by as much as 10.


Good luck!

Regards,
Les

By: Les Ross

About the Author:

You love golf but you’re still searching for a way to fix a slice? Straighten out your driver and understanding what causes your ball to banana., will allow you the freedom to shoot lower scores. Imagine what kind of scores you can shoot when you begin hitting it straight and long. The main cause of a crooked ball flight begins with the takeaway. Your takeaway is probably on the outside, resulting in a downswing that comes over the top. You probably experience a shot pattern of left of target misses or slices way right of your target.

Implementing these tips will help you begin to fix a slice.
Place a club cover just outside your ball and a foot behind it. Every time you swing try and miss the cover. Your swing is the culprit to your wayward shots and a proper swing path will eliminate most problems. You can also try placing your golf bag or broken club 6-12 inches behind the ball, this way you are forced to take the club back on the inside. Most chronic slicers have a weak grip. Meaning your top hand is turned to far to the left. Usually a weak grip has the thumb in the 11:00 o’clock position. Turn your hand over the top of the club and make it more towards the 1:00 o’ clock position. You will able to square the face of the club easier on impact. Most slicers also have the habit of keeping their stance open. This helps promote an outside swing plane. What usually happens is the more a person bananas the ball, the more open and left they aim. Course this makes the problem worsen. You should go ahead and square your stance by moving the front foot ahead of the back foot.

You can fix a slice relatively easy by practicing these tips on the range. Usually, this type of spin on the ball takes some time to remedy. But, with proper practice and dedication to solving the problem, you will see yourself straighten out your drive.

By: R.T. Bucher

About the Author:

A good golf swing starts off with the correct golf grip. There is however no such thing as one correct golf grip. In this the third article of this three part series I will explain the four elements of the correct golf grip.

I shall refer to these four elements as the four P’s.

Placement: This is how we put our hands on a golf club relative to one another, high or low on the grip.

Positioning: This is the amount of rotation of the hands clockwise or counter clockwise, generally referred to as a strong or a weak grip. The positioning is dependent on the size and strength of the player’s hand plus the shape of the shot he is trying to hit.

Pressure: This is simply how hard one is squeezing the club.

Precision: Is whether one grips the club in a precise manner (the same way each time) or is careless so that it is a different grip each time a shot is played.

Let’s cover each of these individually.

Placement. Ideally placed the hands should be in such a position that the player has control over the club. If the hands are too far back on the grip control is lost, too far forward and power and distance are negatively affected. When held correctly and inch to an inch and a half of the shaft should stick out above the back hand. Try moving it different distances until you are comfortable.

Positioning. The positioning of the hands determines whether or not one has a weak, neutral or strong grip.

A weak grip is one that is turned counter clockwise (right handed players) on the grip and the back of the target hand points slightly left of target – more towards the ground with one knuckle on the left hand visible. A weak grip encourages an open club face, resulting in a push, slice or a push slice depending on the swing path of the club.

A neutral grip will encourage a square club face at impact. In this position the hands are on either side of the shaft and are square to the target. There will be two to two and a half knuckles showing. A square club face will result in a draw, fade or straight shot depending on the swing path of the club.

With a strong grip the hands will be turned clockwise on the shaft (away from the target) with 3 or 4 knuckles showing and will encourage a closed clubface. This will result in a hook, pull or a pull hook.

Pressure: The correct pressure for holding a club would be to imagine that you have a small bird in your hands. You want to be able to hold it firmly enough so that it won’t escape but loose enough so that you don’t kill it. We don’t want the SPCA after you!

Tighten your grip and you will lock your body muscles, limiting your range of movement and your ability to create power.

Precision: It goes without saying that holding the club precisely for each shot will help with consistency.

That concludes the 3 part series on The Correct Golf Grip and I trust it has gone some way to helping you with your game.

By: Lawrence Bredenkamp

About the Author: