Have you ever wondered if there was any simple way to learn how to fix a slice? It seems that everywhere you look, there are different methods and drills, each saying that they hold the key to ending your dreaded slice. I remember my days as a frequent slicer, always holding up my foursome and just flat out embarrassing myself on the course. The sad thing was, was that I was paying all of this money to play golf, spending handfuls of cash on green fees, course memberships, golf balls, golf clubs, and food, but I wasn’t having fun. I actually dreaded going out with my buddies to play golf. After telling myself that I needed to learn correctly how to fix a slice, I decided that I wouldn’t play another round of golf again until I fixed my slice on the driving range doing a few simple drills.


The first drill, you may or may not have heard of already, that I practiced was a drill that I liked to call the “feet together while swinging” drill. And can you guess how you do this drill? Of course! Start with your feet fairly close together and hit some range balls with the club of your choice (I always did it with my 5-iron). The reason that this drill can help one fix a slice is because, with your feet together, you swing the club on a flatter plane, thus promoting a more inside-to-outside swing path, the correct swing path for getting rid of your slice and hitting straight golf shots. I practiced this drill for days, and oh boy, did it do a wonder for my swing? You bet it did, and it will do the same for you.

I also practiced another drill, which is like a combo drill because it comes with two surprises in one. This drill mainly focuses on your follow through, which, in my opinion, is a major key to a consistent golf swing. This will help anyone learn how to fix a slice. At your normal set-up, just swing the club like normal and hold your follow through until the ball hits the ground. This time, however, focus on having your hands higher than the clubhead on your follow through, to where the club is pointing to the ground at a 45 degree angle or so. This will promote your swing to hit the ball straight, or even a draw. I also practiced this drill for quite a while, I quit slicing, and I even added 20 yards to my drive.

By: Nick Tuttle

About the Author:

Something like 95% of golfers have tried to cure a golf slice at some point in their life. It is the most common fault amongst golfers and can be terribly frustrating to cure.

I am often asked by players if I can help them cure a golf slice and of course the answer is yes if they are prepared to spend some time working on it. Unfortunately too many people want instant gratification and believe that buying an offset golf club will cure their slice. Nothing could be further from the truth. Whilst an offset club will help initially it does not get rid of the root cause of the problem.

More commonly I discover that many of the players who believe they have a slice actually have a “push” shot or a “push slice”. Each is distinctly different to the other and it is important to know exactly what your own problem is.

For a golfer to hit a slice he must perform two acts:

He must have an out-to-in swing path. Difficult to describe in words and much easier to demonstrate! But I’ll give it a go. Assume there is a straight line extending from behind and through the ball to the target. We will call this the ball to target line. Help me here and draw this on a piece of paper in front of you. Just a straight line parallel to your toe line. The swing path is the line that the club head takes relative to this target line. What I want you to do now is mark a spot in the centre of the line that you have drawn; this spot represents the position of the ball at address. Now draw a straight line starting above our target line and some distance behind the ball. This starting point would be the top of your back swing; it starts on the outside of the target line. Remember above the line and behind the ball. From this point draw a straight line dissecting the target line at the point where the ball is and finishing below the line and in front or the ball. Your line should finish on the inside of the target line. You will now have a line that cuts across the target line in an out-to-in manner. This is the swing path that must be present for a slice to occur. The club face must be open through impact. For a golfer to slice the ball the club face has to be open in order to cut across the ball and cause spin. In this case in a clockwise direction. It is this side spin in a clockwise direction that will send the ball flying off to the right. The spin is exaggerated because of the out to in swing path. The result is an ugly slice.

The primary direction of the ball is determined by the swing path of the club. Look at your drawing again and it will be obvious to you that the only direction the ball can start off with this swing path is left of the target line. There is no way it can initially go straight or right.

The direction of the ball flight after the primary direction is determined by the angle of the club face at impact – open, closed or square – in relation to the ball to target line. Make sense?

Just to reiterate what I said earlier about being certain the problem is a slice and not some other problem.

Imagine now the club is square to the ball to target line at impact but with the same out -to-in swing path (combine 1 and 2 below). You will then have a totally different ball flight because the club is square and the spin on the ball is greatly reduced. You will in fact produce a fade with this angel of club face and swing path.

If on the other hand the angle of the club face is closed through impact with the same swing path (1 and 3 below) then you will have a shot where the ball has no spin on it and the result is a hook.

There are only three possible swing paths (as per the line you drew);

Out to in as drawn In to out. This is the same as you have in front of you but starting on the inside of the ball to target line and finishing on the outside and In to in. The most difficult to execute. It starts on the inside and finishes on the inside.

There are also only three possible angles for the club face through impact:

Open Square and Closed.

Any of the swing paths in combination with any of the club face angles will produce a different ball flight.

Let me tell you my story which will help demonstrate how I was wrong about my own swing: For years I thought I had a beautiful draw. And then I had my swing analyzed. Horror of horrors when I discovered I had a “pull hook”!

A pull hook is the result of an in-to-in swing path with a closed club face at impact ( a combination of 3 and 3 above). I had been compensating for my pull hook by aligning myself way right believing that I was hitting a draw!

It is possible to cure a golf slice but before you cure it you need the correct diagnosis. Unfortunately your friends may not understand what the difference is between a slice, a push or a push slice and their well intended advice could do you more harm than good.

By: Lawrence Bredenkamp

About the Author:

Fixing a Golf Slice – 9 Simple Steps

Are You Struggling to Get Rid of a Golf Slice?

It seems that every golfer at some point in time wants to know how to get rid of slice golf. At some point, every golfer has had a fear of slicing.

I know the dreaded fear of the golf slice I had it bad. I also know how embarrassing it is to hit that weak, airy-fairy shot off to the right, the one that so often goes in the woods or out of bounds.

The other problem with slicing is that it will cause you to lose 10-17 yards from your drives. The reason for this is that slicing will produce a higher shot with more backspin and sidespin than a draw or straight shot. When you learn to overcome slicing and hit the ball straighter, you will naturally gain more distance.

It is possible to overcome a golf slice. If you apply everything Ill teach you in this free online golf lesson, you can learn to fix your golf slice.

What causes a slice in golf? It is simply that the ball is struck with a sideways force that makes the ball spin sideways. Now, one other reason you may be hitting weak shots to the right is that you are hitting the ball off the toe of the club. This in fact will open the clubface at impact. Golf Dust is a great golf impact indicator that can show you if this is what you are in fact doing wrong.

Heres what you must understand – there are only two ways that you can slice a golf ball:

1. An outside-in swing path or 2. Holding the club face open at impact

There is one other thing that may cause a shot that drifts off to the right and that is simply hitting the ball off the toe of the golf club. The best way to find out if youre not hitting the sweet spot is to use a golf impact indicator like Golf Dust or some form of golf tape.

In this article, well look at how to cure both of the problems that cause a slice.

However, what Id like to have you consider first is whats going on in your mind. Thats where I was actually having the greatest challenges and where my greatest breakthroughs have come.

Heres how I corrected my thinking and learned to fix my golf slice:

1. The biggest problem I had with slicing the golf ball was that I was actually overcompensating. My fear was slicing my shot to the right, so I would compensate by trying to pull the club inside to the left. This created an outside-in swing path, exactly what was causing me to slice.

2. Whatever you focus on expands. If you focus on that what you fear, it will expand and your mind will dwell on a slice. Get over it. Yes, thats right, just quit thinking about slicing as of right now. Stop fearing it.

3. One of the best lessons I ever learned about this was is Timothy Gallways book, The Inner Game of Golf. He talks about challenging your inner critic. Tell yourself, Alright body, show me how to hit a slice. Show me what that would look like.

Wow, all of a sudden, just by facing your fear, it takes away the tension!

Then say to your body, Alright body, now show me how to hit one straight. Then show me a hook. This process allows your body to relax and actually feel what the different swing paths feel like.

Give your body permission to try a few different swing paths. It will be very freeing and suddenly you will gain a new perception and awareness of your actual swing path.

Accuracy Golf Training – How to Align for Straight Golf Shots:

Start focusing on what it takes to hit straight shots. This method of alignment is what I still use and it is extremely effective. If you watch golf on TV, youll soon discover this is exactly how most touring pros align their shots.

1. Take your grip while standing behind the ball.

2. Next, stand behind the ball and look at the target (usually a flag).

3. Then visualize a line that runs from your target to your ball.

4. Take Dead Aim. Find something that catches your eye that is on that target line, about 1-2 feet directly in front of your ball. This is where you will aim. Make it a precise spot, like the left edge of a divot or an unusual blade of grass.

5. Come to the side of the ball and 1st align your club to the target spot 1-2 feet in front of you.

6. Now ALIGN YOUR FEET TO RUN PARALELL TO THE TARGET LINE. It is critical that you understand this point. Your feet should NOT point at the target, otherwise you will be having a closed stance and it will not be natural for your club to swing through the ball squarely. If your feet are aligned to the target, you will actually have a closed stance and will be forced to overcompensate. The best way to check the line is to take your normal stance, then have someone drop a club at your heels. Then you can go behind the ball and check to see if the club on the ground is lined up parallel to the target (it should be lined up about 15 feet left of the target the opposite if you are a lefty).

7. Great now youre perfectly aligned for success. Now waggle the club to release any tension from your hands. I suggest that you develop a consistent number of waggles before you swing because this will help you get in a steady habit. It will also keep you focused on your set-up routine, rather than taking too long over the ball and letting your mind get crowded with negative swing thoughts. You might find something like 1-2-3 go is helpful. Just create your own pattern and make it a habit.

8. Rotate your head towards the target (do not lift your head up as you will get yourself out of position). Visualize the exact spot where you want the ball to land and roll, then imagine the flight the ball will take. I do this visualization as a part of my waggle.

9. My only swing thought is simple Feel the club swinging straight down the line. I visualize an imaginary line that runs down the path I want my club to take, then I watch my divot come out of the ground along that path.

These 9 simple steps should prove most helpful in curing your golf slice and allow you to have greater accuracy in your golf game.

If you are still having difficulty getting rid of your golf slice, you should take a look at your grip.

It is possible that you have what is known as a weak grip. This simply means that your grip is such that your hands tend to roll the club to an open position and the ball curves right at impact.

A simple rule of thumb for a proper golf grip is that you want to be able to see at least two knuckles on your glove hand (your left hand for right-handed golfers). The right hand should tuck in to the left hand and the hands should work together.

You should also have a PGA teaching professional take a look at your set-up.

The Assist Pro Swing Trainer will help you with the grip because it automatically puts your hands in the proper swing position.

One last thing to check to overcome a golf slice: Part of the problem may be in the way you are NOT transferring your weight in the golf swing. If you find that on your follow-through that the majority of your weight is on the right foot (for rightys), you are not transferring your weight properly. This will cause an outside to inside swing plane and will result in a slice.

There are three golf training aids that can help you overcome the problem of slicing the golf ball:

1. The Foot Wedge No, this is not where you kick the ball into the fairway with your foot. The Foot Wedge is a golf training aid that will help you keep your weight on the inside of the right foot. When you play for real, this should help you get the feel of having your weight on the inside of your right foot. You can buy a foot wedge or even use a couple of headcovers under the inside of your foot.

2. The Inside Approach this is a great tool to automatically help you improve your swing plane and get the correct inside to outside swing path.

3. The Assist Pro Golf Swing Trainer this weighted Golf Training Aid helps to get your hands in the proper position and well as develop the proper swing motion.

A Special Golf Tip for Ladies: Many women are especially plagued with slicing the golf ball. It seems the reason for this is often because many women are overly concerned with a swing that looks good. In conversations Ive had with women about this subject, I hear them saying, I just want to look good when I swing or I just dont want to be embarrassed. Thats understandable. Learning to hit the ball squarely off the tee feels great and it makes you look like a classy, accomplished golfer.

Whatever you focus on expands. It may be that you are actually just trying too hard. As a result, you develop a tremendous amount of tension in your body and your hands are not able to relax and properly swing through the impact zone.

Heres the key to hitting great shots: Smile and have fun! Pretend like youre a little kid and you dont care about the results. Say to yourself, Im going to enjoy this swing, regardless of the outcome.

Make sure to take your grip like you were hanging on to a babys hand. When you swing, focus on relaxed hands.

When you practice, take a few swings on the practice range and see if you can detect any tension in your body when you swing. Just notice it, dont try to correct it. Make it your goal to just release any tension and allow yourself to swing to be free, fluid and fast.

The Best Golf Training Aids that Help Fix a Golf Slice:

Inside Approach

This practice tool helps you to get the proper Inside-Approach golf swing path. Most people who slice have a swing path that is too steep and comes from the outside of center to the inside. To compensate for pulling their shot, they leave their clubface open through impact, producing that nasty slice.

The Inside Approach Virtually eliminates that improper swing path. It causes a person to actually take the club away in a better position, making it much easier to come back through the ball in the proper position.

Assist Pro

The Assist Pro Golf Swing Trainer is a weighted club that has the weight in such a position that it teaches you the proper motion of the hands to roll over through the impact zone. This practice club also has a grip that automatically puts your hands in the proper and strong position. Great for developing feel, especially for a beginning golfer.

By: Colin Goehring

About the Author:

The two dreaded words that every amateur golfer fears, the
Hook and Slice.

The thing is low handicap and pro golfers use these
two shots to steer their way out of trouble.

The pro’s will hit a hook spin shot or Draw the ball to provide
a shot that can hold straight in a left to right wind and when
it hits the fairway it will roll for ages on the grass due to
the type of spin imparted on the ball.

The slice spin shot or Fade is used to hold a ball straight in
a right to left wind and this shot will land and check
quite quickly on the green.

For the high handicapper these shots are big mistakes.

In this article I will give you some tips to cure your slice.

The slice is a very common mistake that 90% of amateurs have
to live with. Every golfer has experienced this shot.

The slice is so common that every magazine will have an article
on the subject.

So what causes the slice?

It is caused by an out to in swing path and the club face is
open at impact with the ball.

The big mistake that most high handicap players make to try and
stop their slice is that they aim their body to the left of the
target hoping that the ball will land on target.

What they fail to realize is that they are lining themselves
up for an even bigger slice shot.

A Big mistake.

Before anyone can hit a perfectly straight shot you need to
line yourself up square to the target line. A handy way is to
lay a golf club on the ground aimed at the flag. Set yourself
up with your toes against the club and your shoulders and hips
in line with the target.

The next thing to do is lay a club on the ground behind the
ball as you are looking at it. It should also be lined up to the
flag and parallel with the club laid down at your toes.

As you start your golf swing downwards, aim to strike the
actual ball, but also try to keep the club traveling along
the line of the club laid on the ground. This is done to try and
keep the swing on a straight path.

By: Alistair Thomson

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:

Never Slice Again! Did you know there are 3 types of slices in golf. You need to know which one you do in order to fix it. Maybe you’ve been trying to fix the wrong type of slice all this time. The secret move that will help you stop from coming over the top of the ball. I’ll teach you the anti-sidespin setup and three incredible drills that will have you on your way to hitting the ball straighter and further than you ever have in your life.

Let’s start with the 3 types of slices. Chances are you are hitting the golf ball in one of these 3 ways if your a “slicer”.

1. The Straight Slice- this happens when you path is straight and in alignment, but you leave you club face open just a little bit. The result- the ball starts off straight, it’s looking good for the fist 150 yards, and then it slowly starts to fade down the right side of the fairway.

2. The Pull Slice- Your swing path is outside-in and your club face is open- Double whammy! The result you start off left to over compensate and then your ball takes a right turn down the fairway and ends up way right.

3. The Push Slice- Your swing path is inside-out and your club face is open. Ouch! The result- Your start going right, right off the bat (I mean club) and keep going right, and keep going right, and keep going right. You get my point.

Why is it important to know which slice you hit? Well, the reason is, in order to fix it you need to know if it a swing path problem, a an open faced club problem or both. Once you know that, you can work on these drills I’ll explain later to help you fix them.

The #1 slice causing problem is improper swing path. You hit the ball square but it’s the angle your club hits the ball the causes the slice. This would result in a straight ball off the tee, but one that fades down the right side of the fairway after it’s out there a ways.

Here is a very simple but very effective drill that will help you alleviate the problem. Setup in your normal position, feet just past shoulder width, knees slightly bent, only this time take your back foot and move it so it is just about in line with your heal of your front foot. Now take some practice swings. This will force you to hit the ball with an inside-out path and make your balls go much straighter off the tee, and stay straighter down the fairway.

The next most common slice is the open club face. Even if the club face is open just one measly little degree, it can send your ball off by more than 10 yards. For this next drill you may want someone to video tape your or at least watch what you are doing to tell you the results.
Take your normal backswing with say 5 or 6 iron. Now stop at the top of your swing, just before you would begin your downswing. (This is where you’ll need some help). Where is your club head pointing? If it’s pointing down you will have an open club face at impact. If it’s pointing right, your too closed. In the correct position you shouldn’t even see the club face from behind, it should be perfectly parallel with the shaft at 45 degrees. Work on various grips and setup’s until you can get the correct position at the top of your swing. Just a minor little tweak will make a big difference. Don’t over due it.

A drill to help get proper swing plane…take 2-3 middle irons at a time. swing them back and forth over and over again in your warm up, this will help you produce a proper backswing and swing through the target correctly on the proper plane. The reason being is that you can’t swing too hard with 3 clubs at a time. This lead me to my next point…

And finally stop trying to kill it! You’ll get more power from a centered contact than you would from an open faced hit or a swing with an improper plane. There is just too much that has to happen at the exact pin-point second in a golf swing to hit the ball properly. If your coming out of your shoes and your balance is off, forget about it. You can swing as hard as you can and it still won’t go as far as a 3/4 swing that is squared up and right in the center of the club head. Don’t go too far back in your backswing, if your not that flexible, your balance will be off and so will your swing path. Just take a nice slow backswing until you feel the tension and then begin your downswing.

By: Chris Mccann

About the Author:

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: