If there’s one issue that most amateurs struggle with, it’s slicing the golf ball.
Go to any driving range or golf course and you’ll see your fair share of players doing this, robbing themselves of distance, and being forced to play from off the fairway.
But there are ways to avoid the frustration of slicing, it just takes a few adjustments, understanding and the right attitude. If you’re open to the teaching, before you know it, you’ll be hitting the ball farther and straighter.
To help get you there, I offer 10 ways to stop slicing the ball once and for all. Give them a look below.
1. Focus on clubface
Most golfers who slice the ball have an open clubface throughout their swing — not just at impact.
The clubface has the most influence on the curve of the ball, so it’s important to get it square as early as possible in your swing. Remember, the ball will deflect where the clubface aims, so if the face is open, the contact isn’t square — which will cause the ball to slice.
2. Grip
To avoid slicing the golf ball, your grip needs to be spot on. This means your lead hand is held properly in the fingers and not in the palm. For those golfers who wear a hole into their glove, this means you’re gripping the club improperly.
Many golfers who slice tend to put their thumb straight down the middle of the grip. Instead, put the lead thumb just off-center to the right if you’re a right-handed golfer, and just to the left if you’re a left-handed golfer.
3. Posture
Posture has a lot to do with making good contact. This means your arms hang with your hands below the shoulders, which will help steady your downswing club path.
Naturally, your arms swing where they hang, so having good posture will help you stay more on plane.
4. Depth in backswing
You absolutely need to allow the club to move around your back as your turn. The depth is directly correlated with the rotation of your body through the back and hips, rather than only using your arms.
When you turn and rotate your body, you can allow the arms to swing down your shoulder line. This correct path will help produce either a straight shot or draw — assuming your grip and clubface are correct.
5. Release
Another reason players often slice? Too much tension.
To help combat this issue, I suggest using one of my favorite drills.
Split your hands apart on the grip of the club by 4-to-6 inches, and make your normal golf swing. The clubhead doesn’t need to hit the ground when you do this, and you don’t even need to use a ball at first.
Try to hear a bit of a ‘whoosh’ on the forward swing, and, because your hands are split apart, it should influence the clubface to stay either squared and closed.
If you are too tight, or you delay this release, you won’t be able to hear the ‘whoosh’ noise.
Once you add a ball, put your hands back together, trying to release the clubface.
6. Exaggerated release
I think drills are a great way to prevent you from slicing the golf ball — so here’s another one worth trying.
Place your ball on a low tee.
Now, take a half-swing with a short-to-mid iron, and, on your forward swing, try to exaggerate the release of the clubface by having the face look down to the ground. It should be at hip level on the forward side of your swing.
When done correctly, you should be able to produce some hooks thanks to this hyper-exaggerated release.
7. Be willing to hit hooks
Having a positive attitude and trusting the process goes a long way when trying to make changes to your golf game.
So if you’ve sliced for a long time, hitting a draw or hook will feel and sound really good — as it produces much more solid contact.
Just remember to be patient as you implement different changes to your swing; nothing will be fixed overnight.
8. Downswing path
Beyond clubface at impact, the second greatest influence on ball flight is the downswing path. This is where you’ll want your arms to swing down over your turned shoulder line.
To get the feel for this, I recommend using alignment sticks, which can help guide your swing path from moving out and across the ball.
Placing things in the way to avoid this “over the top” path will help provide feedback and improvement.
9. Eliminate tension
As mentioned earlier, tension can greatly influence your slice. So you’ll want to try to minimize it in order to have a natural release and speed.
Most club grips are tapered, meaning they are larger at the top and smaller at the bottom. However, too many amateurs grip the club way too tightly, incorrectly thinking that it will move on them should they relax their grip.
Instead of using a death grip, hold the club lightly. This will allow you to feel the weight of the clubhead throughout your entire golf swing.
10. Close your stance
To help improve your ability to turn and have depth in your backswing, try closing your stance.
Take your normal setup and aim your clubface towards your target. Then, simply drop your trail foot back approximately 2-to-6 inches, allowing your shoulders and forearms to react to this as well.
This subtle move will give you a head start on your turn, helping the club come more from the inside on a correct path — which will help eliminate slices.
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