Four-time Champions Tour winner Esteban Toledo gives an easy fix to improve your drives, leading to straighter and farther results.
GOLF
I’m not the longest hitter off the tee, but I’m still able to rip it a solid 250 yards or so with consistency. Anything more than that, though? There’s a good chance my sequencing is all off, I get into bad body positions and then find myself over-swinging, watching my ball sail way right for a massive slice.
This is probably a common mistake you make, too, assuming you’re a mid-handicapper or higher.
Sure, the main culprit is an open clubface, but it’s likely happening because your swing is coming over the top — meaning the clubhead moves too far in front of the ball as you come through impact.
While every golfer often asks themselves how to fix a slice at some point, many times there are lots of movements to incorporate, rather than just one easy solution.
But not today, because Esteban Toledo of the PGA Tour Champions is here to share one fix that can lead to less slices and longer drives. Check out his easy tip below.
Esteban Toledo helps cure your frustrating slice
In the video above, Toledo begins by highlighting “one of the biggest mistakes” that amateur golfers make — which is the aforementioned over-the-top swing path.
“They make the backswing [or takeaway] pretty good, but then they come over the top,” he says. “That means they move the right hip [for a right-handed golfer] to the right, instead of [having it stay behind the clubhead and more towards the inside of the ball].”
After hitting a drive with incorrect form — which produces a slice — Toledo dives into the one simple fix you can use right now to straighten out your tee shots.
“Instead of coming over the top, I’m going to bring [the club] from inside,” he says. “It’s like holding a tray, where you get up on the top and you bring the [trail] arm really close to your body.”
By naturally keeping the trail arm to stay close to your midsection, you’ll allow the clubhead to fall and maintain the proper swing path, leading to more center-face contact.
While you may not be ready to incorporate more swing speed just yet, by simply making better contact that’s not off the toe or heel you’ll produce farther distances that are much straighter.