Every golfer has struggled with a slice while playing this game. Heck, even the best players in the world have hit a big ole banana ball off the tee one time or another. It’s a shot shape that every golfer knows and fears.
The most common victims of the dreaded slice are high handicappers and beginners. If someone shoots over 100 on a regular basis, there’s a good chance they are a consistent slicer.
As anyone who’s struggled with a slice knows, curing the ailment can feel impossible. In truth, though, curing your slice is easier than you think. All you need to do is make a few simple tweaks to your setup.
For help with that, we turn to Nick Clearwater, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and GOLFTEC’s Senior Vice President of Player Development.
How to fix your slice
We teach a lot of high-handicap players at GOLFTEC, and for many of them, a slice is their typical ball flight. With most of them, the cause of that slice comes from a poor setup.
When we analyze a pro’s swing with our OptiMotion technology, we them set up with their shoulder slightly open and with their shoulders tilted about 15 degrees away from the target. With almost all chronic slicers, their shoulders are more open and level in relation to the target. This setup is a recipe for hitting that dreaded banana ball.
GOLFTEC Swing Evaluation
To fix this, we need to make just a few simple setup adjustments. Close your lead shoulder slightly (move it toward the ball), and then twist your lead arm toward the target until your elbow is pointing at the flag. To help you get in this position, put your lead hand more on top of the club like you would with a strong grip. Do that before every swing, and it should get you closer to those setup numbers we see with the pros.
Once you get these setup positions down, should should start to see a more neutral ball flight. It’s as easy as that.
If you want to learn how to correct your slice under the guidance of a GOLFTEC coach, , book a swing evaluation here.
