In a game as complex as golf, what’s actually amazing is just how many golfers have the same problem. They get to the top of the backswing and throw the club over the top which, combined with an open clubface, leads to a ball that starts left and curves like a banana to the right, probably into some trees.
Solving your slice is therefore one of the most difficult problems to solve in golf. But it just got a little bit easier thanks to GOLF Top 100 Teacher Eric Alpenfels, the Director of Instruction at Pinehurst Resort.
Golfers generally use one or two methods when they try to fix their swing:
Internal swing cues, which are when a golfer over-exaggerates a feeling in order to try to execute the correct movement.
Or external swing cues, often in the form of a drill using an outside agent like a training aid or alignment rods, which effectively forces the golfer to swing a different way.
In his study, Alpenfels and Dr. Bob Christina measured the effectiveness of both internal and external swing cues in preventing golfers from coming over the top. They found that external swing cues, specifically one where two alignment rods were placed as you see below (the yellow one pointing to the target, and the orange one pointing right of the target), were most useful in preventing golfers from swinging over the top.
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Watch Alpenfels explain why in the video below:
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