How to Stop Slicing the Golf Ball

You can get rid of that dreaded slice in about 10 minutes. That’s right, 10 minutes, maybe less.

Once you understand what is causing your slice, it is easy to correct. For me, it was my opening my shoulders way to early and coming across the ball with an open club face.

That will produce a big slice every time.  Once I understood what I was doing to cause it, I fixed it in about 10 minutes.

Simple Explanation of Club Face to Club Path

Martin Chuck of Revolution Golf has a very good simple explanation of the relationship of the club swing path and the club face path in this short video below:

I Fixed my Slice in 10 Minutes

My wife and I just returned from the desert where we celebrated her birthday. The Westin Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage is our favorite property in the desert. They have an awesome hotel, as well as very comfortable one bedroom villas which we really like.

The golf facilities are really good as there is the Pete Dye Resort course as well as the more demanding and popular Gary Player course nearby. The practice range is all grass and the putting greens are great.

The only drawback is the small pitching and chipping area at the Resort course, but the Gary Player course has a great pitching/chipping area and it is 5 minutes away.  You can putt, chip and pitch all day at no charge.

The Westin Resort’s Troon Golf Academy’s lead golf instructor is David Curtis. He has been a teaching professional since 2005 and I always drop in for his golf clinic.  It is a 30-45 minute group class held everyday at 9 AM and 2 PM  for $25.00, with unlimited range balls following the clinic.

On my most recent session, to correct my slice, David told me to :

(1) keep my lead shoulder back as long as possible as I was transferring my weight to the lead side and;

(2) to flatten my lead hand while relaxing my trail hand to allow the club to drop (gravity) as I began my downswing to shallow out the club, and to;

(3)  maintain my flat lead wrist with my knuckles toward the ground as I was moving to the ball.

Guess what? After 10 minutes, maybe even five, I had no more slice and was actually drawing the ball  from left to right.

Clearly, my club face was now inside my club swing path producing a nice left to right movement of the ball.

Some of you know that I can swing from either side. With my last lesson with David, I was swinging left-handed; after my lesson, I tried swinging right-handed. The slice was gone and I could draw the ball from either side.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any video of how David helped me, but the following videos just confirm everything David was telling me.

Keep Your Shoulders Back as Long as Possible

We have all probably heard to keep our shoulders back, but we forget.

Another way to think about this is to keep your sternum pointed behind the ball and to maintain that thought as you begin to shift your weight to your lead side.

Again, Martin Chuck of Revolution Golf and Tour Striker Academy, has an excellent video demonstrating how to keep your chest pointed behind the ball as your club moves down into the hitting zone.

I have tried this many times and it really helps from having my shoulders open up too early which promotes an over the top swing and a big slice.

Try it, it works! You still need to maintain that flat or bowed lead hand with your knuckles pointed down to the ground.

Clay Ballard Calls This the “Move”

Check out Clay Ballard’s (Top Speed Golf ) video on the “Magic Move” as he analyzes Dustin Johnson’s driver swing.

Although Dustin has an exaggerated bowing of his lead hand at the top his back swing, Clay points out how bowing the lead hand promotes squaring his driver early and helps to shallow out of the club allowing the club head to travel under the swing plane and to trace the trail forearm.

Keeping the lead wrist flat with your knuckles pointed toward the ground will facilitate keeping the club face square to make solid impact.

Most amateurs do the exact opposite and take the club back to the inside under the swing plane then come over the top on the down swing.

You have probably seen Rory practice rolling his trail hand over his lead hand in the hitting area which facilitates rolling his knuckles down toward the ground and rolling his lead hand through impact.

This might seem to be a little advanced, but with a little practice, you can do it.

The key is to keep your shoulders back as long as you can as you begin the weight shift with a bit of a lateral move to your lead side.

Do I Turn my Knuckles Down When I am Pitching?

Absolutely!!

The next morning following my lesson with David, I went over to another resort to see for myself if turning my knuckles down and flattening my lead hand would work with my 60 degree wedge.

Holly smolly, it worked. Even with my hands a little in front of the ball which delofted the face and a little stronger grip with my lead hand, I was getting that sweet click as my club face moved under the ball, sending it nicely in the air.

The earlier you get your club face square along its path to the ball, the better. I practiced this move both left-handed and right-handed and was getting the same action on the ball. With my club face square, I didn’t hit one ball that squirted off to the left or right.

In Summary…. Understand What is Causing Your Slice

If you want to correct that slice, you need to understand what you are doing to cause it.

As I mentioned earlier, my slice was caused by my shoulders opening up way too early, with my swing being more from out to in and a very open club face.

Below is a nice video by Andrew Rice cleverly illustrating the “Royalty” relationship between club swing path (the “King”) and club face path (the “Queen”).

If the club face path and the club swing path coincide, your ball will go straight.

Now, for a right-hander, if your club swing path is moving form out to in and your club face path is between your swing path and the target line, you will get your ball moving from left to right. And if it is exaggerated, you will get a slice.

And it follows, If your club swing path is from inside out to the right, and your club face path is between your swing path and the target line, you will get a draw.

Just keep the club face square to the ball at impact and you are golden. Keeping those knuckles down to the ground with a flat to bowed lead hand will help promote your getting the club face square at impact. You might even try a little stronger grip as well.

Try these tips to get rid of that slice and you will be making more sold impact. Good luck.

Please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions or success stroies that you have had.  Also interested in your favorite wine you like to drink after your round of golf!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 thoughts on “How to Stop Slicing the Golf Ball”

    1. Thanks Sherry. David is the best instructor I ever had. He can spot immediately what I am doing wrong and fix it.
      And, what could be better than a round of golf and a nice glass of wine afterwards? Well,…… maybe two glasses!!

  1. Nice informative article. Now if you could just touch on how to increase talent, that you be the answer.

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