# Why Do I Slice?



## starsky (May 25, 2006)

Hey everyone,

I've seen a lot of information concerning the issue, but I guess I'm having trouble digesting it because I'm a southpaw (lefty). I'm just trying to figure out why I'm slicing and what I should be doing to correct it. I know it has everything to do with stance, but I can't find the proper way to correct it. Probably because I'm pretty visual in my learning. I tried to convert some of the information given to rightys over to the lefty side but I think I'm missing steps, as it doesn't seem to be working for me. 

I can get tons of distance off of my drive, but unfortunately the ball always takes off to the left at the end of the distance.

Any tips???

Thanks,

Starsky


----------



## fitz-uk (Apr 28, 2006)

Keep your feet and shoulders parallel to your target line.

Make sure your swing path is not generating the spin. 

Keep the ball forward on the heel of your front foot.

Make sure you are not standing too far away from the ball.

Check to make sure that the club head is square at address.

If all else fails, what shaft have you got in the driver and what average swing speed do you have.

If you have a fast swing and only a regular shaft in the driver then this wont help.


----------



## rustyb42 (May 29, 2006)

fitz-uk said:


> Keep your feet and shoulders parallel to your target line.
> 
> Make sure your swing path is not generating the spin.
> 
> ...


that will cause i hook

you may have too slow a swing speed and need a whippier shaft

with the feet try to close your stance, that is take a baby step forward with your right foot and one back with you left but keep the club pointing at the target, this fill cause a little draw, if you close them too much you will hook but all you have to do is open up again


----------



## fitz-uk (Apr 28, 2006)

rustyb42 said:


> that will cause i hook
> 
> you may have too slow a swing speed and need a whippier shaft


How so? If the shaft is too whippy for him, as his hands go past the ball and he is starting his followthrough the club head is making contact with the ball. The club face will be open on impact causing the slice.

But if he has a exceptionally slow swing then other factors will come into it.


----------



## happy hacker (May 31, 2006)

Hi Folks

A slice occurs when the clubhead approaches the ball on a out-to-in swing path. Your divots will confirm this , do they point left of the intended target ?????.
Generally speaking a slice is more noticeacble with the longer clubs, so my guess is , you are slicing your drives.

To elimate slices you not only have to train yourself to swing on a in-to-out swing path, but also improve the position of the clubface through impact. I am going to list some checks for you to do.
Grip: check that you can only see two knuckles on the back of your left hand when you grip the club. try not to grip the club too tightly
alignment: always align your body to the target line. REMEMBER:if you aim for a slice , you will hit a slice. Check that your shlouders aren't open at address (at address place a club a across your knees, then your hips and then your shoulders. all three should point to the target.

Backswing: if your back swing is too flat then your shoulders and arms will force the clubhead forwards ( creating a looped downswing ) that comes over the top.

get a pro to check your swing asap. he will be able to tell straight away which swing or set up fault is causing your slice.......good luck mate. keep us informed of your progress.....


----------



## starsky (May 25, 2006)

Thanks for the advice everyone. I haven't had the chance to hit the driving range yet because of holidays and now back to work. But I'm going to try and get there tonight to see what's going on and I'll take all of these tips into practice.

I know I don't have a slow swing so that's not really an issue. I think it's more my body/foot placement that's causing me the problems.

Anyone know of any sites on the net that give tips for foot placement with diagrams and things like that? As I mentioned I'm pretty much a visual learner


----------



## HanesOnU (May 29, 2006)

fitz-uk said:


> How so? If the shaft is too whippy for him, as his hands go past the ball and he is starting his followthrough the club head is making contact with the ball. The club face will be open on impact causing the slice.
> 
> But if he has a exceptionally slow swing then other factors will come into it.


I know for a fact that if the shaft is not stiff enough it makes you draw the ball. The shaft will whip through the ball. My brother had this happen. He went from having a slower swing and through getting bigger, he got a very fast swing speed. He started hooking his 3 wood b/c it was a regular shaft. I hit it and hooked it too, and I normally don't hook the ball.


----------



## starsky (May 25, 2006)

I seem to have identified some of the problems that I was having tonight while I was at the driving range. Here are some of the things that helped me straighten out the drive.

I narrowed my stance to shoulder width, maybe even a touch less.
I brought my right foot back (I'm a lefty don't forget) and pointed my toe toward the target a little bit more.

This straightened things out for me on the driving range. I probably hit about 100 drives tonight and 80% of the drives went straight. So this seems to have been my problem.

It's weird how I only ever sliced with my driver and everything else was fine. Oh well. Can't wait to play a round now and see if this is what the problem was, or if it was all in my head.

As for my swing speed and club stiffness, I have a fast swing and I have what seems to be the right stiffness for me. I only use composite woods, my irons are ...well iron haha. Steel shafts are what I needed becuase I was snapping composite irons left and right.

Thanks for the help everyone,

Starsky


----------



## stirls (Apr 24, 2006)

Most players aim farther and farther to the left to accommodate their slice. This only makes matters worse by opening the shoulders. Your swing plane tends to follow your shoulders. If they are open, your odds of cutting across the ball increase. Try just the opposite. Aim the shoulders as far to the right as possible at address. This forces the swing to stay on the proper path. 

when youhit the range to practice imagine the line of your swing on the ground as it goes back and through toward the target. Place a range basket, or something else you don't want to break, on the ground a couple of feet behind the ball and slightly inside the intended target line. Using this drill forces you to swing from the inside out toward the target--the proper way! 

I hope this helps


----------

