# Tips To Correcting A Slice



## dadamson

Hey guys,

A lot of people have asked me, how do you cure a slice? A problematic slice is like a really bad habit, it seems impossible to shake. Training your mind and body to cure a slice can be quite a process, here are some tips for anyone struggling to beat a bad slice.

You need to find where you are going wrong when it comes to correcting a golf slice. Looking for the potential culprits is a good way to discovering the problems. Make sure you keep reading to learn how to correct a golf slice.

One of the most occurring issues that lead to slicing a ball happens during address. But don't be fooled, there are several other actions that can cause a slice to occur.

A square stance is making sure your feet, hips are shoulders are all in line, and this is what most golfers do. Unless your foot is directly in line with your left shoulder, your ball can fly to the right on impact.

Now you need to make sure your holding your club correctly. Many players who are new to golf tend to grip their clubs a little too tightly, but this generally causes the clubhead to open when it comes in contact with the ball. You need to make sure your grip is perfect, because a tight grip and a loose grip can both cause the ball to fly to the right, leading to a hook or a slice.

To figure out if you are holding your club right, all you have to do is look down at your hands. With a correct grip, you should be able to see two or three knuckles on your left hand. If you can't see any of your knuckles, then it's obvious that your grip is incorrect. 

To be able to see your knuckles, rotate your hands on the club until you can. But to be sure to practice with this new grip quite a few times. Remember, making just the smallest change in your grip can really go a long way.

Swing tempo is very important when it comes to correcting a golf slice. A lot of golfers might think that all the power in your distance comes from your arms. This however, is not correct. So what these golfers do, is once they reach the top of their backswing, they let their hands take control and lead the downswing. When they do this, it is allowing the club face to open. 

Your swing needs to be relaxed and smooth from start to finish. Something a lot of golfers do when they reach the height of their backswing is tug at the club. Try not to do this. For everything to flow smoothly, you need to let your hips start the downswing.

You also need to look at your divot when you are trying to correct a golf slice. You will encounter some problems if you notice that your pivot is slightly off to the right. So to avoid this from happening, always make sure your stance is square.

The correction of a golf slice is a timely process and it will require a lot of your time and patience. So make sure to figure out all the problems and get the right solutions you need to play a better game of golf.

As with all golfing problems, curing a slice requires plenty of practice on the green, so get out there and start winning some games!


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## KrudlerAce

*Fix Golf Slice*

Excellent Post.

Something that helped me a lot was working on keeping my right elbow (right hander) closer to my body during the golf swing. What this does is it helps keeps you better connected and also eliminates the chances of a outside to inside golf swing which most often leads to a golf slice. What it does is it encourages a inside to outside swing path resulting in a slight draw and straighter golf shot.

You can practice this anywhere by puting a head cover or glove under your right arm pit (right hander) and making golf swings. If the head cover or glove fall out then you are becoming disconnected and need to work on staying connected better.


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## FrogsHair

All good info posted above, but to just add to it from a different perspective.:thumbsup:

An out side in swing to impact with an open face, or just an open face at impact will cause a slice. Problem....how many things can cause a a golfer to swing from out side to in, or impacting a ball with an open club face? Quite a few, and it would take a decent size book to explain all the poor swing issues related to a sliced golf ball. 

Casting with a dominant right hand will cause the golfer to throw the club head out side, which means it has to come from outside in instead of inside out. An inside out swing is the correct swing. What causes casting in the first place? 

If the swing is correct, and the club face is open at impact then the club face was open at the top of the swing. If it was open at the top, that is most likely a bad grip. How many ways can you grip a club "badly"? Quite a few. Then again perhaps the grip was correct, but at the top, the left wrist was under the club instead of the right wrist. One problem leads to another.

If the swing is correct, the grip is correct, then the wrong ball position, too far forward, could cause a slice, if the club head is turning back in, from out side the ball target line. A stretch to be sure, but it happens. 

This probably will sound corny, but if you were to stand in the center of a clock face, Closer to the 9 o'clock position, with the ball on the 3 o'clock position, the club head should roughly be traveling from the 6 o'clock position , hitting the ball, with a square club face, at the 3 o'clock position, and turning back inside to the 12 o'clock position. "Roughly" a half circle. Just focusing on that "half circle" swing, will help alleviate a lot of sliced shots. 

Listed below is everything I know when done correctly, that could prevent a slice. if one, or a combination of these items are wrong, a sliced ball will most likely happen.

At the top, prior to the start of down swing; 
1. Most of the weight is on the back foot when the club is at the top. 
2. Hips turned about 45* +/-
3. Shoulders turned 90* +/-
4. Right elbow point at the ground.
5. Head fixed with no sway. (my belief) 
6. Left arm reasonably straight.
7. Left hand grip firm with no loose fingers.
8. Right wrist under the shaft. (my belief) 
9. Club shaft pointing across the line of the ball flight. (my belief) 
10. Club face half closed.
11. Correct grip for the individual golfer at address. What's correct for me, may not be correct for someone else. 

There's probably a few more I have forgotten. My point is that best tip one can give a golfer to prevent a sliced ball is to arrive at the top of the swing in the correct position. If the golfer is in the correct position at the top of their swing, then it is a simple matter to swing back down into the ball correctly. It's a lot easier to get into the correct position at the top, than to manipulate the down swing into something usable from a bad position.....at the top.

I would also suggest that the aspiring golfer purchase the book "The Nine Bad Shots In Golf...and what to do about them" by Dante, Diegel, and Elliott. It's pretty old, but still in print. Plus it's written in layman terms for easier understanding. Probably 85% of everything I know about the golf swing comes from this book. If the golfer understands why a bad shot happens, and all it's (possible) contributing factors, they stand a great chance of preventing bad shots. They are still going to hit bad shots, but at least they can repair their own (faults) swing, while still on the course. In essence the golfer becomes his/her own swing guru, in a way they can understand.


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## victorct

Hope this helps!

It’s not the worst golf-swing affliction – that would be the diabolical shank – but a slice is easily the most common malady affecting the average player. The good news is, it’s also the most studied and, in many cases, the simplest to treat.

As with any debilitating condition, it helps to understand the slice before attempting to cure it.


For novices, a brief description of the slice (veteran golfers can skip right to the treatments, below): A slice is a shot that curves sharply from left to right (for a right-handed golfer) and often ends up in a spot you’d rather avoid, like the rough, a water hazard, or someone’s back yard. It’s caused when the clubface is open, in relation to the swing’s path, at impact with the ball. This imparts a left-to-right sidespin and a matching ball flight.

Rather than an actual illness, slicing is actually a symptom of an underlying swing illness. Let’s focus on the most common of these – and discover the remedies.

*Reverse pivot*

Whereas the weight should shift from the left foot to the right in the backswing, golfers with a reverse pivot do just the opposite. This prevents them from releasing the club (rolling the right hand over the left) through impact, causing a pitifully weak slice.

Use the weight-shift two-step drill to reverse your reverse pivot:

At address, stand slightly narrower than usual with the ball midway between the feet.
Start the backswing and lift your left foot slowly, slightly off the ground.
As you start the downswing, place the left foot back on the ground.
Lift the right foot as you hit the ball and follow through.
It’s best to perform this drill at half-speed at first, then faster as you get the hang of it.

*Grip too tight*

Tension is a swing killer. Fortunately, it’s easily eradicated.

If you can see veins popping from your forearms when gripping the club, you’re holding on way too tight. Even a little excess force can result in a restricted release. On a scale of 1-10, your grip pressure on full shots should be around 3-4.

Sam Snead, bless his soul, offered a great mental cue for gauging your grip. Imagine the club as a baby bird, the Slammer taught his pupils, and hold it firmly enough so it can’t escape, but softly enough not to crush it.
*
Swing plane too upright*

This one is a bit more complicated, but hardly insurmountable.

First, check your swing plane by standing before a full-length mirror or other reflective surface (making sure you’ve got room to swing a club without shattering it). With the mirror directly to your right – your left, for lefties – assume a normal address and take the club back to the top.

The more vertical your left arm, the more upright your swing. Anything approaching perpendicular to the ground is too upright.

Before making a drastic plane change, try teeing the ball a little higher with your driver, and standing slightly farther from the ball with your irons. This will put your swing on a flatter, or more horizontal, plane, and should reduce or even eliminate your tendency to hit the ball with an over-the-top action.

Source: Tips to treat a chronic slice

This video is also amazing: http://www.videojug.com/film/golf-avoid-slicing


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