# Help with the slice



## Tony Tolliver (Nov 22, 2010)

Hey guys,

I just wrote this article on how to fix a golf slice and I was wondering if I could get come comments and opinions of the content. 

Some of the information is from researching the topic but most of it comes from trial and error in how I dealt with my wicked "banana" shot.

Thanks!


*Fixing a Golf Slice To Master Your Game*

Fixing a golf slice can be one of the most daunting tasks in a player's overall game. Here are some target points for you to check in your swing which will hopefully pin point it's source.

You should first know...even selecting the wrong club for the shot can bring about a negative effect. But we'll turn our attention on the swing itself.

Of the most recurring causes, the problem at address is the most universal.

When addressing the ball, not being "square" to the target line with your shoulders, hips and feet will result in disaster. If your left foot slides forward toward the ball, the logical result will be an open club face which results in a ball flight to the right. From top to bottom, notice your left foot, Is it underneath the left shoulder? It should be if you want the accurate stance. The same holds true for the shoulders and hips. If you are not "square" at this point, your ball won't take to the air straight and true.

Get the right stance to start yourself on the path to fixing a golf slice and then look at your grip. Too much tension in the hands will have you clutching the club or even worse, grabbing it at the top of your backswing. This will cause an open-faced golf shot. On the other hand, when a club is not held tightly enough the face will shift on the way down.

Grip pressure is one thing, but the position of your hands is also important. A "neutral" grip works well for most amateurs. Finding out what type of grip you have is relatively straight forward. Take your normal grip on a club and see the position of your left hand. You are in the correct position if you see either two or three knuckles. The grip will have to be modified if you don't see them. If it feels incorrect at this point, that's ok, because truth be told, this is exactly where your hand is suppose to be with a correct grip on the club. Hit at least 20 balls by focusing solely on your hand position. As your hitting balls and taking note of the ball flight, slight adjustments can be made as you go. Once the desired ball flight is achieved, always remember where your hands were on the grip so that you can repeat it.

There are a great deal of variables in fixing a slice but none are as vital as how fast you swing the club. It is a natural feeling to try to use your arms as a power source to get some extra yards, but this rarely works. Ask any pro and he’ll tell you that golf is practically the only game there is where the slower you swing the further the ball goes. During the top of a practice swing, think "no hands" on the way down. When the hands aren't leading in the downswing, your chances of meeting the ball with a square face improve dramatically. Remember, the hips lead the way in a smooth and relaxed tempo and everything else will follow.

Fixing a golf slice can be as effortless as noticing direction of the divot in the ground, and making the necessary tweaks to have it pointing down your target line. When it appears off to the left, you are cutting across the shot. Do a quick notice of the position you are in over the ball before you hit it. Putting yourself in a "square" set-up is an essential first step in fixing a golf slice.

One final note. Keep your money in your pocket. Look inside yourself for the answer, not at some "gizmo" that promises to repair your slice in a hurry.


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## KrudlerAce (Jul 3, 2010)

*Article*

Thanks for the article Tony, yeah it's not bad.

I would only add about the importance of ensuring your downswing comes from more of an inside to outside swing path. Most slicers of the golf ball use mostly arms and shoulders at the top of the downswing which causes an outside to inside golf swing. 

I personally worked on this and now hit a nice, powerful draw shot most times.

The article is fine as I realise you are writing it based on your own experiences in dealing with the slice. This is what really helped me so you could maybe if you choose add another short paragraph advising that this technique has worked for others.

Thanks and all the best!


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

I liked your post. It gives insight to a few of the many causes of slicing the ball. 

Next to a shanked shot, the slice has more problems with the swing than just about any other poor shot. Obviously the more problems a golfer has that are causing the sliced shot, the deeper the golfer has to look into their swing for a cure. The golfer has to know all the variables that can cause a slice, and the fix to go along with each of them. If the golfer has a thorough understanding of poor swing issues, on course fixes during a round are possible. Knowing these fixes can save a golfer's score for that round. 

As an example; things like an open club face at the top the swing. If it's open at the top it will be be open at impact. An open club face at impact puts slice spin on the ball. So the golfer needs to know what causes an open club face at the top. Is it bad grip, or the hands being in the wrong position at the top of the swing. What is a bad grip, and/or the hands being wrong at the top? Is the grip too weak, or is the wrong hand under the club at the top? It could be one or both of these issues that cause the club face to be open at the top. So, just an open club face at the top has two poor swing issues the golfer needs to know about and understand. 

Just off the top of my head I think there are 10 or 11 other poor swing issues that can cause the club face to put slice spin on the ball. The start of the back swing might be wrong. Swaying might be a cause. Hitting from the top can cause a slice. A wrong movement by the hips at the start of the down swing can cause a slice. Dipping the front shoulder during the back swing is another slice producer. These are just a few swing problems that can cause a slice.

If the golfer can accomplish a one piece take away, with the correct grip, with the hands correct at the top, which causes the club face to be "half closed" at the top, while incorporating an inside out down swing, the golfer would hardly ever slice the ball. If the pros can't do this 100% of the time, we mere mortals are doomed from the beginning when it comes to this particular swing percentage.


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## Tony Tolliver (Nov 22, 2010)

KrudlerAce said:


> I would only add about the importance of ensuring your downswing comes from more of an inside to outside swing path. Most slicers of the golf ball use mostly arms and shoulders at the top of the downswing which causes an outside to inside golf swing.



Yeah, you're right...

I need to add something about coming "over the top." Most definitely. That was the mega-problem I faced with my slice. I wanted to "baseball-swing" it off the tee.


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## MattyB (Dec 1, 2010)

Hey,

That's a solid article. A lot of people struggle with the slice so the more teaching material out there the better. For some reason I tended to hook the ball when I was first starting out (I'm the weird one, I guess).


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## Tony Tolliver (Nov 22, 2010)

MattyB said:


> For some reason I tended to hook the ball when I was first starting out (I'm the weird one, I guess).


Hey MattyB...

If I didn't have a choice, and I had pick one swing flaw I had over the other, it would definitely be a hook over the slice? 

Why? Well, at least with a hook you are going to probably get 30% more distance out of the shot. Granted, it will go farther out of bounds so what difference does it make, but, for those hooks that do manage to stay in play, your distance is going to be much greater. The slice is just a weak shot no matter how you...um...er...uh....slice it!


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