Practical Tips To Get Rid Of That Wicked Slice!
You’re lucky if you’re a golfer and you haven’t heard of the word “slice”. Or perhaps, you’re just new to the game and you haven’t been around long enough to know what a slice is.
A slice is when a shot moves aggressively from the left to the right. Don’t confuse it with a fade. A fade is when the ball moves softly from left to right. For example, you hit the ball to the center of the fairway and it moves to the right, but the ball remains on the fairway. A slice, on the other hand, is when the ball starts well at the center of the fairway, but starts moving to the right – fast. The next thing you know, your ball is headed straight for the woods, or worse, to a window of a house.
If you’re hell bent on fixing that nasty slice, you have to be aware that there are two things usually causing this phenomenon. One, is your grip. Two, is club face and impact. Fix these two things, and you’re ready to kiss that slice good bye.
First, let’s take a look at the grip. When mastering your grip, you have to focus on how your hand is positioned. If you don’t have a golf club handy, you could always use a pencil and pen to practice on. Take a look at your thumb and index finger when holding a pen, you’ll see that there’s an inverted V. Allow the tip of the V to point towards your right shoulder, and not your left shoulder or chin.
Club face and impact – When you hit a slice, the club face is coming in very open. So if you’re a right-handed golfer and you notice your swing, your club is at a 1 o’clock or 2 o’clock in relation to the heel and the toe. Basically, the heel is beating the toe to the impact. This is what causes the severe sides. In order to correct that, a little drill has been made for you to build more awareness to your club face
The Practice Exercise:
This practice exercise is for you to use 10-15 minutes before starting your game. You’re going to use a 7 or 8 iron to start, and you’ll be using it to make some small swings at around three quarter lengths. This would mean that your left hand should not reach parallel to the floor. With this exercise, you’ll be noticing what happens to your club face as you swing. It will also make you more aware that the toe should pass the heel. What you need to do here is to notice how much rotation it takes for a club face to get it to a square position. When you get this done right, you’ll be seeing that ball travel to the left rather than the right.
When practicing the drill, try to hit 10 in a row of balls that move to the left. When you achieve the 10 in a row milestone, reward yourself by moving up to longer clubs, and taking longer swings with the 5 or 6 iron. However, when you start to hit those slices again, don’t hesitate to go back to the 7 or 8. Get another 10 in a row before moving up.
Seeing how your ball can move differently from how it used to will help you gain more control over your shots. This will help you see that this game is not a mystery, and you’ll gain more confidence too. The great thing about it is you can practice your grip at home or at the office. When at the green, don’t forget to practice those drills. With due diligence, you’ll never see that slice again.
Stop by Go Golf Tips where you can find more information on how to play better golf and be the envy of your foursome. Matthew Seppanen is the co-host of the #1 Golf Instruction Podcast, Go Golf Tips. Click on the link to listen to an audio with more information about how to cure your slice.
