4 Tips on How to Fix a Slice in Golf
Last Updated on 6 January, 2021 22:55 by Pri
How to Fix a Slice in Golf
A so-called slice is a shot where the ball significantly curves during flight. If you are a right-handed golfer, a slice will usually result in the ball curving from left to right during flight. Although some golfers intentionally deploy a slice to manoeuvre the ball across a course, they are almost always a consequence of a mishit. Although experienced players can wield a slice effectively, everyday golfers and beginners find them a common problem.
A slice happens when the face of a club is an open position when it makes contact with the golf ball. This situation can occur because of improper setup, or an issue with your swing. You may also encounter sliced shots if you swing from the outside to the inside. Such swings will always open the face of the club across the surface of a golf ball, resulting in that problematic spin.
Common Golf Slice Causes & Fixes
Below we go through the 4 common causes of a slice and what solutions to implement in order to fix these
- Aim Direction
- Golf Ball Positioning
- Grip Adjustment ( Clubface Control)
- Weight Transference
Aim Direction
One of the most common causes of a slice is that you are aiming toward the left. Even if a ball departs on a centred trajectory along the fairway, it can quickly fade to the right and end up in the rough. This is often caused by golfers who try to overcompensate for slice shots. Many golfers think that by aiming to the left, they will overcome the incidence of slice shots. However, this overcompensation does not tackle the root cause. In fact, it only continues bad habits.
Instead, you should be aiming straight, every time. You may find your shots fading a little, but you can instead focus on the fundamental issues with your shots. If however you do feel the urge to alter your aim to the left, make sure you are only aiming slight left, while still keeping the target line within the fairway. Avoid the temptation to aim for the rough.
Proper Positioning
The setup of your golf ball is another place where you can stumble when it comes to slice shots. If you regularly encounter slice shots, you are probably positioning your golf ball ahead of where it needs to be.
If you place your ball too far forward in relation to the target, you will often encounter an outside-in swing. This will have a huge impact on how comfortably you can release the club, which will trigger a slice shot.
An easy fix for this issue is to simply move the golf ball slightly further back at the moment of address. This will almost always allow you to swing more easily.
Grip Adjustment | Control the Clubface
Ensuring you have maintain a good grip is a simple way of overcoming slice shots. A good grip will allow you to maintain more control over your shots, eliminating the likelihood of sliced sliced shots.
If you play with your right hand, the problem probably lies with your left hand. If your left hand is placed too far on the underside of your club grip, you will invariably find yourself slicing your shots. This type of grip encourages a more open club face, which almost always results in a sliced shot.
To overcome this problem, right-handed players should rotate their left hand in a clockwise direction. You should do this until you can easily see three of the knuckles on your left hand. This far stronger grip will allow you to more easily maintain the club face in a proper position, right up until the moment of impact. This will almost always result in no slice whatsoever.
Weight Transference
It is crucial that you transfer your weight correctly when swinging. However, many golfers shift their weight incorrectly when swinging, resulting in sliced shots. Your weight should be shifted towards your rear foot while you are swinging your club back. Weight should then be shifted to the front foot as you commence your downswing toward the ball.
Many golfers make the mistake of shifting their weight to the rear foot as they carry out the back swing, leaving the transferred weight in this position as they carry out the downswing. This is something to avoid, as it will cause you to leave your club with an open face, leading to a swing outside the path of the golf ball. To overcome this issue, you need to rethink how you are shifting our weight during your swing.
To overcome this problem, use a marker that can be placed next to your left thigh and front foot during your swing set up. You can use items like your golf bag, or just about anything that is tall enough to match the height of your thigh. When you come to swing the club backwards, your thigh will move slightly away from this marker object.
This is a clear indicator that you are properly transferring weight from the front foot to the back one. To ensure weight is being properly transferred on the downswing, make sure your thigh is making contact with the marker object as you close in on the ball.
Hooks & Pulls in Your Golf Swing?
Check our separate articles on the common reasons and the solutions on How To Fix a Hook and How to Fix a Pull.
