The vast majority of golfers slice the ball, and as a result, are unable to improve their game enough to become a single digit handicap.
This is due to a couple things. Theyve received very little instruction or poor instruction and they
do not have an understanding of how the golf swing works.
Most golfers try to control the club with their arms and upper body, and they try to steer the ball. This
results in an open club face at impact, and the body out of position as well, leading to a slice.
Aside from a weak grip, there are two swing plane issues that will result in a slice. The most common swing type is the inside takeaway-over the top swing. The other is the outside in, steep swing.
Over The Top Swing
In this swing, the golfer will pull the club too far to the inside during hit takeaway. They take the club so far to the inside, that if they moved the body properly in the downswing, they will hit a foot behind the ball.
As a result, they compensate for the inside takeaway by leading with the upper body in the down swing. This causes the club to come in the ball from too far outside, and too steep of a swing plane. The combination of the two results in a pull slice.
Notice that at the end point of my takeaway, where the club is about parallel to the ground, the club is pointed way off to the right compared to where my feet are aligned.
Ultimately, due to the inside takeaway, at the top of the backswing, the club has crossed the line. At this point in my swing, my club is short of parallel, yet it is still aimed well to the right of where my feet are aligned.
The average golfer who tends to slice the ball will do this, and then lead the downswing with the upper
body.
Halfway through the downswing, the club is coming down too steeply, and the club shaft is now pointed to the left of where the feet are aligned. This is the classic over the top move.
Okay, now you see the classic over the top move, so how do we correct it?
Well, what you need to learn how to do is hit the inside of the ball. The over the top move results in you hitting the outside of the ball, never a good thing.
How do you learn to hit the inside of the ball? Well, you need to reverse your inside over the top loop first. In other words, instead of that inside takeaway, you need to take the club more to the outside in your takeaway.
Do the following drill. First, standing upright with a 5 iron in your hand, simply start swinging the club to your left first. Then, just make a circle with the club, swinging your arms without moving the body. You will swing the club clockwise.
Do this a number of times, say ten.
Next, from your golf stance, I want you to pick the club straight up in front of you by hinging the wrists, and lifting the arms slightly. Next, I want you to turn your shoulders as in your golf swing. Thirdly, lay the club off, or lay it in a more flat position, with your hands.
Finally, swing the club from that position by moving your lower body. Be sure to just let the arms follow.
Shift your weight and turn your hips, let the arms follow, and then finish in your follow through
position.
Do this over, and over again, first slowly. As you become more comfortable moving the club slowly, then slowly pick up the pace of the swing. While you are doing this, you should be brushing the ground with your club.
The photos here show you how to hinge up the club, turn the shoulders and flatten the club, and then the impact position.
You must not deviate from these positions at all as you are working the drill. If you continue to hit a slice, it is because of one of two reasons.
First, after you flatten the club in the back swing, you bounce it back up to a more vertical position. Or, you still lead the down swing with your upper body, rather than your lower body. It is crucial that you get the sequence in the right order.
Now, it is time to hit a ball. The first few times, I want you to tee it up. With a flatter swing plane, it is easier to hit the ball with it teed up, and that is what you are trying to achieve with this drill, attacking the ball on a flatter swing plane.
Many of my students hit a draw with the first swing where there is a ball involved. If you continue to struggle with the drill, work on it slowly in front of a mirror.
Slice Swing 2
The other type of slice swing is a more simple outside in golf swing. The right handed golfer tends to aim everything left of target, takes the club up and to the outside of the swing plane too much, and then comes right back down that same line. This golfer also tends to have a weak grip, but not always.
This photo shows the steep, outside takeaway. The club is pointed well to the left of where my feet are aligned.
At this position, my club is just a bit short of parallel and at this point can be pointed off to the left a bit. However, this position aimed too far to the left and if I continued the swing to where the club is parallel, it would be pointed to the left, instead of parallel to the line drawn at my feet.
Also, my arm position at this point is too high. Unless I significantly re-route the club, I will come into the ball in the downswing too steeply.
On the way down, the club is coming in from way outside and the club is pointed well to the left of where my feet are aligned.
So how do we fix this type of slice swing? Well, the opposite of a steep, outside in swing is a flat, inside out swing. You need to learn how to feel what it is like to swing the club on a flatter swing plane.
If you have this type of swing, here is the drill that will help. Stand straight up with a 5 iron in your hands. Hold the club so that it is pointed straight away from you at just above stomach height.
Now you simply swing the club at that flat level in the back swing and follow through as shown in
the photos below.
Swing the club at this level a few times. Then drop the club head down to about knee height, and swing the club at that level a few times through the hitting zone.
Naturally, the club will be higher than knee height in the back swing and follow through. Get used to the feel of this flatter swing. Then, set up in your normal golf stance and take a few practice swings duplicating the flatter swing you started with in the above drill.
Place a tee in the ground with the top of the tee about an inch above the ground. Try to hit the tee without hitting any turf. When you are able to do this, place a ball on the tee, and duplicate this practice swing.
Your shot should turn to the left (if you are right handed), assuming you have a neutral or strong
grip. If your ball still slices, do the entire drill again, with at least ten swings at each level. You should easily hit a draw with this flatter swing.
Ultimately, you will need to place a ball on the ground. You should be able to hit a draw with this flatter swing, and your divots should be more shallow.
Ideally, you should work toward a more on plane swing. Quite often, when I teach a golfer who slices, and I ask them what their goal is, they say they just want to learn how to hit the ball straight.
Well, you cant go from slicing to hitting it straight. You must first learn to hit a draw. Once you are
capable of doing that, then you will have the ability to hit the ball straighter.
This requires that you change the shape of your swing. If you attack the ball from the outside as in the two slice swings demonstrated, you will rarely be able to hit the ball straight.
You must change the swing path, and to do that you must change the shape of your swing.
This will take some practice, but it is far from impossible. If you are looking for a training aid to help groove a better golf swing, I highly recommend the Deluxe Plane Trainer developed by top 100 instructor Ted Sheftic.
Shout out to Hank Haney for showing me how to cure golfers of that dreaded slice!
Check out the video below for more explanation on how to fix your slice.
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