Harper Lin
Slicing is the most common mistake among amateur golfers, and it can be incredibly frustrating. The slice occurs when the clubface is open at impact, often with an outside-to-in swing path. This causes the ball to deflect to the right. To avoid slicing, golfers need to focus on their grip, setup, and swing path. A stronger grip, with the lead thumb placed off-centre, can help square the clubface. The ball position should be adjusted slightly back, and the hips, shoulders, and feet should be square to the target. Drills and feedback tools can help golfers correct their slice and improve their swing path, leading to straighter and more powerful shots.
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What You'll Learn
Avoid an open clubface at impact
Slicing happens due to an open clubface at impact, often with an outside-to-in swing path. To avoid an open clubface at impact, you must first understand the concept of a square clubface. A square clubface is when the line of the clubface is perpendicular to the target line, facing the target directly. This is the default position for most shots.
To achieve a square clubface, you must ensure your grip is correct. For right-handed golfers, the right hand has a huge influence on controlling the clubface. The palm of your right hand mimics the face angle – if your palm is open to the target line at impact, the clubface will be open. Therefore, a stronger grip is required to square the clubface. Move your left hand slightly to the right, allowing the right hand to sit more under the club. This promotes better face rotation and impact control.
Additionally, you can minimise wrist extension at the top of the swing to close the clubface earlier. This can be achieved through hip and body rotation. One drill to practice this is to split your hands apart on the grip of the club by 4-6 inches and make your normal swing. This will influence the clubface to stay squared and closed.
Finally, the downswing path is the second greatest influence on ball flight after clubface at impact. You want your arms to swing down over your turned shoulder line. Alignment sticks can help guide your swing path and prevent an \"over the top\" motion.
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Reduce tension in your swing
Tension in your swing can be a major factor in slicing the ball. Here are some tips to reduce tension and improve your swing:
First, ensure your setup is correct. Your feet, hips, shoulders, and clubface should all be square to the target. A common mistake is having your shoulders extremely open relative to your feet, which will cause an over-the-top motion. Check your hip turn and depth in the back swing too—not having enough can cause issues.
Next, evaluate your grip. Many golfers who slice tend to put their thumb straight down the middle of the grip. Instead, put the lead thumb just off-center to the right if you’re a right-handed golfer, and just to the left if you’re left-handed. This will help square the clubface, which is crucial to avoiding slicing.
Now, try some drills to reduce tension and improve your swing. One drill is to split your hands apart on the grip of the club by 4-6 inches and make your normal swing. You should hear a ‘whoosh’ on the forward swing, and this will help keep the clubface squared and closed. Another drill is to use alignment sticks to guide your swing path and avoid an “over the top” path.
Finally, be patient and persistent. Making changes to your swing takes time and practice, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Keep at it, and you’ll start to see improvements and reduce those slices!
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Improve your grip
Improving your grip is one of the most important fundamentals in golf as it's the only point of contact between you and the club. Changing your grip can take time and feel uncomfortable, but it will improve your distance, ball striking, and control.
If you're a right-handed golfer, a weak grip means that your left hand is too far underneath the club and your right hand is too much on top. This makes it difficult to square the club face up at impact, especially with longer irons and woods, and you will lose power.
A strong grip, on the other hand, is when the left hand is more over the club and the right hand is more underneath it. The V's of your hands will point more toward the right side of your head. This grip position makes it easier to square the club face and even hit a draw.
If you grip the club in your palms, you will limit the mobility in your wrists, giving you less control in both the backswing and the downswing. Instead, grip the club handle with your fingers. To do this, hold the golf club out in front of you so the shaft is vertical and perpendicular to the ground. Tilt the club head away from your body about 45 degrees. Position your lead hand on the club handle at an angle, so the handle passes across your hand from the base of the pinky to the middle knuckle of your index finger.
Reminder grips can also assist in hitting the ball straighter. These grips feature a long rib on the underside and inside, creating a built-up section that is subtly detectable by the fingers upon gripping the club.
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Adjust your setup
Adjusting your setup is key to avoiding a slice in golf. A slice is a ball that curves away from the player's dominant hand. For right-handed golfers, this means the ball curves dramatically to the right, and for left-handed golfers, it curves drastically to the left.
One of the most important things to consider when adjusting your setup is your grip. The grip is the only part of your body in contact with the club, so it's crucial to get it right. A poor grip is often the main cause of slicing. One quick adjustment is to ensure you can see the knuckle of your index finger on your left hand when in the normal address position, and in some cases, you should also be able to see the knuckle of your middle finger. Another tip is to keep your hands passive and relaxed during the downswing so they don't restrict the forward movement of the club.
Alignment is also key when adjusting your setup. Amateur golfers often make the mistake of aiming to the right of their target without realizing it. This causes the mind to try to correct the mistake mid-swing, which can lead to a pull slice. Getting your feet, hips, and shoulders parallel with the target line will make it much easier to swing the club down the line, rather than across it.
If you have an adjustable driver, you can also adjust the hosel settings for a draw-biased setting, which will help to reduce slicing. Additionally, adding more weight to the toe of the club can make it easier to square at impact, reducing the slice spin that causes the ball to curve.
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Learn to hook the ball
A slice is a golf shot where the ball curves sharply from left to right in the air for a right-handed golfer. The opposite of a slice is a hook, where the ball goes from right to left in the air. Both hooks and slices are caused by an incorrect grip, ball position, setup, and takeaway.
If you are a right-handed golfer, a hook starts to the right of the target and then veers toward the left mid-flight. This is caused by a closed clubface at impact. To fix this, you can move your hands to a slightly weaker position to get the clubface more neutral at impact. You can also try a drill with an alignment stick: place the stick slightly ahead of the ball, angled forward. Swing left of the stick with a 6- or 7-iron, keeping the clubface open through impact. Focus on a path left with a face slightly right — the opposite of a hook.
Another way to practice is to use a Lag Shot golf club, which has a flexible and heavy blue shaft. This can help you create a more in-to-out swing, instead of an out-to-in swing that produces a slice.
Make sure your ball position is not too far forward, and do not aim to the right of your target when you start hooking the ball.
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Frequently asked questions
The slice is the most common miss among amateur golfers. Most golfers who slice the ball have an open clubface throughout their swing, not just at impact. The clubface has the most influence on the curve of the ball, so it’s important to get it square as early as possible in your swing. Incorrect grip and too much tension are also common reasons for slicing.
For right-handed golfers, move your left hand slightly to the right, allowing the right hand to sit more under the club. This promotes better face rotation and impact control. Make sure your lead hand is held properly in the fingers and not in the palm. Put the lead thumb just off-center to the right.
One drill is to split your hands apart on the grip of the club by 4-6 inches and make your normal golf swing. Another drill is to lift the club into a two-thirds backswing position, with your left arm in front of your chest. Then make your full backswing turn and graduate from swinging over the ball to actually hitting shots.
