Having a slice in golf can be one of the most frustrating things. It not only affects your direction, but also your distance.
Just to clear a few things up, a slice and a fade are two different things. A slice is when the ball starts left of target and ends right of target, it is very hard to control and loses a lot of distance. A fade starts left of target and finishes on target. The main difference between the two is that a fade will go a lot further and straighter compared to a slice, this is because it has less spin and is struck square on with the face.
Simply correcting some swing faults and playing with the right equipment will see that horrible slice turn into a nice baby fade or even a draw. All these tips can be applied to your irons too. Below are some of the best tips for fixing a slice.
I will be referring to a right handed golfer throughout the article, if you are a lefty the opposite will apply.
Keys Points
- Having the right equipment will help tremendously
- Alignment and set up
- Grip
- Club Path
- Rotation
- ‘The Bottle Drill’
Understanding the Slice
The key to fixing your slice is to understand why it happens. The 4 main factors are your alignment, grip, club path, rotation and equipment. I’ll dive into the details below, but essentially a slice happens when at impact the clubface is open to your club path and target. The bigger the angle the bigger the slice.
The four above factors can all influence your clubface being open to your club path and target impact.
How Equipment Can Fix Your Slice
Just having the wrong equipment can cause you to slice the ball. The latest technology is there to help us, so why not take advantage of this. There is a reason why every single Tour Player has his/her clubs fitted.
Most modern drivers are adjustable, first things first, is make sure your driver is not set on the fade setting, this sounds silly but I have seen it many times. You will be able to find the club fitting settings on the club manufacturers website.
The next fix is to buy a draw bias driver or draw type driver. Manufacturers place more weight in the heel of the driver head, promoting the toe to close at impact.
Lastly make sure you have the right shaft, a lighter, more flexible and shaft with more torque are all ways that will help you get rid of your slice.
Related Article – Regular vs Stiff Shafts
Alignment And Set Up
It is extremely important to stand and align yourself correctly, this is going to have a big influence on your shot shape.
Starting with your posture, standing in an athletic position is important. Try getting your weight into the balls of your feet. This will help you rotate and get your swing on the right plane.
Shoulder alignment is another important factor, your shoulders will directly influence your club path, if your shoulders are aiming left it will cause you to cut across the ball, causing a slice. If your shoulders are aiming to the right, it will help hitting a draw.
A quick tip is to stand in your posture and drop your right shoulder slightly lower than your left, and tuck your right below in just a little, this will naturally help you straighten out your shoulders.
Your feet position is next, if your feet are aiming left, this will also promote your club path to cut across the ball. Take an alignment stick or club and place it on the ground. Take your stance and make sure your feet are parallel to the stick, from there drop your right foot slightly back, this should make your feet aim slightly right, helping you hit a draw.
How To Grip The Golf Club
The majority of people that slice the ball will have what they call a ‘weak’ grip. This is not how hard or soft your grip is, but refers to your hand position. A weak grip will present the clubface open at impact, and a strong grip will present the face closed.
A quick way to prevent the ball from slicing is to strengthen your grip. See images below.
- Gripping the club in your fingers and not your palm is the key here. Start by placing the grip in the fingers of your left hand, and feel like your palm and thumb wrap over the top of the grip.
- You should see 3 knuckles if you look down at your grip. This tells us that you have a strong grip. If you see less, your grip is in a weak position.
- Now place your right hand on the club either interlocking or overlapping, do whichever feels more comfortable. Get your right hand slightly under the grip, this will also help with drawing the ball.
If you want to know more about how to grip a golf club correctly, read our article on the Interlock Grip!
Club Path
Apart from the clubface the club path has the biggest impact on your shot shape. If you take the club too far inside or too far outside it will cause you to swing ‘over the top’ or in other words across your body, causing you to slice the ball.
Try focusing on taking the club back on the correct plane, this will allow you to drop the club on the inside, helping you swing through straighter, preventing the slice.
Rotate Your Body To Fix Your Slice
Most golfers that slice a ball swing with just their arms, and do not rotate their shoulders or body.
One of the best ways to fix your slice with a driver or off the tee is to rotate your shoulders and body, this means swinging less with your arms.
When you swing your driver with just your arms you firstly generate very little power, but also tend to swing across your body, this will create a slice shape.
Try turning your shoulders and hips on your backswing and then through on your downswing, this will allow you to swing on a straighter plane, eliminating your slice.
The Best Drill To Prevent A Slice – ‘The Bottle Drill’
Coming over the top, or having an out-to-in swing path will almost always result in a slice. What this means is that your clubhead travels from outside your target line to the inside of your target line at the impact position, this causes you to cut across the ball causing the ball to slice. The Bottle Drill is here to put a stop to that. It is very simple yet very effective.
What you’ll need
- Golf club
- Alignment stick or another club
- A bottle of water
- Range balls
Place the alignment stick down to face your target, and put a ball down. Take your golf club and put it behind the ball. Now take the bottle of water and place it 0.5 inches away from the toe, from there move it about 6 inches back parallel to your alignment stick.
From there take your set up and start hitting balls, it’s that simple. You obviously do not want to hit the bottle, so naturally it forces you to swing more from the inside, which will help you to prevent your slice, this might not happen straight away, but after a couple of minutes you should see a difference.
Conclusion
Alignment, set up, grip, club path and rotation are all key factors when it comes to slicing the ball. Performing these correctly will help you hit the ball straighter and further. Do not forget the importance of having the right equipment.
You will need to try to identify which of these you are doing incorrectly to get rid of your slice and start hitting big high draws.
This process won’t come overnight, to perfect it you will need to put a few good hours in on the range. If you are still slicing the ball after these tips I suggest going to see your local pro. Sometimes what you think you are doing is different to what you are actually doing, they will be able to help you identify your mistakes and get you on the right track.
