That damn slice

[Saint_Viper]

Geez it driving me insane lol.

Only happens with the woods, irons are usually straight, just my aim is bad lol.

Anyway, 8 out of 10 of my drives result in a huge slice :(

Ive read somewhere else a few tips, but when i got on the range it did not make much difference.

These included
1. Keeping your right arm closer to the body then driving it down towards the hip when you are starting your front swing.
2. Keeping your right hand on top of the club during your swing.
3. When at the top of your swing, start the downswing by moving your right hip forward which should then allow your right arm to drop down.

Does any of this sound right, if so i would put it down to my technique and then continue with the driving range practice.

Any other tips are much welcomed :)

Thanks in advance

Viper :)

[braaaaaaaadley]

This might not be the best fix for your problem (it's my first time giving swing advice), but I have the same problem every now and then and I do the following things to keep it from impacting my drives. What is happening is during impact your clubface is "open" meaning that it is pointing to the right of your target. This is causing your ball to go right. What tends to make this problem worse is having a out to in swing plane. What I do to keep this from happening is:
1) Make sure you swing through the ball (not on an out to in swingplane)... this will ensure that your clubface is not open through impact.
2) Focus on your weight transition during your swing and make sure you are weighting your left foot properly.
3) Keep your head still and make sure not to dip your back and shoulders back during and after impact... if you do this, your ball will go right every time.
4) Make sure that your stance is parallel to the ball... aiming left will not fix your problem.

I hope this helps and is not bad advice!

[Saint_Viper]

I think number 1 is my problem.

As if im right in thinking as i hit the ball it is coming across (Right to left)

This is causing the ball to initially go in a straight line, but then the spin on the ball kicks in and it starts to slice round to the left.

[sevenfourate]

QUOTE: "This is causing the ball to initially go in a straight line, but then the spin on the ball kicks in and it starts to slice round to the left"

Are you left handed ??????? - "Slicing to the left" implies you are ?

Anyway,remember this "Swing path gives the ball its initial direction and the clubface implies the spin there-after".So for a righthander a TRUE SLICE starts left due to the out to in swingpath and then curves to the right due to the open clubface.

So,if your ball is starting straight it cannot be your swing-path thats the problem.....its an open clubface thats causing the spin......

Regards Syer.

[Saint_Viper]

Ooops getting my left and right mixed up lol

Starts straight then slices to the right sorry ;)

[Saint_Viper]

QUOTE: "So,if your ball is starting straight it cannot be your swing-path thats the problem.....its an open clubface thats causing the spin......"

So i assume this indicates that the club is not returning flat to the ball. So what i need to practice is bringing my hands all the way back to the start position.

One last thing, is it common for this problem to occur with the woods, and yet the irons be ok?

[sevenfourate]

If it starts straight,then spins right its the clubface,and so (in this order) its your grip and/or hand action thats the problem yes :-) If your grip seems ok i would suggest really exaggerating your hand release and try and hit a few big-ole-hooks.Once youv'e seen both sides of the fence so to speak the middle ground should be easier to find,understand and reproduce.

Its normal for everyones woods to curve more than the irons.Less backspin on the woods = effectively more sidespin.What im saying is that even if a 5 iron and a driver had the same sidespin,the wood would curve more due to less backspin on the driver compared to the iron.

Regards Syer.

[Saint_Viper]

Cheers for the advice my friend.

Ive been taught to have a "strong" grip, showing at least 2 knuckles on each hand.

Will head back to the driving range soon, to keep on working

[iacas]

Cheers for the advice my friend.

Ive been taught to have a "strong" grip, showing at least 2 knuckles on each hand.

Will head back to the driving range soon, to keep on working
Two knuckles on your left hand is pretty neutral. Three knuckles is getting into strong. And for your right hand (the bottom hand), the less knuckles you see, the stronger the grip.

Strong = ball go left, of course. Nothing to do with how tightly you're holding the club.

[dipgolf]

By any chance are your hips clearing faster than your hands?

[Saint_Viper]

Two knuckles on your left hand is pretty neutral. Three knuckles is getting into strong. And for your right hand (the bottom hand), the less knuckles you see, the stronger the grip.

Strong = ball go left, of course. Nothing to do with how tightly you're holding the club.


Maybe thats where my problem may lie then. Will try some shots on the range with my right hand in different grip positions to see if it makes a difference.

[Saint_Viper]

By any chance are your hips clearing faster than your hands?

That my friend i would have no idea about lol. Will have to watch carefully on that one :-)

[Saint_Viper]

Changed my grip at the range today, 80% improvement i would say.

7 out of 10 are straight, the occasional slice but its no where near as bad as it was. And to top it off i get the occasional hook :-D

Even with the occasional topping the ball still went straight for about 75 yards. A good drive took me between 150 and 175 yards, which ive never managed on a regular basis.

Next step is to move the new method onto the course.

Thanks for all the advice :)

[TexasTitleistGuy]

Have you tried teeing the ball up further away fom you. I helped a friend by having him move the ball a ball - a ball and a half away form the toe of the driver and reach for the ball.

[Saint_Viper]

After a good day at the range and finding a improvement.

I went back, only to find that the same things i was doing last week, did not have a effect this time round. The slice was back :(

[muskegman]

As a virtual master of the slice for many months I can tell you that learning how to hook has become one of my best allies. Once I learned how to send that ball the opposite direction by swinging from the inside (what everyone says) and releasing my hands earlier (allowing my right wrist to break over my left) in the follow-through I have began to discover the middle ground. The only sensation that I had for a long time was the slice sensation. Once I began to release my hands earlier I got much better off the tee.

I'm no expert, by any means, but I drove the ball as well as I have with a lot more distance the last time I was out. I'm convinced that releasing my hands has helped keep the slice at bay and add way more distance. I'd say I added 20 yards (or more), not by swinging harder, but by timing my release a bit earlier.

Maybe some of the lower handicappers can step in and correct or further explain what I'm trying to say.

The driver is the toughest club in the bag to hit properly. It exaggerates our swing flaws.

[iacas]

Jeff, I think you're right on.

If you're having trouble slicing, learn to hit a draw or a hook. Easiest cure there is.
If you're having trouble hooking, learn to hit a cut or a slice. Easiest cure there is.

Then it's all about finding the middle ground, as you said. But you've gotta get your body to feel what it's like NOT to hit the shot you're trying to get rid of.

[Saint_Viper]

Never been told about the wrist breaks ont he follow through, so ive never paid much attention to the follow through on my swing.

Will check it out next time on the range and see if what you are saying makes sense to me lol.

Got a game on saturday, just hope i get the chance to go to the range beforehand.

[Saint_Viper]

Wher about in the swing should the wrists start breaking? (Sounds painfull lol)

[Rafcin]

IMHO you should try to start with finding out, what exactly is the reason for a slice. There are two possibilities:

1. your clubface is open at impact
2. your clubhead comes in with outside-in pattern "cutting" across the ball

Of course there is the 3rd option too - all of the above :-D

Once you figure out what the problem is, you'll be able to get more accurate pointers about how to fix it.

[iacas]

Wher about in the swing should the wrists start breaking? (Sounds painfull lol)
"Breaking" is a bad word. Rolling over each other or "crossing over" is better. It's easy to understand if you just ask someone to demonstrate it. You may be "holding on" too long. Not the most descriptive words, I realize, but that's the lingo.

[muskegman]

Wher about in the swing should the wrists start breaking? (Sounds painfull lol)
Yes, that does sound painful and breaking isn't the best word. What I mean is that you should allow your right hand/wrist to roll over the top of your left wrist more quickly after impact (assuming you are right handed). You'll generate more clubhead speed this way as well as avoid leaving the face open which was a cronic problem of mine for what seemed like an eternity of weekend outings.

Check out Tiger's hands/wrists in the third and fourth pictures down on this page:
http://www.tigerwoods.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=115908&itype=6273

[Saint_Viper]

Yes, that does sound painful and breaking isn't the best word. What I mean is that you should allow your right hand/wrist to roll over the top of your left wrist more quickly after impact (assuming you are right handed). You'll generate more clubhead speed this way as well as avoid leaving the face open which was a cronic problem of mine for what seemed like an eternity of weekend outings.

Check out Tiger's hands/wrists in the third and fourth pictures down on this page:
http://www.tigerwoods.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=115908&itype=6273


Thanks for the tip, i will make a effort on concentrating on this part, and see if it improves my shot.

Thanks again

[King Cobra]

Geez it driving me insane lol.

Only happens with the woods, irons are usually straight, just my aim is bad lol.

Anyway, 8 out of 10 of my drives result in a huge slice :(

Ive read somewhere else a few tips, but when i got on the range it did not make much difference.

These included
1. Keeping your right arm closer to the body then driving it down towards the hip when you are starting your front swing.
2. Keeping your right hand on top of the club during your swing.
3. When at the top of your swing, start the downswing by moving your right hip forward which should then allow your right arm to drop down.

Does any of this sound right, if so i would put it down to my technique and then continue with the driving range practice.

Any other tips are much welcomed :)

Thanks in advance

Viper :)

I'm no expert, but would ask you to make sure that you are (1) transferring your weight correctly. Simply remember that your weight must be where your club is. (2) grip correctly, with left thumb little right of centre, and right thumb little left of centre. (3) position your ball off your left heel, ensuring that it is teed up high enough, which is half a ball above the top of the head. A good pre-shot routine would help. (4) a good takeaway would help bring back on the correct plane. Start low and extend wide. (5) extend as you go through the ball, which gives you the feeling that you are not quitting on your swing.
Not only will you hit it straighter, but you will also hit it further, 200+. Good luck on the range.

[RainmanP]

A VERY common mistake for those of us who learn to play on our own or from friends is a tendency to swing with the arms. This is the primary cause of an outside in swing path that causes slicing. The backswing starts with hands, arms, shoulders, hips. The downswing is the reverse - hips, shoulders, arms, wrists. This order, along with a straight left arm and keeping the right elbow close to your side, almost guarantees an inside out swing path and high clubhead speed from a smooth, almost easy swing. Ben Hogan's little book Fundamentals of Golf does a great job of building a swing starting with the proper grip.

I used to have an awful slice. Friends (excellent golfers) would suggest closing the clubface, closing my stance, opening my stance, and all manner of things until someone finally explained about the swing path and beginning the downswing with the hips. Then I had something I could begin to fix and wound up developing a halfway decent swing. It still needs a lot of work, but most of the time I draw the ball slightly and only slice when I try to swing to hard and wind up letting the arms take over.
FWIW,
Raymond

[King Cobra]

//the swing path and beginning the downswing with the hips.//

Thanks for the response Rainman. Am I right in assuming that beginning the downswing with the hips is the beginning of the weight transfer?