Cant cure my slice, help (Video)

[cbr]

Hey Everyone!

I am relatively new to golf and am having an awful time battling a slice with ym driver. My irons, especially the short irons, go relatively straight. However, I notice that the divot is usually pointing to the left of the target. This leads me to believe that I have and outside-to-inside swing path.

Can you take a quick look at this video and let me know what I am doing to cause my slice? Any tips or drills to fix my swing would be greatly appreciated!

http://www.swingacademy.com/swingana...l.aspx?id=3211

Thanks,
cbr

[RyanFerg]

For your stance I would put your weight more on the balls of your feet instead of your heels, but when you do so make sure you keep your hips back. I like to think of my stance as a "power stance".

Also it looks to me like you are dropping your right shoulder too early, which results in your club face opening. I'm no expert, still learning my self in fact, it could help.

[shortstop20]

Your arms are starting the downswing. Try to start the downswing with your hips. You have hardly any lower body rotation at the moment.

[burnerboy05]

Based on what I have seen in your video, you are addressing the ball to closely. The reason you are slicing the ball is because you are "pulling your arms in".. in other words, coming from out to in.

I have the same problem sometimes with my driver, fairway woods, and long irons resulting in a power fade. There are many ways to fix this, but first try changing the way you address the ball - not your swing!

Set up with your driver head slightly behind the ball (in relativity from you to the ball when addressed). Although it will seem as if you are not going to "reach" the ball when you make your downswing, you will.

The reason you are slicing the ball is because your arms extend when you swing powerfully and then you quickly redirect them toward the ball before impact. That makes you cut across the ball at impact, resulting in a slice.

If you take a step or half back from your normal address, and swing the same, you will extend as you normally do in your swing and stay extended through contact. You will feel yourself actually making a complete swing as opposed to pulling your arms in.

There are other ways to correct this, if you want more info, please ask!!

[hippyboy]

There is one thing you could try, It came up in my lesson last week. Try making some swings with a towel under each arm, without dropping a towel. It gets the arms working much more together. Do a few 3/4 swings, it feels really strange to start with, but it helped me a lot. I was relatively ok with my short irons, but really sliced my driver, after doing this drill for a bit my driver has become a lot straighter & I even hit a draw last time out

[umpiremark]

As someone already said, you're starting your downswing with your arms. Don't try to hit the ball - swing the club with relaxed arms, the ball will be at the bottom of that arc.

Try this: Without a ball (just a tee in the ground) start at the top of your backswing. Get in a good backswing position (at the top). Your left knee should be flexed in towards the right side of the ball, your right knee slightly bent but pointing 90* to the target. Now, flex your right knee towards the ball without moving your arms. Just that move should pull your arms/club to parralell with the ground, wrists still hinged, shaft pointing up to the sky. Just go that far - top of backswing start, knees as I've said, and flex the right knee towards the ball (tee actually). If your arms come down to paralell to the ground with no arm assistance, you've started your swing arc with your lower body and not your arms. The over the top move should go away and your swing arc should be better on plane to be square.

Now keep doing that by adding - from address to top of backswing to parallell (right knee flex). Then add to the swing more and more until you can do all that (full swing) about half to 3/4 speed. Slowly, put it all together with 3/4 to full speed maintaining all those keys. Then, add a ball and feel the club swing through that arc, the ball just gets in the way at the bottom of the arc (i.e. stop trying to 'hit' the ball). Don't forget that PGA pose at the end, that keeps everything smooth and on plane.

Just my opinion, good luck.

[Scrape-o-TheClown]

The main reason you are slicing it, im guessing its a fairly significant slice, is because you are casting the club at the top of your swing and it is causing you to come over the top of the ball. If you look closeley it looks as if you starting the motion of casting a fishing rod as you start your downswing. This promotes an outside to in swing path which will cause you to slice the ball everytime.

The only drill I can think of that works is to put a headcover in your right underarm. Actually tuck it up in you underarm and hold it in by squeezing it between your arm and side of your chest. Then take practice swings and you can even hit balls with it in but make sure you dont let that cluhead cover fall out. If you keep it tucked under then there is no way you can cast the club at the top and it will make you drop the club on the appropriate path. I hope this helps. It will feel awkeward but trust me it will work.

[TN94z]

Your arms are starting the downswing. Try to start the downswing with your hips. You have hardly any lower body rotation at the moment.

+1. The first thing I saw was that your swing looks like all upper body. That added with a little scooping action would cause a slice.

[right handed phil mickelson]

Ah this is an easy one. Challenge us a little! Your coming over the top! The common slicer's mistake. Your taking the club a little bit too much on the inside on the backswing and then correcting that feeling by reversing that, and coming over the top. This usually results in the clubface not being able to close at impact, so its either a slice, or a push-slice.

Try taking the club back more on the outside, away from your body, and dropping it down on the downswing. Thats the exact opposite of what you are doing right now, and you should be able to get a nice draw. Hope This Helps!

~RHPM

[right handed phil mickelson]

Also, at impact, your body is turning faster than your arms, which leaves the face of the club open longer, also resulting in a push/slice.

~RHPM

[FlintyDoughy]

Based on what I have seen in your video, you are addressing the ball to closely. The reason you are slicing the ball is because you are "pulling your arms in".. in other words, coming from out to in.

Pro gave me the exact same advice yesterday for an intermittent fade I was having.

[$2 Nassau]

Don't get too complex for now. A lot of people are throwing a lot of different thoughts/tips at you. It's an over the top move causing the slice, something most of us have dealt with or are currently dealing with. You exert a lot of force to start the backswing, probably in an effort to "crush the ball." I do the same sometimes, which causes an armsy over the top swing.

Let the club basically come to a stop at the top of the backswing, then let gravity start the down swing. This will slow your upper body down and allow you to start the downswing with your lower body.

[bogeyhitter25]

Your backswing doesn't look too bad. Just right when you start your downswing all hell breaks loose. When you start down you should feel like your right elbow is driving into your outer right hip.

[billm408]

It's an over the top move causing the slice,

+1. Go see a local teaching pro. There's a ton of drills for this, but you're fighting some other issues too and there is no magic internet forum fix. Good luck-

[cbr]

WOW! Thanks for all of the advice everyone. So since a few people mentioned my poor posture, I am going to work on that first and see where it gets me. So I went outside and tried to work on my stance.

Can you take a look at this new video and see if I made some improvements. I know its too soon to see some drastic change but want to get on the right track before I go invest in some lessons!

http://www.swingacademy.com/swingana...l.aspx?id=3221

In the meantime, I'll try out some of those drill you all mentioned.

[MI Rob]

Looks like your standing a little too close to me, dont be afriad to reach a little. Also it looks like your arms do start your downswing, try to let your hips do it.

[ks8829]

If you watch your video you can see that your swing path is outside in. Focus on the swing path on your take away and on the return to the ball.

try starting your backswing with your shoulder and arms as one piece and not by breaking your wrist also take the club on a inside path

Watch the golf swing video by Ben Hogan below



another tip is to use a marker and mark the ball with a line at 7:00 oclock if 12 is facing the target. If your swing is from the inside you will hit the driver and the mark will be on the face of the driver club.

[ninetwothree]

its been said: you are unwinding from the top down, and not from the ground up.


There are many ways to get the club tracing a different path but it's a complete change to your pattern.

Get the weight on your front foot early, get your right elbow tucked to your side sooner which will help keep your right shoulder from going out (it should go down), and learn to get the feelings of swinging to first base, rather than 3rd.