What Goes Through Your Head When You Slice? Am I Alone?

[mattthegolfer]

Hey all,

I have a terrible slice problem.

I'm trying hard to reverse engineer it and see what other's experiences are like..

What are the words you find yourself saying to yourself after an ugly slice?

What are the feelings you have? Where do you feel them?

Those little phrases that bounce around in your head… Destroying your game…

Even better - How did you overcome it?

The more specific the better.

Thanks

[iacas]

I wouldn't know.

I've literally never been a slicer.

Generally my students overcome it with the right kind of practice and some work.

[Vinsk]

 

[GolfLug]

54 minutes ago, mattthegolfer said:

Even better - How did you overcome it?

Thoughts or slice? 

Thoughts/words/phrases after a slice are the garden variety concoction of self-deprecation/anger/amusement in varying depending on the day. I haven't 'overcome' any miss in golf let alone slice. They are all within striking distance on any given day.   

[Vinsk]

• Film your swing. You need to find the root cause of why you slice.
• Use that root cause and find your primary piece to work on.

[DrvFrShow]

FORE RIGHT!

[boogielicious]

13 hours ago, mattthegolfer said:

Hey all,

I have a terrible slice problem.

I'm trying hard to reverse engineer it and see what other's experiences are like..

What are the words you find yourself saying to yourself after an ugly slice?

What are the feelings you have? Where do you feel them?

Those little phrases that bounce around in your head… Destroying your game…

Even better - How did you overcome it?

The more specific the better.

Thanks

Usually when I have a bad shot I have a good idea what caused it. I go back to basics and just rehearse my setup and backswing feels for the next shot. If you practice correctly, it is easy to get back into your proper swing.

As others mentioned above, start a My Swing thread and film your swing. Also, learning to practice correctly really helps. Remember that bad shots happen to everyone.

 

[darthweasel]

I was a terrible slicer. So I researched what caused it, worked to adjust, and now rarely slice but when I do, to answer your question, I spend a few moments reviewing the things that cause me to slice (for specifically me, a tendency to have an overly open stance, come over the top and thus have an outside in swing leaving the face open) and correct the flaw or flaws. The stance I adjusted in my set-up and don't struggle with that any more, but I do still sometimes dive in with right shoulderfirst.).

Others in the thread here have given good advice on specific ways to do it, well worth studying their thoughts on it, I just wanted to address my approach. From a thought standpoint, I can't re-hit the last shot, I can only get ready for the next one...

[ChetlovesMer]

When I started playing golf back during the first Bush Administration, I like 90% of other beginning golfers, took no lessons, I just played. Of course I hit a slice about 90% of the time. Then I started taking lessons in the mid-late 90's and learned to hit a draw. My handicap got down to the single digits and I was happy. I stopped taking lessons. BUT! Then I started hitting a snap hook. ... Life Sucked. 
 

Life (and golf) is no fun when you can't get off the tee. So, I learned to hit a fade and played that for a long time. Again, I was happy. Then eventually that became a slice.... Once again, no fun. 

Mid 2000's now and I again took lessons. I started playing a draw again. There was a period there where I played really well. Which went great until in about 2010 that draw became a snap-hook again. LIFE SUCKED AGAIN.

So, I went back to playing a fade for a few years. And actually played really good golf for a while, back to single digit handicap. Then the slice came back. (See the pattern?) 

Okay, so now I'm working my way back out of that. 

Now, I am much older and much wiser. I have the benefit of a lot of experience with golf's ups and downs. So now, when I hit a slice two things go through my mind:
 

1 - I'd better get signed up for more lessons. 

2 - Thank heavens it isn't a snap hook. 

 

 

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, ChetlovesMer said:

BUT! Then I started hitting a snap hook. ... Life Sucked. 

So sorry to hear about those snap hook woes. Must’ve been devastating. Can’t imagine what’s worse…..😁🤭

[Carl3]

17 hours ago, mattthegolfer said:

Hey all,

I have a terrible slice problem.

I'm trying hard to reverse engineer it and see what other's experiences are like..

What are the words you find yourself saying to yourself after an ugly slice?

What are the feelings you have? Where do you feel them?

Those little phrases that bounce around in your head… Destroying your game…

Even better - How did you overcome it?

The more specific the better.

Thanks

With irons I am working on not coming over the top. With the driver being a longer club (and me being about 5'-9") the swing plane is flatter and it is much easier for me to come from the inside. So I tend to draw the ball if I am coming from the inside or pull it if I get over the top. My preferred shot shape is to start the ball down the right side and draw it to the middle of the fairway. I have a target line where I focus on a spot several feet in front of the ball. 

If after contact I see the ball fading to the right, I have made the connection that I forgot to focus on my target. So somewhere between my take-away, backswing and down swing, my mind wandered and I lost sight of my target point in from of the ball.

I have also made the observation that if right before impact I have that target point on my mind then I have the clubface in a good position to keep the ball in or near the fairway. So to me it comes down to concentration. In my youth I would just swing at it and wondered why it usually faded or sliced.

[phillyk]

Immediately after the shot, usually comes a “sh*t” with varying levels of volume depending on the situation and hoping everyone will think I said “sit” instead. 

I’ve had cases of hooks and slices, depending on the season and what I’m working on in my swing. If it’s really bad, I have a reasonable C swing where all I think about is seeing the blur of the clubhead going straight along my intended path. Typically it takes off 20-30yds from my drive but it keeps it straight on. 

Ultimate cause is 95% likely to be in the set up or backswing.  That list can go on, but main things I see are connections issues (keep hands with chest-ish) where tendency is for hands to fall way behind, clubface flies way open on takeaway and stays there, or path on takeaway is really inside so there’s nothing to do but cast over. 

Overall, find yourself a back-up swing motion that guarantees a straighter flight even if it flies way shorter. It could be a knockdown or something. 

[TourSpoon]

I think the words you say (or think) before you swing are far more important on ball flight than the ones you say after.  I have found that once the ball leaves the clubface, it really doesn't listen all that well. 

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, TourSpoon said:

I think the words you say (or think) before you swing are far more important on ball flight than the ones you say after.  I have found that once the ball leaves the clubface, it really doesn't listen all that well. 

Well in my case the words after are often necessary as they are usually warnings of impending danger.

[ChetlovesMer]

1 hour ago, TourSpoon said:

I think the words you say (or think) before you swing are far more important on ball flight than the ones you say after.  I have found that once the ball leaves the clubface, it really doesn't listen all that well. 

That's not always true. Once I was standing on the tee box of a 150-odd-yard-par-3. I hit 8-iron. When it landed I said "GET IN THE HOLE!" ... And sure enough it did. So, I'm pretty sure the ball sometimes listens..... not always... but once in a while it does. Imagine the travesty if I wouldn't have said anything to that 8-iron shot? 🤪

[Old1964]

Before the slice - practice with good instruction.

After the slice - I generally noted one of two things:

1. that I had approached the shot too casually, not having a couple well-rehearsed practice swings.

2. that I had been too focused on the outcome instead of the execution.

P.S. As others noted, there are several things that can cause a slice, but there is only one thingthat can cure it .... NEW GOLF CLUBS 🙂  

[TourSpoon]

22 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

That's not always true. Once I was standing on the tee box of a 150-odd-yard-par-3. I hit 8-iron. When it landed I said "GET IN THE HOLE!" ... And sure enough it did. So, I'm pretty sure the ball sometimes listens..... not always... but once in a while it does. Imagine the travesty if I wouldn't have said anything to that 8-iron shot? 🤪

I think we all know, deep down in our hearts, that one day the ball may listen. I stand corrected! 🤣 Keep the faith!