What causes a block slice

[GolferDot]

Hi Guys,

I have done alot of work on my swing over the past few months and have gone from a pull draw to the occasional block slice, this happens most often with my Driver off the tee and my 3 wood from the fairway.

What are the main causes of a block slice ? (this is the shot that starts right, slices right, and goes a very short distance)

[jjb333]

Not releasing your hands, maybe?

[MO_Hacker]

I too have been struggling with a block/slice. The instructor I went to said that I wasn't getting my hands through the ball, leaving the club face open at impact. If I remember to "roll" my hands through at contact I will usually produce a straight to slight fade off of the tee.

Right now my only swing thought is to roll my right hand over through the ball, of course my handicap is 20+ so I may not be the best golfer to take advice from.lol

Good luck

[jambalaya]

Other causes are an over the top swing and coming into too steep with clubs like the driver or three wood.

[golfdad]

without seeing your swing, it is really tough, but i will bring up 2 things:

1. whenever something is wrong, it is easier to identify and fix something if the swing can be shortened. in this case, try to play from L to L and assess your contact and plane/club face etc. don't do full swing yet until you are sure.

2. may want to think in terms of upper and lower body motions. upper body (arms down) swings foward, lower body (hips down) also swings forward in a downswing. we practice the coordination between the two in order to square the clubface at impact zone.

2 things in the larger picture can make the clubface stay open: 1. lower body too fast in the forward motion, leaving the upper body behind. 2. upper body too slow, unable to keep up with the lower body, thus left behind and clubface still open. depending on your thinking process in terms of what triggers a downswing, the above 2 may seem the same but a clear distinction is not essential,,,whatever works, but the key thing is coordination between the two under your own control.

shorten the swing back and forth, get into a consistent tempo and find your own timing for better coordination.

good luck.

[wachesawgolfer]

A block can often be the arms/ hands come through and the left arm leaves the body at impact so the clubface is open at impact. To me its often the result of a poor swing conception that the downswing mirrors the backswing. In the correct downswing, the arms must swing down, either by swinging them down or moving the left knee to the target, or the right knee towards the ball, any of which which pull the arms down, to a position at the right hip and then the body turns through and finishes. The turn through keeps the clubface square or slightly closed to the target, but the club must be down in the correct position to swing down and through onplane for the clubface to correctly close with the turn. With a block the arms come forward too soon and there is no mechanism to square the face, hence the block to the right.

[case31]

I agree with everyone on this. I just posted similar advice to another thread. What I will add is that you need to make sure you get your body set at the top of your backswing. There are two things I do wrong that cause a block slice: either take the club past parallel on my backswing (think John Daly) or start my downswing with my lower body before I have reached parallel on my backswing.
Just remember to be slow and composed on the backswing. Taking the club back fast only causes problems the rest of the way.

[GolferDot]

thanks for the info guys will try this on the practice range. I would post a video but a) my camera sucks and b)it only happens every now and then.