Has this ever happened to you?

[Dr_Fu_Manchu]

..........
So, I decided to hit the range to work on the swing.

As usual, I started off with my short game, nailing SW and wedge shots, hitting my targets right on or within a couple yards, then BAM....I sliced one . No big deal, pull another over find my target... .BAM slice agian, and again and again.

So I grab my driver, slice-o-la . Okay, so I think maybe I should just hit my 7i to the 150 flag. ...top, slice, pull, slice..... The entire bucket went this way. I am sure to others around me I looked like I just started playing. And that's how it felt too.

I bought a second bucket thinking I would eventually find my groove and work out of this funk , nope. I tried everything, hitting 3/4 shots, chipping, etc. I couldn't correct it. Now I was hitting off mats, but usually I find mats more forgiving then grass.

Now I am freaking out that I have the yips or have mentally lost it. It was/is the craziest thing ever. I never slice, maybe a baby fade, but never slice. In fact, most often then not I have been drawing my irons.

Let me preface this by saying as an 18 handicap, I realize that I am not going to hit every shot perfect. However, after having of 3 decent rounds of 88, 91, and 87 in the 3 outings I expected to hit some good shots.

Can anyone relate....?

[Ian]

have you been playing off grass?

sometimes its a shock to go from grass-mats i expirenced this last night....

[Dr_Fu_Manchu]

have you been playing off grass?

Yeah, only grass. In fact, I was on a grass only strike. If I pulled into the range and they were only playing off the mats, I would go home. Today their was just a bit of sunshine after 2 days of rain, so I figured what the heck. Worst decision ever.

[bruce]

One day a month ago i was at the range hitting good shots with my seven iron,all of a sudden i shanked 6 shots in a row,i was mortified,i went and sat on the bench for a minute to calm down and relalised that after the first one or two i was gripping the club with a death grip(really tight)so i went back hitting and i was fine.So any time now i hit a few bad shots i take a break for a few minutes and think happy thoughts

[thr33]

happened to me too, so usually when this happens I'll only hit wedge shots or practice my short game. Scares me because i worked so hard last season to turn my slice in to a draw, and i don't want my old swing flaws creeping up into my swing.

[SasQuatch<3]

Go another time and see if it happens again. If your swong is the exact same maybe the slice is something probably temporary. I personally wouldnt think about it as much, I tend to make more mistakes the more I struggle with worrying

[fatgulfer]

Wow, this is exactly what happened to me today!
Just yesterday I was on the course hitting great shots; They were pretty straight and, having a handicap of 32, hitting straight shots is something to feel good about.
Actually, I was hitting straight shots last week too, and the week before that.
But then I go to the driving range today and almost all my shots sliced. I got worried at first but now I'm checking the simple fundamentals to find out if that's the cause of this sudden outburst of slices.

[beachbreak]

When this happens to me, it is usually the result of an incomplete shoulder turn less than 90 degrees. I then try to concentrate on completing the backswing without being in a rush to come down.

[DJYoshi]

happened to me 2 weeks ago. after a night of a hard shoulder work out and minimal stretching.... 10 perfect shots to start....then boom the next 100 i sliced or couldn't get off the ground... pre-haney barkley styles....
the next day came back and was back to normal.
take your time before each shot...

[microcrayfish]

Yeah it's happened to me. Usually at the range It won't last that long, I just to and hit huge hooks for a while to stop the slicing and then get back to it. It has also happened to me on the course on more than one occasion. Now that's not fun.

[RC]

When it goes badly, drop back to 3/4 swings at an easy tempo -- don't keep smashing at the ball. Get your feel and confidence back with the thought that you will swing only at 3/4 length and speed and forget how far they are going -- you just want solid contact. Completing the shoulder turn was also a great piece of advice. The worst thing to do is keep pounding away thinking sooner or later you will catch one and that will fix things.

After hitting a few solidly and well, it is amazing how much better your outlook will be.

[Dr_Fu_Manchu]

When this happens to me, it is usually the result of an incomplete shoulder turn less than 90 degrees. I then try to concentrate on completing the backswing without being in a rush to come down.

Go another time and see if it happens again. If your swong is the exact same maybe the slice is something probably temporary. I personally wouldnt think about it as much, I tend to make more mistakes the more I struggle with worrying

Thanks for the advice, I went back this morning and everything was back to normal. Looking back, I don't think I was making a complete turn and was quick too quick from the top as a result of the frustration. In addition, it turned into a vicious cycle of me trying harder and getting in my head too much.

[JCDot33]

Yep, I am sure that we all experience this at some point (some more than others ... I experience it, I feel, way too often) ...

Going from grass to mats and then back will have something to do with it. But, when you start to experience it you really should STOP AND THINK for a few minutes ... put the clubs down, you could accidently start to program bad habbits into your swings with the fustration of trying to figure out what is causing it swing after swing (for me, a really bad slice is almost ALWAYS, 99.999995% of the time, caused by me not keeping my weight back as I come through the ball ... my hips get through the ball first and then my hands and then the club head ... people 3 states over get hurt when this happens!)