play with shot tendency or try to correct it?

[clearwaterms]

I have always struggled with a slice. My driver is by far the worst (often times crossing the fairway) and most of the other clubs are straight (SGI clubs) and sometimes fade if I put a bad swing on it.

Recently, I have been trying to learn to start my down swing with a hip turn and let the arms follow, and force myself to come from the inside. This has (at least at the range) corrected my slice. My problem is on the course I seem to fall back into old habits.

As a result my scores have been suffering greatly, At one point in the summer I was (guessing) down to a high 18 handicap, as I was shooting consistently in the 43~47 range (9 hole, par 36.) However, as a result of my new swing thought my recent rounds are in the 50~53 range. The thing is that, the new swing thought produces much more consistent contact, and has more distance, and a much more appealing ball flight.

So I guess the question is this. Should I (and others who have similar struggles) learn to just deal with my shot shape, or should I grin and bear it and know that as soon as I grove this new swing, I will have another breakthrough?

[jaymills13]

I have always been a firm believer that you have to be able to trust your swing when your on the golf course and work on it on the range. Swing thoughts can really throw a person into a worst situation than they were previously in. The best thing for myself is to think tempo. I find that i score better when I am thinking tempo and can restrain those extra thoughts from coming into my head. I would like to see what some better players think about this topic.

[brgolf]

It is definitely possible to fix a slice and you should try to correct it.

Playing with a fade or draw is acceptable, but slicing is not.

[clearwaterms]

It is definitely possible to fix a slice and you should try to correct it.

i have trouble determining what the difference between a fade and a slice is.

I have always used the first bounce to determine if it's a fade or a slice. A slice will have that nasty kick left (I am left handed) vs. a fade will bounce down the flight path (hopefully towards the target)

[SKMoss]

Play with shot tendency

The answer for me is yes!

You should play with your shot tendency while on the course. But on the range get the slice, hook, or what ever fixed. As with every sport out there, there is a time for coaching/learning/instructing, and there is a time for playing.

[Zeph]

I always recommend to get a flaw fixed.

A fade is a shot that curves slightly from right to left, but comes down at the target. What I would call a desired shot, be that because of a shot tendency or a planned shot. A slice curves to the left of your target, it can start right of the target or straight, but it always curve to the left.

There can be many causes for a slice, but one thing you should start with is the swing path. Look at this video from Golf Digest which recently published an article with the study of 180 000 swings, trying to find the most common cause for a slice. http://www.golfdigest.com/instructio...ssteveatherton

If you are coming over the top, which I assume you are, there are essentially two things that cause a slice. One is the outside to inside swingpath, the other an open clubface, which can be a result of holding off the release, like explained in the video above. You could also have a bad grip or a cupped left wrist.