Slice... fixed?

[Inebriated]

Ok guys, I've been playing for all of two months seriously (played some in my freshman year of high school, but that was 6 years ago), and up until yesterday, I had a massive slice. I'm talking 60-70 yards of curve. Well yesterday and today, I changed my grip, and did nothing with my swing, and the slice is pretty much gone. I'm still 10 or 15 yards off target, but with the new grip that's left or right, not just 70 yards right. Does it sound right that a simple grip change could fix such a game-killing problem? I'm not complaining, but I'm more posting because I'm very proud, and a little confused that that's all it took.

[Edgk]

Inebriated- Not only is it possible but take what I am about to say as gospel. Every great golfer says the same thing without variance. The single most important thing is the GOLF GRIP. It does the most to effect the clubface at impact and therefore needs to be correct. It's not about the overlap or the interlock or the natural grip, instead pay attention to the hands. Each of your hands should have the palms facing each other when you grip the club. The spot on your hands where the thumb and index finger make a line or V should point over your right shoulder(RH) for Both hands. See Ben Hogans Five Lessons Chapter 1 for an illustration.

[senorchipotle]

well, it all depends. grip can cure a slice if your swing is otherwise sound, but even with a sound swing you won't be 70 yards off. sounds like you've cured the slice but not the push. you're probably coming in under plane, but i can't tell for sure since without a vid.

[Inebriated]

Originally Posted by Edgk

Inebriated- Not only is it possible but take what I am about to say as gospel. Every great golfer says the same thing without variance. The single most important thing is the GOLF GRIP. It does the most to effect the clubface at impact and therefore needs to be correct. It's not about the overlap or the interlock or the natural grip, instead pay attention to the hands. Each of your hands should have the palms facing each other when you grip the club. The spot on your hands where the thumb and index finger make a line or V should point over your right shoulder(RH) for Both hands. See Ben Hogans Five Lessons Chapter 1 for an illustration.

That is exactly what I tried, and it worked perfectly! I never imagined that the grip could have such an impact. I'll definitely check that out, thanks!

Originally Posted by senorchipotle

well, it all depends. grip can cure a slice if your swing is otherwise sound, but even with a sound swing you won't be 70 yards off. sounds like you've cured the slice but not the push. you're probably coming in under plane, but i can't tell for sure since without a vid.

70 was an exaggeration, but it was a pretty big slice with a Driver. Irons were much less pronounced. But the new grip seems to have cured it. I don't know how my swing is compared to other golfers, but as of now, I can land the ball in the same general area almost every time. My swing is still not quite "natural," since I have been doing this for two months, but my swing is pretty good.

[Gerald]

It is hard to believe your swing is pretty good after 2 months, there are so many that don't have a pretty good swing after 200 months .....

A BIG slice has little to do with your grip, not even if your grip was totally strange, but it has all to do with swinging with a pretty good swing, from the outside in, even when you think you are coming from the inside..... most golfers think they are coming from the inside, but they hit the ball that hard, making it impossible to really come from the inside maybe it feels like, but a BIG slice is a swing issue, not just a little bit stronger grip ......

If a stronger grip means that you still manage to hit some slices, fades and pushes, you can bet on, that there is still a huge swing problem.

[Inebriated]

Originally Posted by Gerald

It is hard to believe your swing is pretty good after 2 months, there are so many that don't have a pretty good swing after 200 months .....

A BIG slice has little to do with your grip, not even if your grip was totally strange, but it has all to do with swinging with a pretty good swing, from the outside in, even when you think you are coming from the inside..... most golfers think they are coming from the inside, but they hit the ball that hard, making it impossible to really come from the inside maybe it feels like, but a BIG slice is a swing issue, not just a little bit stronger grip ......

If a stronger grip means that you still manage to hit some slices, fades and pushes, you can bet on, that there is still a huge swing problem.

I didn't mean my swing was good all the time... I meant it is good to me. In the sense that, I get a "good" shot every few swings. Which means I am doing SOMETHING right. It's not consistently good, but there is something there. I don't mean that I have perfect form. And I think the new grip focused me on keeping my swing straight as well, which got me some better shots. Again, nothing "perfect" by any means, but it seems to work for me when I get it right.

[awmgolfer]

I was having a similar issue. I was hitting a wicked push slice. All my other clubs including my 3 wood were either quite straight or my natural pull fade which starts out about 15 yards left and comes right back to center. I have had my swing put on video and it looked no different between my driver and other clubs and was on a good plane. On the range I would be more relaxed and I would hit it about 260 yards and just like my other clubs but on the course I would push slice the living daylights out of it with the driver, it would also go extremely high. I just had a custom built driver with a mid flight shaft on it. Went out on the range and the ball flight was great but was still hitting that push slice. The pro I work with was out watching and realized I had to weak of a grip which I normally only did on the course for some stupid mental reason. As soon as I became conscious of it on the course and kept it in check with the driver I am hitting the same ball as all the other clubs and hit my first drive of 270 yards but I am averaging around 240 which beats the 180 yard push slice and all it took was the grip so I could be sure to get the clubface back to square instead of being open to the swing plane.

[B-Con]

A slice is caused by an out-to-in swing path. It has to be, that's the laws of physics. Your grip changed your slice to the extent that a grip change can change your arm and hand path. Until we see our own swings from a third person point of view (or unless we're really good), it's hard to know what we're actually doing in our swing. Changing your grip can definitely change how you "feel" your swing, and thus how you try to conduct your swing, and thus cause major differences in what you actually do in your swing. However, unless major changes in the swing plane/path are brought about, the grip won't change much. So it's conceivable that a simple grip change fixed your slice. But alternatively, even chronic slicers (of which I was once one) can have a couple of good days where they have minimal slicing, and that's without trying to change anything in their swing. So not to be pessimistic, but I find the latter case a little more likely. Wait and see what it's like after a month. I'm happy to be wrong. :-)

[JackLee]

I think it is possible that a grip change can also cause a change in your swing plane/clubhead path without your being aware of it.

[vikramraju]

YES! The grip is extremely underrated and has a significant impact on your game. I was a huge slicer myself and I realized my grip was way too strong (some guy on the driving range spotted it) and with a change I quickly improved my ballstriking. Congrats on the epiphany!

[Inebriated]

Thanks for the responses guys. I tried some today, and I am pretty sure the grip changes the way I swing it. I went to my old way, and I got a few slices, but I noticed my swing was affected by the way my left arm rotates (or doesn't, rather) through the swing, and that leaves the face open when I come down. But when I changed my grip, and rotated my left arm a bit inside, it allowed me to rotate my arm and come back to a square clubhead. I don't know if it's the "correct" swing, but hell, it's working now, and I'm getting a tangible difference between grips (and ultimately swings).