Help with outside-in swing

[The Golfing Polack]

I've been playing for around 15 years now, and usually shoot in the mid to high eighties. It seems that lately I've been pushing and slicing everything. Even before the problem started I'd usually play a small fade with almost every club except my 8-pw. I can handle the slight fade, as I light to soft landings and controlability, but lately it's turned into towering slice. Distance is about the same but the ball starts out at the target and ends up way right. Anything longer than a 6 is losing tons of distance and ending up around 20-30 yards right of where it starts out. I'm used to this sort of thing with my driver now and again, but it's never spread itself to the rest of my bag. I'm even hitting my hybrid right and I usually end up with a draw with that club.

I was on a launch monitor recently and everything I was hitting, even some great shots with my 5 iron and driver was with an outside in swing path. I'm trying to figure out how to cope with it. I've tried starting my swing to the outside, but I just end up hitting it of the hozel or chunking the hell out of it.

The most frustrating thing is that I've lost confidence in all of my clubs lately. Unless I'm within 120 yards I don't think I can hit the green. What do I need to do? I'd upload a video of my swing.

[Dent]

best thing is to give us a video of your swing. Dont lose confidence it will just make it worse. try less hip turn, on a few swings, try to keep your hips straight and a little less of the hips. Some of it can be mental too.

[mike_pinto]

I've been playing for around 15 years now, and usually shoot in the mid to high eighties. It seems that lately I've been pushing and slicing everything. Even before the problem started I'd usually play a small fade with almost every club except my 8-pw. I can handle the slight fade, as I light to soft landings and controlability, but lately it's turned into towering slice. Distance is about the same but the ball starts out at the target and ends up way right. Anything longer than a 6 is losing tons of distance and ending up around 20-30 yards right of where it starts out. I'm used to this sort of thing with my driver now and again, but it's never spread itself to the rest of my bag. I'm even hitting my hybrid right and I usually end up with a draw with that club.

Had the same problem, only I didn't know what was causing it for over a year. Try to concentrate on keeping your rear elbow close to your body on take away. Over exaggerate it the first couple times and then once you get the feeling of it, it will stay inside naturally. Every now and again I find my elbow flying and the ol' outside-in comes back, but now you'll know how to fix it..

Mike

[$2 Nassau]

A constant problem for me.

I like to do the Vijay drill.....place a golf glove, or small towel (or whatever) under your left armpit and hit some balls. Makes you keep your arms and elbows closer to your body and fights off the over the top swing.


You obviously don't HAVE to put gloves under your armpits, just make a conscious effort to keep your elbows/arms a little closer to your body and working with your body as you swing, rather than flying away from it.

It works for me, hopefully it will help.

[mike_pinto]

$2 Nassau,
I like the way you think!!

[supercow]

Find a semi-straight, relatively soft object. Set it slightly outside your target line. If you come outside-in you hit it. Inside-out should be ok unless you start coming extremely inside-out. In either case though you should be able to tell your club path by which way the object moves.

[Island_Duffer]

Find a semi-straight, relatively soft object. Set it slightly outside your target line. If you come outside-in you hit it. Inside-out should be ok unless you start coming extremely inside-out. In either case though you should be able to tell your club path by which way the object moves.

I do this at the range, but I place a tee just behind and outside of the ball. Works great for ranges with mats too; just use the rubber tees built into the mat.

[irfan]

if your feet are lined up ok, double check to make sure ur hips are also lined up ok..sometimes my feet will be on line, but i will open my hips without realizing it and end up pulling and hittng out to in. if i focus on straightening my hips it goes much straighter... but thats always takes 16 holes to realize.

[Ringer]

Create some space between your chin and your right shoulder on the forward swing. Easiest way to do that is by making sure you stay tilted over the ball.

[flatom]

That is a great tip, Ringer. Swaying off the ball on backswing and jerking the club down with the dominant right side are killers and seem to be at the root of the OTT move.

Create some space between your chin and your right shoulder on the forward swing. Easiest way to do that is by making sure you stay tilted over the ball.

[lamebums]

I've been playing for around 15 years now, and usually shoot in the mid to high eighties. It seems that lately I've been pushing and slicing everything. Even before the problem started I'd usually play a small fade with almost every club except my 8-pw. I can handle the slight fade, as I light to soft landings and controlability, but lately it's turned into towering slice. Distance is about the same but the ball starts out at the target and ends up way right. Anything longer than a 6 is losing tons of distance and ending up around 20-30 yards right of where it starts out. I'm used to this sort of thing with my driver now and again, but it's never spread itself to the rest of my bag. I'm even hitting my hybrid right and I usually end up with a draw with that club.

I struggled with pushing and slicing most of my shots today. I'd also forgotten my glove, and I put two and two together. I was gripping the club awkwardly in response to the grip on my skin (hurts like hell now, actually) and swinging with much moe tension than necessary.

Relax, swing at 80 percent power. I actually got my draw back when I did that, but not until I teed off on the 18th hole, when I finally figured out what was wrong.

[PensacolaWahoo]

May not work for all, but for me I try to think "around" on my backswing as opposed to up and down. I was swinging really steep and while the contact felt solid everything was outside in and I had to open the clubface to compensate. So the ball started left and would "slice" back to the right. Flattening my swing and keeping my right elbow under control and nearer my body has created a whole new ball flight for me. I'm hitting the ball as well as ever - straight with an occassional slight draw. It all clicked for me watching Mark Wilson beat out Boo at the Honda Classic. Wilson's ball striking seemed so consistent and that is the swing I try to envision before I line up to the ball.