A slice vs hitting it straight but well to the right

[Moppy]

Is there a difference? I have been hitting tee shots to the right, but hitting them pretty long (for me) and straight. I managed to fix this today by dumb luck, it turned out that it was in the address. I wasn't lining up my feet properly to the ball, or hanging my arms right. I got a new Titleist adjustable driver for Father's Day, and went to the driving range to try to dial it in and decided to hit it unadjusted for a while, even though I was itching to add draw.  Sure enough it was right, right, right. I was hitting off of the grass. Then I noticed one of the mats was marked with a center cross and a circle through the tee and tried different addresses of the ball. Once I got myself to line up with my left foot pointing directly at the ball, and my arms hanging straight down with the club resting at the impact position, and a proper strong grip, it was straight and long for the last ten balls, I knew it was going straight before I hit it, which is something new to me.

Now the Titleist hits a good twenty yards or more longer than the Top Flight XL. Hit after hit were longer than my best shot with the XL. I still might play with the loft, but not for a while.

- new to golf

[geauxforbroke]

It sounds like you were hitting the ball straight where you were aimed, instead of where you thought you were aimed. Always practice with an alignment aid. Otherwise, it's really easy to convince yourself that a straight shot is a good shot.

[Nutter]

I'm just answering your initial question without reading the rest because it looks like you're answering your own question.  If you're hitting it straight to the right you're either aiming right or not getting the club head through the shot.

[mvarley84]

A slice is caused by an induced spin being put on the ball because your club face angle is not on plain with your swing trajectory.

If you are hitting straight but to the right, it means you are lining up aiming to the right.

[cipher]

Originally Posted by mvarley84

If you are hitting straight but to the right, it means you are lining up aiming to the right.

Not necessarily always the case, although in this instance it sounds like it could be.  You can align your feet to the target and hit a straight push to the right.  Path to the right and in line with the face to the right. To the OP all a slice means is that the path of the club is going left of the face angle.

[MS256]

My longest tee shots (by a LOT) are when I mess up and hit a straight ball to right center field. Too bad I can't just aim left and depend on hitting one of those. Tried it a few times but it didn't work. It seems those just have to come by accident from out of nowhere when I can't miss right.

[TJBam]

Based on your first question.

A slice begins with a straight ball flight - but due to the outside-inside path of your swing, inflicts spin on the ball that will make it "slice" away from you mid flight (ball goes right for a righty, left for a lefty).

A push is a straight ball that you "push" away from your center line straight. For a righty this ball jumps straight out to the right and follows a straight diagonal line. There is a great article on this site that documents both of these ball flights.

With my limited knowledge, if you're hitting a long, straight push, I would suggest opening up your stance (pulling your front leg back a little bit).  This will adjust your swing arc a little bit and adjust for your push, hopefully sending your "push" straight down the middle. I am no swing doctor but this would be a quick fix.  In the long run of course YouTube and your local pro are your best friends.

[saevel25]

Originally Posted by TJBam

Based on your first question.

A slice begins with a straight ball flight - but due to the outside-inside path of your swing, inflicts spin on the ball that will make it "slice" away from you mid flight (ball goes right for a righty, left for a lefty).

A push is a straight ball that you "push" away from your center line straight. For a righty this ball jumps straight out to the right and follows a straight diagonal line. There is a great article on this site that documents both of these ball flights.

With my limited knowledge, if you're hitting a long, straight push, I would suggest opening up your stance (pulling your front leg back a little bit).  This will adjust your swing arc a little bit and adjust for your push, hopefully sending your "push" straight down the middle. I am no swing doctor but this would be a quick fix.  In the long run of course YouTube and your local pro are your best friends.

A ball will end up more right if the clubface is open more than the swing path. So if the swing path ranges from negative (outside in) to Positive (inside out). If the clubface is more positive than the swing path, you will hit a fade to a slice. The starting line for the ball is about 85%-90% relative to were the clubface is pointing, and 15-10% by the swing path. So if you have, lets say -1 degree, and a face angle of +3 degrees, you might be looking at a straight slice, maybe what looks like a slight push slice.

Slice is a term used for curve, push is a term used for initial ball flight. So, there not interchangeable. You can hit a pull slice, straight slice, or push slice.

[TJBam]

Originally Posted by saevel25

A ball will end up more right if the clubface is open more than the swing path. So if the swing path ranges from negative (outside in) to Positive (inside out). If the clubface is more positive than the swing path, you will hit a fade to a slice. The starting line for the ball is about 85%-90% relative to were the clubface is pointing, and 15-10% by the swing path. So if you have, lets say -1 degree, and a face angle of +3 degrees, you might be looking at a straight slice, maybe what looks like a slight push slice.

Slice is a term used for curve, push is a term used for initial ball flight. So, there not interchangeable. You can hit a pull slice, straight slice, or push slice.

Thank you for reiterating exactly what I said, saevel.

[saevel25]

Originally Posted by TJBam

A slice begins with a straight ball flight - but due to the outside-inside path of your swing, inflicts spin on the ball that will make it "slice" away from you mid flight (ball goes right for a righty, left for a lefty).

Not exactly the same, there are three slice types, not just starting with a straight ball. Just saying

[tuffluck]

i would think that a push is just like any other straight shot in that the clubface is going through the ball at impact at the same angle the clubface is open.  this would in theory create no side spin, but if your clubface were open then you would be pushing it to the right.  isn't that right?  so if you were trying to hit a draw (inside to out), but left the clubface open at impact, you would instead just push the ball.  same way with a pull because they say a lot of times when people are TRYING to overcompensate a slice by rolling their wrists, they can pull the ball instead.  this would mean the angle of the club is closed at the same angle your club is coming outside to in at impact.  essentially you are hitting it straight, just straight in another direction from where you intend the ball to go.  it doesn't matter how you line up if you can't have a closed clubface at the same angle the club comes in at impact pointing in the direction you want the ball to go.  someone correct me if i'm wrong.

suffice to say, if the above is true, a push is the best miss there is as your club is at least going in the right inside to out path.  adjust the grip and you should be golden.

[saevel25]

Well you could adjust the grip, or close the clubface slightly at address, or maybe the ball is to far back in your stance, that your hitting from the inside with clubface to open for a draw.

A push draw is any combination of swing path to clubface were the clubface is closed to the swing path, but open enough to start the ball right of your target line.

I've tried to hit a few low draws before, only to push the ball way out to the right because the clubface was square to the swing path. Those are always a fun miss :p

[tuffluck]

silly, but...

slice/fade (I represents the path your club comes in at impact and clubface angle, O represents ball)

I

I

OI

I

I

pull

\

\

O\

\

\

hook/draw

I

I

OI

I

I

push

/

/

O/

/

/

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by TJBam

With my limited knowledge, if you're hitting a long, straight push, I would suggest opening up your stance (pulling your front leg back a little bit).  This will adjust your swing arc a little bit and adjust for your push, hopefully sending your "push" straight down the middle. I am no swing doctor but this would be a quick fix.  In the long run of course YouTube and your local pro are your best friends.

Opening your stance would rotate the baseline/swing direction to the left.  So assuming the face stays the same, you now have a push fade.  Ball starts where the face is aiming and curves away from the path.

[TJBam]

Originally Posted by mvmac

Opening your stance would rotate the baseline/swing direction to the left.  So assuming the face stays the same, you now have a push fade.  Ball starts where the face is aiming and curves away from the path.

If the face adjusted too, which is what I'm trying to say, then it would be "pushed" straight down the middle.  I'm sure OP understand that when I say open the stance that I mean adjusting his entire drive to open up to the left, which would send his push right down the fairway.

Sheesh I shouldn't gotten my JD instead of going straight into business