25 years of slicing

[dchoye]

I have that slicing problem too an I just replace my driver and 3wood with 4 wood and 7 wood and now i can play a draw that goes further than my playing partners 1wood slice

[bigbri]

I have developed this slicing thing after being a good driver for ages.  I tried all the suggestions on this post with variable results.  But I downloaded that app V1.  Took a picture from behind.  The only thing that was obvious to me is that I seem to be straightening my back leg on the backswing.  Will that cause this problem?

Bri

[saevel25]

Originally Posted by bigbri

I have developed this slicing thing after being a good driver for ages.  I tried all the suggestions on this post with variable results.  But I downloaded that app V1.  Took a picture from behind.  The only thing that was obvious to me is that I seem to be straightening my back leg on the backswing.  Will that cause this problem?

Bri

No, straightening the back leg happens.

Take a video from the front, does your head sway alot. when i slice my head is moving all over the place.

But a slice is usually caused by a swing that is outside to in, so if the ball was a watch, looking down on it. 12 would be pointing towards the target. Then an outside to in swing would go from 4 to 10.

[bigbri]

Ok thanks.  But will have to wait until we are down at the range again.  But looking at the one we have done..........straightening my back leg seems to push the club out a bit so that I am coming over the top if that is the term or outside to in.

Bri

[twoton]

Well, I feel confident in saying that the slice has been fixed.  Permanently.  Twice to the driving range using my new techniques and the slice is gone.

Here's how I know.  I made two changes to the set up.  First, I moved my grip to a strong position.  Second, I ground the club in the center of my stance rather than behind the ball.  When I revert on either of these two, that is, either by moving my grip to a weak or neutral position, or when I ground the club directly behind the ball, the slice comes back.

In other words, I can turn the slice on and off.  Therefore, it's controlled.  Therefore, it's conquered.

The problem now is the nasty diving hook that's resulted. That's probably just a matter of moving the grip to a slightly less-strong position but it will take some experimenting. Adjustments of fractions of an inch seem to make a big difference.

One other thing, though:  in fixing the slice I've lost quite a bit of distance.  But as my golf teacher said, "It's better to hit straight than far."

(yes, I took golf class in college--25 years ago and at that time I had never actually played a real game of golf. Because it was spring semester in the northeast U.S., we did all the classes hitting into nets in a gym.)

[saevel25]

Yea, that's just an illusion. Because some day, you will develop a slice with that set up. Why, because you play golf ;)

[twoton]

I do not choose to live in your reality.  I prefer to substitute my own.

[twoton]

Just as an update: Looks like I won't be playing the charity round after all.  Sign-up is by foursome, and I don't have three golfing friends. The fee is $300 per foursome, and I don't have three non-golfing friends who will pay $75 to play a game they don't play.

[Strandly]

Originally Posted by twoton

Because no matter where I positioned the ball, I had always aligned the club directly behind it.

Yeah that's very, very bad.  I came across a video early this spring that described why that's a terrible thing to do so luckily I never struggled with that problem.  For a while I was still slicing the ball though and couldn't figure out what the deal was.  I found another video that nailed it and the problem was having my left wrist cupped (misguided attempt to get the clubhead further from the ball, similar to how the wrist looks when holding a baseball bat) at the top of my backswing.  Once I flattened it out the slice instantly went away.

I've never had a problem with hooking the ball, and my drives don't even have a draw actually.. they mostly fly straight or slice a little bit (overswinging).  If I hook the ball it's usually from standing too close and catching the heel of the club.

[bullhusk]

Alright, I'll play too. For many many years I had a massive slice. I was a baseball player attempting to play golf. A couple years a go I started to play more and started playing tournaments and I quite literally got embarrassed by the slice. Anyways, I was able to hit my 3 and 5 woods really well so I took a brand new Titleist driver to the local club maker and had him shorten it to the length of my 3 wood. He also put a crazy fat grip on it. Doing this caused my to stand closer to the ball. I have an outside in swing. Additionally, I read a post on another site who suggested that slicers place their right foot about 6 inches back of their left foot(staggered). These changes along with a slight change to my grip (make sure your thumb and pointer finger vees are aligned with your chest, both hands) made all the difference. My only problem I an occoccasional pull. Don't know if what I did is recommended by others but it worked for me. Good luck.

[Pretzel]

Originally Posted by geauxforbroke

Harvey Penick used to say that the best way to fix a slice is to learn how to hit a hook, then fix the hook. Keep at it.

I love Harvey Penick's Little Red Book. One story that stuck out to me in there was the one where a player complained to him of a ballflight that was slightly too high, to which he replied, "The ball is still going towards the hole, is it not?". Moral of the story: It doesn't matter too much if you slice it or hook it (so long as it's consistent) if you can account for that and hit the fairway. I used to play a slice for a couple years and I would just aim 10-15 yards to the left of the fairway if there weren't any trees. I only started to fix it in earnest when I began to play different courses that called for draws and penalized you heavily if you missed to the right.

[Strandly]

Originally Posted by bullhusk

Additionally, I read a post on another site who suggested that slicers place their right foot about 6 inches back of their left foot(staggered).

I thought I read somewhere that that is a temporary fix you might use on a driving range but not something you want to do all the time.  I think it causes problems with other types of shots.  But yeah I messed with that type of stance a little bit before I figured out the wrist thing and it definitely shaves some of the slice off.