Why did this fix work?

[Crim]

I'm a stupid monkey with a swing fix question, I probably shouldn't ask and should just go with it, but I need to know.

I've been battling a huge fade (ok, it's a slice) with the driver ever since I started. I've been trying to experiment with different ways to cut the left to right in half....and make it a proper fade. Nothing has worked, until the other day my father in law suggested to open up my stance and aim my body even further left.

"Wouldn't that just exaggerate the slice?" I asked

"just try it" he says.

And boom, my 30 yard slice turns into a 5-10 yard fade. Giving me more distance and allowing me to hit more fairways. I can't wrap my head around it, why did opening up my stance and aiming my body further left cut down on the left to right? I mean, I'll take it, it just doesn't make any sense to me.

[billchao]

Path is instinctual, so by aiming more left, your brain knew it had to do something to keep you from hitting the ball into oblivion, so it likely caused you to swing more right, towards your actual target.

[Hammer 4]

Just a guess on my part. I have tried the open stance thingy too. So, what I get is, I think with an open stance the ball gets moved a tad more forward in your set up. Then as you swing with an open stance, you are sorta forced to swing in to out, and making better contact, although if you produce a fade, you may still be cutting across the ball a wee bit.

Up until 2 days ago, I was hitting blocks, and push fades, and slices, once I figured out that my left hand needs to point at the target at impact, I'm now hitting more of a straight ball, or a slight draw, which I hit with my irons. So now with my drive especially, my swing thought is the left faces the target, and so far it's working, but for how long, I'll have to see..LOL

[Crim]

Path is instinctual, so by aiming more left, your brain knew it had to do something to keep you from hitting the ball into oblivion, so it likely caused you to swing more right, towards your actual target.

So I'm basically just messin' with my head?

I'm worried it was just a quick fix and not an actual fix. But almost every single drive since then has been right where I want it to be.

Just a guess on my part. I have tried the open stance thingy too. So, what I get is, I think with an open stance the ball gets moved a tad more forward in your set up. Then as you swing with an open stance, you are sorta forced to swing in to out, and making better contact, although if you produce a fade, you may still be cutting across the ball a wee bit.

I mean I must be cutting across it still, but for some reason perhaps opening up my stance makes it so I don't cut across as much? Or maybe the face is doing something different, I really don't know! All I know is that it works and I can't wrap my head around it.

And just an fyi, I can hit a draw with my irons just fine, but my woods and driver were always more of a fade/slice. Now that I've opened my stance AND body up to the left. The slice is a gentle fade. Doesn't make any sense to me at all.

[billchao]

So I'm basically just messin' with my head?  I'm worried it was just a quick fix and not an actual fix. But almost every single drive since then has been right where I want it to be.

Sure, I mean you're doing it right now ;-) There's no reason it can't be an actual fix. Nobody ever said you had to play golf with the target line parallel to your stance line. If this gets you to swing more right where you tend to swing left, then go for it.

[mvmac]

Path is instinctual, so by aiming more left, your brain knew it had to do something to keep you from hitting the ball into oblivion, so it likely caused you to swing more right, towards your actual target.

Correct, may not work for everyone but aiming the body left can help players swing more outward (in relation to their body lines), this is what Fred Couples, Lee Trevino and Ryan Moore do.

This is why aiming too far right can be a problem, players will "instinctually" swing well across their body in order to swing at the target. There are some good players that can do this and play a slight pull draw. It's typically better for solid contact to swing "out" than "in".

[iacas]

One other thought (I agree that aiming left can help you swing out): you might be aiming right and now you're just closer to relatively square.

[Crim]

Correct, may not work for everyone but aiming the body left can help players swing more outward (in relation to their body lines), this is what Fred Couples, Lee Trevino and Ryan Moore do.

Just watched all three of their swings, my stance "feels" very close to the way Ryan Moore's looks...though I feel even more exaggerated (slightly more to the left.) I'm going to have to get a vid of it soon to see if I'm just "feeling" more left than I really am.

[Crim]

Update: Hit 12 out of the 14 fairways (all driver) at the Chaska Town Course (Beautiful course, right next to Hazeltine). So nice to finally be in the fairway the majority of the time. Now to figure out how to add some yardage. Averaging 210 yards