Slicing!!! Agrhh!!!

[TheMizunoMan]

Well.

I Slice. It seems like im slicing, but im actually PUSHING. I need drills and tips that will help me roll my hands over fully so then i hit fairways more often!
its only on my driver and woods, my irons are fine!

PLEASE HELP lol

Cheers,

The Mizuno Man

[bogeyme]

Well.

I have the same problem. I don't think mine is a push. I think it's 100% slice. I wish i could figure it out. I just close the club head at address and it "solves" the problem. It's not really the solution I would like but it works most of the time.

[cbe_golfer]

at impact, if you draw a line from the right shoulder to your left shoulder, where is it pointed in relation to your target line?. my guess is left of target line. something for you to think about. it is probably your instinct that to hit the ball hard, you have to jerk that left shoulder as far as possible from the ball. reverse that instinct. it should lead to an automatic release.

[jc21539]

There is a big difference between a slice and a push. A push is caused by an inside to out swing path. A slice is caused by an open clubface in relation to your swing path.

Figuring out whether you are slicing, pushing, or both is not always an easy task, especially if you are on the severe end of the spectrum. A shot that appears to be a push could really just be an extremely severe slice. In addition, hitting the ball off the extreme end of the toe or off the hozzle can make it virtually impossible to tell what is going on from ball flight alone.


Grip, alignment, and posture are three things that make it easier for golfers to swing down the target line with a square clubhead. But it is ultimately the golfer's intentions that determine where the ball goes.

Determine what areas of your setup you feel least comfortable with. If it's your grip, try switching to a ten-fingered grip for a while, and remember that human beings grip things with their fingers. If it is alignment, put some clubs down to line up your body parallel to the target line. For your posture, focus on making the most powerful and balanced swing you can, and your posture will react naturally. The key here is to keep it simple.

If you don't already, try picking out an intermediate target about a foot in front of the ball on your target line. I think this is one of the best ways to keep your mind focused on the target line, because you can actually see it. When you swing, forget about anything else you've learned besides swinging the club down the target line.

And remember, nothing happens overnight. Not even becoming millionares or fixing your slice.

Hope this helps.

[Chilidipper]

If you are missing fairways with fairway woods regularly you are slicing no offense. A gentle push now and then or a block will play most of the time. But a slice will kill you. You are slicing.

[JonnyGolf]

Well.

I'm not sure that manipulating your hands at impact is going to solve this issue. Generally, if you're trying any manipulation, it's going to be unreliable. I would guess there's something else wrong fundamentally that's keeping you from ending up in a released position.

[fusioncal]

See the pattern of your slice. If it starts left then goes to the right, your have OTT and open clubface. If it starts straight and then right, your swing path is ok but with open club face.

One way to eliminate slice is to roll your hands. Do not overpower the impact with your right hand (for RH golfer). Do this, just before the impact do a right hand shake as Steve Bishop explained in one of his video here and here . To specifically fix your slice, you need to watch this . For some more of golf instruction drills and tips you can find them here .

Hope this helps.

[Big_M]

There is a big difference between a slice and a push. A push is caused by an inside to out swing path. A slice is caused by an open clubface in relation to your swing path.

A slice is also caused by an outside to in swing path, especially if severe. Often it will actually be a pull-slice though... starting left and finishing well right.

push = inside to out with improper release... usually, although other possibilities too.

[jc21539]

No, actually, what I am talking about is physics. You are correct in that if you come over the top, you are likely to have an open clubface. But when we say open, we mean open in relation to the swing path. So if the clubface is square to the target line, and your swing is outside to in, then your clubface is open in relation to your swing path. But an outside to in path does not create a slice on its own. If you are out to in and the clubface is open in relation to the path, then that is a pull slice. If you come over the top with a dead shut clubface, you won't be seeing any slices. You'll be seeing pull hooks instead (which are fairly common as well). If you are inside to out and have an open clubface in relation to your path (which means really open in relation to your target) then you will hit a huge push slice, meaning it starts right and goes further right.

To actually start the ball right of your target (while hitting the ball somewhere on the actual clubface), your swing must be inside out. Atleast, that is my understanding of the physics based on what I've read. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it is actually a combination of swing path and clubface that determines where the ball starts out, but I don't really know for sure. I am no physicist, but it would be interesting to research.

Anyhow, you can get a pretty good sense of what you are doing using the basic rule.

[Big_M]

No, actually, what I am talking about is physics. You are correct in that if you come over the top, you are likely to have an open clubface. But when we say open, we mean open in relation to the swing path. So if the clubface is square to the target line, and your swing is outside to in, then your clubface is open in relation to your swing path. But an outside to in path does not create a slice on its own. If you are out to in and the clubface is open in relation to the path, then that is a pull slice. If you come over the top with a dead shut clubface, you won't be seeing any slices. You'll be seeing pull hooks instead (which are fairly common as well). If you are inside to out and have an open clubface in relation to your path (which means really open in relation to your target) then you will hit a huge push slice, meaning it starts right and goes further right.

well said... I didn't have the energy to type all that... But, that is basically how I undertand ball direction in relation to swing path and closed / open face.

It was at the point when I DID understand what you explained, that I began to understand my swing, and was able to rework it over the past two years lowering my handicap from about 18-20 to what it is now. I am completely self taught, and I think that learning the physics of the swing was KEY for me.

[jc21539]

It turns out I was correct...it was interesting to research! But, I did learn a bit more about the physics behind ball flight.

I don't understand the equations very well, but this is what I have come to learn:

1. Clubface has more effect on the starting direction of the ball than swing path, although swing path does (in theory, it is technically "can" but in practice, "does") have an effect.

2. In a frictionless collision, the ball would start out directly down the path perpendicular the clubface.

3. The faster your clubhead speed, the more effect swing path has on the initial direction.

This is generally where I am basing my information from http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=16863 . If you take the paragraph where he talks about the angles between c, p, b, and alpha, and draw yourself a diagram, it helps greatly in understanding the 5/7 rule.