Golf Fault-Fixing-Slice-Shots

Fault Fixing: Slice Shots
1. The Cause
o A slice is a ball flight that starts left of the intended target and then bends quickly to
the right in flight. It often produces a higher and shorter flight than normal.
o This shot is commonly caused by an outside to inside swing path and an open
clubface. This puts a large amount of clockwise spin on the ball.
o If you tend to slice the ball, the 3 areas you need to pay attention to are your
alignment, your grip and your swing path. By focusing on these areas you should
be able to control your slice so that it becomes a soft fade, a straight shot or even a
controlled draw.
2. Check Your Alignment

o If you have a recurring problem with slicing the golf ball, this is
the first thing to check. At the range, or even at home, lay a club
along the ball-to-target line and a club along the line of your
toes.
o Once you’re sure your feet are parallel to the ball-to-target line,
take another club and hold it against your knees, hips and
shoulders to make sure they are square also. It can help having
a friend to look down the line and check your alignment as you
set up.
3. Check Your Grip

o A slice shot is often caused or exaggerated by both a strong and weak grip. Check
that your hands sit on the club in a neutral position.
o Check that you have no more than two and a half knuckles of the top hand
showing at address, and that the V you create between your thumb and forefinger of
your bottom hand points to your chin.
1/2 1/2
2 or 2 1 or 1 V points V points
knuckles knuckles to chin over left
visible when visible when shoulder
you look you look
Neutral Weak Neutral Weak
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4. Check Your Swing Path
o A slice is often caused by the club swinging too much

from an over the top swing path, therefore starting
the ball too far to the left and relying on a passive
hand action to open the club face and slice the ball
back.
Too much from ‘over the top’. Also

called an out-to-in swing path
Swing path that runs more along the

ball-to-target line
o If you feel that your swing is too upright and the club is too far in front you in the
down swing, try to encourage the club to stay behind your body more during the
transition and throughout the downswing.
Swing 1 – imagine the blue lines represent a sheet of glass running through Pete’s body.
Notice how the club head would stay in contact with or close to that sheet of glass? This is
good swing plane.
Swing 2 – in this swing however, notice how the club head would lose contact with the sheet
of glass (particularly after picture 2) and would actually smash the glass in the follow through.
This swing is too upright known as ‘over the top’. It’s too far in front of Pete’s body.
5. Rotate Your Hands
o If you are starting to bring the club down on the

correct inside line, you will notice that the ball flight
now flies even more out to the right. This can make it
look like you are actually hitting the ball worse, not
better. But now comes the important job of adding
some forearm rotation. This has the effect of closing
the club face through the impact area.
o Make your normal swing, but this time stop the club as it
becomes level with your hips in the down swing. Feel how your
right hand wants to rotate over your left hand. By the time you
have the club level with your hips on the follow through, you
should feel how your left hand is now underneath your right
hand.
o Repeat this action until your feel your hands rotating

automatically.
6. Anti-Slice Drill #1
o Using a 7 iron, tee the ball up on a small tee peg. Take a
couple of driving range buckets or similar to use as
obstructions.
o Place the first basket about 18 inches behind the golf ball.
This should allow just enough room for you to make your
normal backswing, but it will not allow any room for you to
bring the club over the top or on an outside swing path in
the downswing (see picture 1).
o Hit between 25 and 50 balls from this position. The ball

should block out to the right. Feel how your club is being
swung much more from behind your body.
o When you feel you have achieved a good level of competence at this drill, take a
second basket and place it two feet in front of the ball, but inside the line of the first
basket, effectively creating a gate
for the club to pass through (see
picture 2).
o Hit some balls from the tee peg

ensuring you keep the club
travelling towards the ball from the
inside, but this time also work on
extending the club past the second
basket. This should create a nice
aggressive in-to-out swing path.
o Using a 6 or 7 iron, split your hands up so that your left

hand is on the club normally, but your left hand is about
3 inches below the end of the grip.
o Make a short backswing. As you change direction into

your downswing, focus on dropping the right elbow
aggressively into the back of the right hip pocket.
o This should keep the club behind your body and so

promote an inside-outside swing path. Repeat the
practice swing a good number of times before trying to
feel the same movement but with your hands in their normal grip position.
o Take your normal set up to the ball, and then stand up straight holding the club out in
front of your chest as though you were about to swing a baseball bat.
o Swing the club around your body on a horizontal plane (i.e. keeping the club parallel
to the ground). As the club comes back in front of your body to an imaginary impact
position, take note of the club face angle. The club face should be vertical and the
toe of the club pointing to the sky (see picture 2).
o However, to cure your slice, try to over-exaggerate the rotation of your hands and
apply the rotation earlier in the swing. This should produce a club face which
appears to be closed and aiming downwards (see picture 3).
o Repeat this action 20 times, gradually increasing the speed. Then start to tilt at your
hips until you feel the club brushing the floor in a normal golf swing type action - but
still with plenty of early rotation.
1. 2. 3. 4.
9. Anti-Slice Driver Drill
o Taking your Driver, split your hands apart so that the right hand
sits about 2 inches below the grip. Hover the club around 12
inches off the floor and make a half backswing, focusing on
extending your left arm to a straight position.
o Now swing through to a similar height in your follow through. At

this height ensure that both of your arms are extended and that
your hands have crossed over aggressively - your right hand
should be completely on top of your left and the badge on the
back of your left hand glove should be pointing to the floor.
o Repeat this process 5 times gradually getting quicker. Slide

your right hand up the shaft a few inches and repeat again 5
times, then a few inches higher, and so on until your hands
meet.
o All the while, focus on how the right hand should overtake the
left and how the arms should finish straight out in front of you.
This starts to produce a square or closed club face even with the
longest club in the bag!

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Fault Fixing: Slice Shots

2. Check Your Alignment

3. Check Your Grip

Neutral Weak Neutral Weak

o A slice is often caused by the club swinging too much

Too much from ‘over the top’. Also

Swing path that runs more along the

o If you are starting to bring the club down on the

o Repeat this action until your feel your hands rotating

o Hit between 25 and 50 balls from this position. The ball

o Hit some balls from the tee peg

o Using a 6 or 7 iron, split your hands up so that your left

o Make a short backswing. As you change direction into

o This should keep the club behind your body and so

o Now swing through to a similar height in your follow through. At

o Repeat this process 5 times gradually getting quicker. Slide

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