Why is Slicing so Common in Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles
Why is Slicing so Common in Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles

So let me make a wager with you, either you slice the ball or you know someone that slices the ball. I think we've all gone through that period maybe in our own games or certainly watching our playing partners where we know what the golf ball is going to do. They're going to wind up going down the left hand side if they are right handed golfer. The ball is going to shoot off inline with the trees and you are dead confident that it's not going to stay inline with the trees. It's just going to find its way back to the fairway maybe even finish on the right hand side of the fairway because they've got a slice. They know they’ve got a slice and they're compensating for their slice. It's probably the most prevalent shot we see for golfers--handicapped golfers, club golfers is this left to right shot from the right handed golfer.

So why is it such a common shot? Why are so many people guilty of hitting that shot? And why is it so difficult to cure? Well, first thing is we've got to understand what it is and how it's caused. So let me just turn sidewise so we've got the target line again, so aiming down the target line this way. A slice as the ball sets off left and finishes right caused by a swing path that comes from out to in across the golf ball with the face angle is open to that swing path. So if an out to in with a face angle of end right in relation to the swing path that puts some clockwise spin on the ball and as the ball swung through the air and stuff to spin into the air and curve to the right hand side. Often more obvious to see when you’re hitting your longer clubs with your driver because the ball is in the air for longer has less back spin and therefore the side spin becomes a little bit more obvious to see so most people would say, "Hey, my aims are okay but I slice my driver." Actually the reality is you probably put left to right spin on all of your shots but you would see more visibly with your driver.

So the swing actually starts to go wrong at the top. Generally, the back swing might be okay, you'll get into a decent position here but then from the top the body will unwind too early. The shoulders will lead, the hands will go forwards, the club will go outside the line, now you’re in trouble. From here the club has to move back across the line to hit the golf ball creating the out-to-in movement unless you close the club face that ball will slice and even if you do close the club face all you're going to do is pull it. So you don’t really have much of a good place to go to from outside the line. Shot the club face, it's going to pull left; get the perfect amount of slightly open club face, you might be able to keep a fade on the fairway. But open the golf club too much and it's the big left to right slicer. When it moves down that left hand side, there's no stopping it. It's going and it's going to keep going that way.

We often see golfers when they slice the ball they compensate for it. They aim down the left hand side of the body knowing it’s going to come back. And obviously that's compensating for the fault but it’s not actually correcting the fault. The way to correct the fault is twofold: firstly, you have to manage the golf club onto a better swing path coming into the golf ball. The down swing has to be a flatter movement, a bit more right elbow pulling into the right hip, turning the hips out of the way a little bit more, keeping the golf club sort of attached the ball from the inside line hitting on an in-to-out path.

Now that's for a lot of people that slice the ball is a bit scary. Because it feels like you're actually going to slice it more; you're going to hit it more to the right. But actually once you've got that swing path coming from the inside line you feel like you're hitting it right. Now you can start to close the club face. Rotate the hands a little bit more through impact, close the club face over. Think about shaping the ball with opposite direction. Don’t just try and hit the ball straight. Try and turn your slice into a draw or hook and you'll go through the margin of hitting the ball straight. A slice is left to right or hook is right to left. As you go from slice to hook you'll go through a point where you're hitting the ball straight and that would be the point where you're getting the swing path on a nice straight angle into the ball. And you're rotating the golf club into a nice square position as well and that would start to produce much straighter shots with much less side spin.

So now hopefully you understand what a slice is, why it's so common and you can start to understand how to get rid of it. Best of luck with improving your slice.

 2012-04-20

So let me make a wager with you, either you slice the ball or you know someone that slices the ball. I think we've all gone through that period maybe in our own games or certainly watching our playing partners where we know what the golf ball is going to do. They're going to wind up going down the left hand side if they are right handed golfer. The ball is going to shoot off inline with the trees and you are dead confident that it's not going to stay inline with the trees. It's just going to find its way back to the fairway maybe even finish on the right hand side of the fairway because they've got a slice. They know they’ve got a slice and they're compensating for their slice. It's probably the most prevalent shot we see for golfers–handicapped golfers, club golfers is this left to right shot from the right handed golfer.

So why is it such a common shot? Why are so many people guilty of hitting that shot? And why is it so difficult to cure? Well, first thing is we've got to understand what it is and how it's caused. So let me just turn sidewise so we've got the target line again, so aiming down the target line this way. A slice as the ball sets off left and finishes right caused by a swing path that comes from out to in across the golf ball with the face angle is open to that swing path. So if an out to in with a face angle of end right in relation to the swing path that puts some clockwise spin on the ball and as the ball swung through the air and stuff to spin into the air and curve to the right hand side. Often more obvious to see when you’re hitting your longer clubs with your driver because the ball is in the air for longer has less back spin and therefore the side spin becomes a little bit more obvious to see so most people would say, “Hey, my aims are okay but I slice my driver.” Actually the reality is you probably put left to right spin on all of your shots but you would see more visibly with your driver.

So the swing actually starts to go wrong at the top. Generally, the back swing might be okay, you'll get into a decent position here but then from the top the body will unwind too early. The shoulders will lead, the hands will go forwards, the club will go outside the line, now you’re in trouble. From here the club has to move back across the line to hit the golf ball creating the out-to-in movement unless you close the club face that ball will slice and even if you do close the club face all you're going to do is pull it. So you don’t really have much of a good place to go to from outside the line. Shot the club face, it's going to pull left; get the perfect amount of slightly open club face, you might be able to keep a fade on the fairway. But open the golf club too much and it's the big left to right slicer. When it moves down that left hand side, there's no stopping it. It's going and it's going to keep going that way.

We often see golfers when they slice the ball they compensate for it. They aim down the left hand side of the body knowing it’s going to come back. And obviously that's compensating for the fault but it’s not actually correcting the fault. The way to correct the fault is twofold: firstly, you have to manage the golf club onto a better swing path coming into the golf ball. The down swing has to be a flatter movement, a bit more right elbow pulling into the right hip, turning the hips out of the way a little bit more, keeping the golf club sort of attached the ball from the inside line hitting on an in-to-out path.

Now that's for a lot of people that slice the ball is a bit scary. Because it feels like you're actually going to slice it more; you're going to hit it more to the right. But actually once you've got that swing path coming from the inside line you feel like you're hitting it right. Now you can start to close the club face. Rotate the hands a little bit more through impact, close the club face over. Think about shaping the ball with opposite direction. Don’t just try and hit the ball straight. Try and turn your slice into a draw or hook and you'll go through the margin of hitting the ball straight. A slice is left to right or hook is right to left. As you go from slice to hook you'll go through a point where you're hitting the ball straight and that would be the point where you're getting the swing path on a nice straight angle into the ball. And you're rotating the golf club into a nice square position as well and that would start to produce much straighter shots with much less side spin.

So now hopefully you understand what a slice is, why it's so common and you can start to understand how to get rid of it. Best of luck with improving your slice.