How To Correct Your Golf Slice
The majority of golfers have encountered the pesky slice shot a time or two…or more times than we’d like to admit!
If you’re not familiar with the term, a slice is when the golf ball curves in flight from left to right (for a right-handed golfer). For left handers, it’s when the ball heads to the left.
Either way you “slice” it, this common misfire causes your shot to lose distance and prevents you from playing your best.
Thankfully, Joan Lovelace, head professional and general manager at Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club, came to the rescue with some quick fixes for correcting your slice!
Fixing your slice
Various factors can lead to a slice. Often, they occur when we try to swing too hard, especially from the top of our golf swing.
“Golfers sometimes leave the weight in their right foot and try to hit the ball instead of swinging it,” explained Lovelace. “Now, the club is going outside the target line and it puts an unwanted spin on the ball.”
The goal is to keep the club on or under the swing plane, not over it. When we do go over it, our swing is compromised and we hit the ball with an open club face. This causes the ball to take on an undesired spin.
Check your set-up
When it comes to preventing slice shots, your set-up is the first stop. After all, when you tweak your set-up, it produces a better swing and can be a fairly quick way to eliminate your slice.
“That’s your foundation; it’s how you’re building your house. If you’re don’t pay attention, it’s going to affect your swing,” said Lovelace
Your grip is an essential component of this set-up. Often, beginners have the club in their palms, which makes it difficult to get the club face in a square position. This leads to hitting the ball with an open club face. It’s essential to make sure the club is in your fingers. After all, as Lovelace says, “the biggest influence on where the ball is going to go is where the face of the club sees the ball at impact.”
A proper set-up means letting your upper spine slightly tilt back, too. Also check that the golf ball is positioned correctly. If it’s too far toward the target, it can lead to an outside-in swing path, so see if you notice a difference from bringing the ball back a little further in your stance. Correct ball position also means your shoulders can be at the proper tilt angle for nixing your slice.
For more on setting yourself up for success, check out our recent blog post.
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Follow through properly
Your follow-through deserves just as much attention as your stance. It’s important to finish in a balanced position with your belt buckle facing the target. However, beginners often fail to properly transfer their weight here.
“If you’re swinging off-balance, it causes you to open your club face and send the ball to the right,” said Lovelace.
To maintain balance, the majority of your weight should end up in your target foot (so for righties, the left foot). Make sure this foot is flared out slightly, about 45 degrees, in relation to the ball to target line. The heel of your back foot will naturally raise in the air as you bring the weight to the front foot. As you finish your swing, the back toe should be the sole point making contact with the ground.
Don’t try to aim left
Aiming to the left might seem like the “work smarter, not harder” solution to a ball that’s curving to the right. However, this is a short-term fix that replaces one bad habit with another. While it may occasionally seem to work, it’s much better to address the root issues that are causing your slice to improve your overall game. Continue to aim straight and pay attention to the fundamentals…we promise it will make the game a lot more fun and productive!
Refine your skills with private lessons
Want professional help enjoying a slice-free game? With the help of our FlightScope Launch Monitor, you can improve your game with one-on-one indoor private lessons at Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club. These lessons are open to members and non-members of all ages.
The FlightScope Launch Monitor measures the speed, spin and distance of your shots, so you can analyze and improve your swing. Users can also customize their own challenges based on specific areas of the desired improvement. For more information or to register, email Joan.Lovelace@ColumbiaAssociation.org or call 410-730-5980 and ask to speak to Joan. You can also learn more on our website.
