Golf Talk With Greg Holman – #77

Click play to listen to Greg’s blog, or, read below.

The most common problem in golf is slicing the ball. A slice is a golf shot that is hit with a glancing blow from right to left across the target line so that your club puts left to right spin on the ball causing it to curve to the right… sometimes extremely to the right. Think of tennis and the cut shot. By swiping from right to left you can put a little english on the ball causing the tennis ball to bounce to the right when it hits your opponents court. It’s the same principal in golf.

Now I say a slice curves to the right. That’s assuming you are a right-handed golfer. Since 94% of the nation is righty we’ll say a slice bends to the right. The reason I decided to focus on the slice in this blog is because my cousin asked me if I could cure her slice when we got together for a mother’s day lunch. I noticed everyone at the table got quiet to listen for my answer. You can cheat or swing the correct way. First let’s talk about the correct way.

The easy answer for the way to cure a slice is to swing with your left arm. Right-handed players are obviously stronger in their right arm so they try to muscle the ball with that arm and that side of the body. What they should be doing is to feel like they are swinging with their left arm and shoulder and the right arm is just along for the ride. It sounds simple enough but there are other variables.

I had a fade when I was a freshman in high school so I took lessons to learn to hit the ball straighter. The first thing the instructor taught me was to overcorrect for my fade by violently hooking the ball. He wanted to see how bad I could hook it. That feeling in my swing took the fade and slice completely out of my game. I suggest you try it.

Take the club straight away but feel like you are re-routing the club from inside to out on the downswing. When I say “in” I’m talking about your right elbow. Tuck it in on the downswing and practice trying to touch your right side. Feel like you are pushing out to the right. If the club is square or slightly closed at impact, your ball should curve from right to left resulting in a draw, which is a slight hook. It’s a stronger shot and I think more pleasing to the eye. It will also have a little overspin and roll farther in dry conditions. You may want to tee the ball a little higher because the flight may be a little flatter. So swing with your left arm and shoulder and feel like you are pushing out to the right. Swinging from inside out on the downswing.

Now how do you cheat with positive results when that isn’t working? Start with the grip. We’ve talked about the overlapping grip. Where the V’s formed by your thumb and forefinger point to your right shoulder. If you will turn your right hand in inch to the right you will create what is called a strong grip which will help you take the right arm out of the swing and hopefully decrease your slice.

Another way to correct a wrong with a wrong is to hood your clubface slightly. Turn it in slightly to the left. Be careful though this will decrease the loft on your shot to the point that you may hit a grounder.

Last, the most common way to incorrectly cure a slice is to simply aim to the left and let that banana curve all the way from the left-hand rough into the fairway. It’s a sure way to prove that you are a beginner but it will work if you are tired of playing out of the right-hand rough or the trees on the right side of the fairway.

One other thing to check, is your address position. Are your shoulders open? Everything should be pointed down your target line if you want to hit the ball straight. Your feet, your clubhead and your shoulders. So have someone stand behind you and check that and don’t grip the club so firmly. Feel like most of the grip pressure is in the last three fingers of your left hand. The right hand is just along for the ride. Your body’s instincts will take over and you will naturally generate power from your right side.

Practice this on the driving range and your slice will become a thing of the past because… you want to hit ’em straight.