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why does a golf ball slice and how to fix it

by Justine Reichert III Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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The most common cause of slicing the golf ball is when players hit the ball with the heel side of the club. It may be due to their personal playing styles or the fact that the heel is the part closest to the golf club’s shaft. However, you must change this if you want to fix your golf slice.

A slice is caused by an open clubface in relation to the swing path at impact. There are degrees to this, meaning the more or less open the clubface is to the swing path, the more or less the ball will slice. A clubface 3 degrees open to your swing path at impact gives you a nice playable, repeatable fade.Apr 4, 2022

Full Answer

Why do most beginner golfers slice the ball?

  • FAULT: YOUR INSTINCT IS TO SWING TO THE LEFT
  • FIX: LEARN WHAT AN INSIDE PATH FEELS LIKE. The golfer at top of the page—the one who sees the target to the left—tries to pull the ball and, therefore, comes ...
  • FAULT: YOUR SHOULDERS LEAD THE DOWNSWING
  • FIX: SWING YOUR ARMS PAST YOUR BODY. ...

How to cure a golf slice?

So learning how to cure a slice in golf really only requires a six simple steps:

  1. Understand What Is Causing Your Slice
  2. Keep The Club Face Square At Impact
  3. Use a Proper Grip
  4. Develop A Proper Swing To Correct Your Slice
  5. Try an Adjustable or Modified Design Driver
  6. Practice!

What causes golf ball slice?

What Causes a Golf Slice?

  • Overview. It's insidious, and it can ruin a golf score. ...
  • Improper Grip. As you address the ball, it's possible you are gripping the club too tightly, creating arm tension that will cause you to have an outside-in swing.
  • Position Of The Ball. ...
  • Move Your Weight. ...
  • Your Swing. ...

Why do I thin the golf ball?

Mechanical Issues that Cause Thin Shots

  1. Picking Your Head (Eyes) Up Early. This is a swing mistake that is as old as the game itself. ...
  2. Poor Ball Position. It may be that your thin shots are the result of nothing more than bad ball position. ...
  3. Early Release. The early release in the downswing is an extremely common problem among amateur players. ...

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How do I fix my sliced golf ball?

4:108:16How to: STOP slicing the golf ball | REALLY EASY TIPS - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo picture this if i draw a line going straight towards my target which is pretty much over thatMoreSo picture this if i draw a line going straight towards my target which is pretty much over that bunker a slicer will come in from the outside of that line. And then swing to the inside of that. Line.

Why do I keep slicing the ball in golf?

A slice happens when a sidespin is put on the ball, causing it to curve to the right for a right-handed player and to the left for a left-handed player. Sidespin to the right is caused when the clubface is open (pointed right) relative to the path the club is traveling as the club impacts the ball.

What is the most common cause of a slice in golf?

The most common cause of a slice is an open club face. This open club face will give you contact that isn't square and often feels like a “side swipe.” The most common cause of an open club face is an incorrect grip as your hand position will directly reflect in the face.

How do you stop a slice?

Strengthening your grip by rotating your lead hand clockwise (so you can see more knuckles) will prevent you being able to open the face so much on the downswing. And it will also promote a closed (or closing) face. Sometimes that's all it takes to fix a slice.

What is a slice in golf?

For a right-handed golfer, a slice is a golf shot that curves dramatically toward the right. A slice is never controlled and never intentional. It takes you off course and adds strokes to your game. Trust us. You enjoy a round much more when you learn how to fix a slice in golf.

What are the most common mistakes that slicers make?

One of the most common mistakes we see among slicers is their setup . Interestingly, problems in the setup often occur as an instinctual effort to fix the golf slice. Golfers see their ball veering to the right, so they make subconscious changes to aim more to the left.

How to swing a golf club from your lead thigh to your trail high?

Focus on the journey of the club handle. You want to swing the handle from your lead thigh back to your trail high, at which point the club shaft should be parallel to the ground. Before the handle reaches your trail thigh, the logo on your golf glove should point down at the golf ball.

What is the shape of a golf swing?

Your golf swing travels in a circle shape. This circle is vertical, but it’s not straight up and down. If your swing shape is a hula hoop, it’s a hula hoop that leans in toward your body just a bit. Because of this lean, the direction of your swing path changes after you hit the low point.

How far does a golf ball curve when hitting a fade?

When you hit a fade, the golf ball curves only about 5-7 yards from the target line. When you slice it, the golf ball curves farther . . . around 15 yards to the right of the target line. If your ball flight resembles a peeling banana, you’re dealing with a slice.

How to get a square face in golf?

Place an object—a tee, a towel, anything—just to the right of your target path. Take your golf shot. Finish with the butt end of your club pointed at the object you set out. This drill teaches you how to release the club at the right time to deliver a square club face.

What happens when you hit a low point?

Because of this lean, the direction of your swing path changes after you hit the low point. So if the club head travels toward the right on the descent, it’s going to head back towards the left on the ascent. Now, you hit down on your iron shots, which means you make contact before the low point.

What percentage of golfers hit a slice?

They found that about 60 percent of all golfers hit a slice, with an average score of 101, and higher-handicaps tend to miss to the right of their target more than half the time. Sound like you? Turns out, there’s once cause above all else that’s probably causing you to slice so many shots.

What are the two S words in golf?

There are two “S” words that golfers dread more than any other: The first is the dreaded “shank.”. The second is the slightly less-dreaded, but far more common “slice.”. Our partners at GOLFTEC have spent countless hours diving deep into the causes — and effects — of the most widespread problem in golf. They found that about 60 percent of all ...

Is the clubface open at impact?

Your clubface is probably open at impact. What may seem obvious to some isn’t to others: The clubface is king in golf. The direction the clubface is pointing at impact will influence the ball’s direction more than anything else in your swing. Instruction.

Why do I keep slicing the golf ball?

There may be no greater power loss than a slice. The ball sometimes starts out ok and then makes this depressing curve, robbing you of all of your potential distance and power.

Why do I slice my golf club?

1. Open club face. The most common cause of a slice is an open club face. This open club face will give you contact that isn’t square and often feels like a “side swipe.”. The most common cause of an open club face is an incorrect grip as your hand position will directly reflect in the face. You can make this adjustment by turning one of both ...

What are the challenges of golf?

One of the great challenges when studying golf is knowing when information is correct for you. The foot positions that are great for the the tour players, might not be appropriate for anyone with flexibility limitations. A square back foot and a flared forward foot will affect the swing path and produce a slice for many golfers who have limitations.

What is the purpose of a square face golf club?

One of the great stabilizers of a square club face is to keep your underarms relatively close to your body throughout your golf swing. If on your backswing or your downswing your underarms move away from your body, it is very easy to open the face.

How to rotate back on a golf swing?

If you slice the ball try the opposite. Flare your back foot and square your forward foot. This will help increase your ability to rotate back and also slow your body rotation down on your forward swing, both helping with path and sequencing of body and arms. 1. Open club face 2. Thumbs too on-top of the grip 3.

What happens if you move your ball too far back?

Ball position that is too far back can cause a slice and/or a pop up. As your move your ball more forward it is also important that you allow your shoulders to tilt back and away from the target. Your lead shoulder should get higher and your back shoulder lower.

How does width affect golf swing?

If the lead arm stays too stiff for too long on your forward swing, this will not only hold the club face open and making the ball s lice, but also delays the release of the club face and the speed associated.

Why does a ball slice?

Because the ball is traveling in a curved line, it will not go as far as a ball that travels in a straight line, assuming all else is equal. The picture below helps you get a better idea of why this is: You’ll Be Less Accurate – the reason a ball begins to slice is that it has too much sidespin.

Why does my golf club slice?

Having the ball too far back in your stance can also sometimes cause a slice. That’s because the club will have less time to release before reaching the ball, resulting in a slightly open clubface at impact.

How many times should you backswing a golf swing?

It’s recommended that the speed of your swing follows a 3:1 ratio. Your backswing should take three times as long as your downswing. For that reason, I would recommend choosing a 3-syllabal word to say in your head for your backswing, and a 1-syllabal word for your downswing.

What is a push slice?

Push Slice. For a righty, a push slice starts on the right side of the target line before traveling further to the right. In this case, a double negative does not make a positive. A push slice will likely result in a lost ball or an unfavorable lie on your next shot.

What is a slice in golf?

A slice is a type of shot in golf where the ball starts on a straight line and then immediately veers off to one side. For a right-handed golfer, a slice travels from left-to-right. For a left-handed golfer, the shape is right-to-left. For the remainder of this article, I’ll refer to directions based on what a right-handed player would see as ...

How to fix a golf ball that is spinning?

How to Fix It. Set up in your stance like you’re about to hit a drive. Now, tilt your upper body so that it leans behind the golf ball. This is called the “reverse-k” position. The reverse-k position will help you stay behind the golfball and make contact on an upward angle, reducing the amount of spin on the ball.

What happens if you spin a golf ball sideways?

If it’s spinning sideways as it comes off the tee, the air will catch the dimples on the ball and cause it to drift off to the right. A High, Weak Ball Flight – another consequence of putting too much spin on the ball is that sometimes it has a tendency to rise up into the air.

What is the first frustration in golf?

For most new golfers, the first frustration to overcome is usually how to make consistent contact with the ball. But once that's accomplished, it usually leads to a second, sometimes life-long frustration. No matter what they do, every shot slices off to the right. And the harder they try to hit the ball straight, the worse it becomes.

What does an outside in swing do?

And an "outside-in" swing robs you not only of direction but distance as well. It's an easy fix, and will remove a lot of the inherent frustration for beginning golfers. Here's an excellent video by King describing the swing plane and what causes hooks and slices.

What is a golf slice?

The dreaded golf slice – a ball that can start any direction, but curves dramatically to the right (for a right-hander) – often into the trees or out of bounds. Amateurs try all sorts of things to fix their slice;

Can you draw a slice with a left swing path?

Sure – you can’t draw the ball with a left swing path (barring some wild gear effect – see later), but you can manage it and turn a slice into a fade (like Hogan, Nicklaus etc) by having the face LESS OPEN to the path. An “out-of -control” slice is created by a combination of a left swing path AND a face that is too open (to the right of) that path.

What is a Slice in Golf?

A slice in golf is a severely curving golf shot that has a left to right ball flight (for the righties of course), and is generally a result of a miss hit or incorrect swing path. For amateur golfers, slices are a VERY common problem.

What Causes a Golf Slice?

Slicing in golf is usually caused by one or a combination of an over the top swing path, a ball position that is too far back, and/or a weak grip on the club.

How to Fix a Slice in Golf?

Okay, so how do you actually fix your slice?! Well in theory, maybe we don’t want to completely eliminate it, but to tone it down to a controlled fade.

How to Stop Slicing Driver

This section is for those who want advice/help specifically on how to stop slicing DRIVER.

Drills – Golf Slice Fix

With the grip, choose an older glove and put a dot on the knuckle of the index finger, the middle finger, and the ring finger. When you grip the club, make sure you can see either 2 or all 3 of these dots CLEARLY without moving your head.

Final Thoughts – How to Stop a Slice in Golf

You’ve gotten this far, so I really do think you’re now armed with the knowledge to FIX YOUR SLICE once and for all!

FAQ – How to Stop Slicing the Golf Ball

Note – Some of these FAQs were covered throughout the article, but I still get these questions a lot… so here are the “short and sweet” answers to the most common questions:

What Does Slicing in Golf Mean?

Slicing is a common issue amongst most golfers. However, hitting the wrong shots during a game can turn out to be annoying. If you are right-handed, you hit a slice whenever your golf shot bends far to the right. Similarly, you hit a slice when your golf shot bends far to the left if you are left-handed.

Why Does Slicing Happen in Golf?

If you are concerned about why your shots are bending to the far right or left, here are eight reasons why slicing happens in golf:

How to Fix a Slice in Golf?

Now you know why and what causes a slice in golf. Your next big question may be what to do about it. Here are six tips on how to fix slicing issues in golf.

What Causes the Slice in Golf – Final Thoughts

The answer to “What causes a slice in golf?” is pretty straightforward. Weak handgrip and posture are some of the reasons why most golfers fall victim to golf slices. Of course, you can’t become a master without passing through the learning phase.

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