Let’s start out by explaining what exactly we’re talking about here. If you’re a right-handed golfer, a slice is a golf shot that starts left of the target, then curves excessively to the right. The even more-offensive push slice starts off either at the target or to the right of it, then curves more to the right. For a left-handed golfer, slices curve to the left. But no matter which way you swing the club, constant slices can be infuriating, and contrary to what you find on YouTube or elsewhere on the internet, there is no one-size-fits-all way to fix your slice.
If you hit a lot of slices, physics says you’re swinging too much from the outside in. This leaves your club face open to the direction you’re swinging at impact, imparting slice spin and making the ball curve to the right. But what are you as an individual golfer doing to create this outcome with your swing? The easiest way to assess that is to upload a video to Mustard Golf. The AI tool I’ve helped create will identify your specific causes and help you decide what to work on first. But, let’s talk about five possible swing issues that could be causing your slice.
1. Grip
If a right-handed golfer has a weak golf grip, the Vs formed by the thumbs and index fingers are to the left side of the club or are pointing to your chin or toward your front shoulder. You will also be able to see the knuckles on your right hand. If your grip is too weak, it can be hard to square the club face and you will be prone to an open face at impact. To strengthen your grip, turn your hands more to the right on the grip. This will help close the club face through impact, producing shots that more easily spin right to left. It is worth noting that you don’t need to exaggerate this. A small change in grip can have a big impact on ball flight.
2. Alignment
How you aim your body and club during your set-up has a huge impact on your swing path and the shape of your shots. So, to fix your slice, you have to nail down your alignment. If your alignment is too far right of the target, you’ll instinctively reroute the club back towards the target before impact. This tends to cause your swing to come too far from the outside in, which leaves the club face open at impact and produces a slice.
In Mustard Golf terms, this could be caused by having your hands too far in on the backswing or too far out on the downswing. Another way to think about this is when a right-handed golfer swings through too far to the left, it will likely produce a slice. It’s counterintuitive, but you want to swing right to make the ball curve left, or draw. Essentially, the ball typically curves in the opposite direction in which you’re swinging.
3. Ball Position
If you position the ball too far forwards in your stance, it can cause a swing path that is out-to-in, which causes the club face to be too open at impact. If this is you, move the ball back slightly in your stance; try inside the left heel with the driver, and toward the middle of your stance with your irons.
4. Loss of Posture
If you lose your posture in your back swing – that is, if your spine angle changes – you change your axis of rotation. This is a problem that could result in either a slice or a hook, depending on how your body compensates for the loss of posture to bring the club back to the ball. Loss of posture is also measured by Mustard Golf, so upload a video to see if this is an issue that could help you fix your slice.
5. Sequencing
Another common cause of a slice is your upper body outracing your lower body in the downswing, which is the most common swing flaw measured in the Mustard app. We like to see the lower body start the downswing. If you can get the sensation that your back is staying to the target as your lower body is starting down, that’s going to keep your lead arm inwards, allowing you to attack the ball from the inside and getting rid of that dreaded slice.
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