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The change that most helped eradicate/reduce your tendancy to slice

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sickyspider

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For me it was the set up!

Now from irons to woods, I have introduced some progressive spine tilt(reverse k if you like) and it has transformed my stability, swing path, ball striking and thus distance. When I get it right (still get it wrong due to slight variations in set up that I don't notice) I get a pleasing ball flight with good penetration and direction with either a straight or into out swing path. I even coil up nicely! :)

My own slice was mostly caused by my shoulders being open to the target. I only recently realised that was because of the natural way we grip the golf club. The natural tendancy is to lower the right shoulder (I am right handed) by twisting at the waist fractionally. This twisting was so small I never really noticed it but it was an insidious killer of my swing consistency. Anyone that slices the ball will know it is probably the most soul destroying shot in golf - ruins confidence which is so important in this game!

Added to my spine tilt I make sure I keep some weight on the inside of my right(rear) foot to assist with proper weight transfer.

I can thoroughly recommend trying this out. If you are a persistent slicer, check your shoulder alignment and adjust accordingly.

Good luck!
 
My slice was from coming over the top and holding off the clibhead's release. Once I learned to drop club into the slot and come from inside the ball, I reduced my tendency to slice.
 
That is also true for me blugold! My open shoulders caused me to come over the top too! However, I now know that if fade the ball too much (aka 'slice') going forward, it was most probably due to a slightly open club face and/or not releasing the club properly.
 
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The weight transferr should be to the inside of the right instep and inner thigh. It should not be on the right heal. If it remains on the right heal, your slice will return due to the fact that your weight will remain on your back foot and the arms will take over.
align the shoulders, give your self some spin tilt toward you right side and make sure the weight is on the inside of the right leg. If you operate behind and through the ball you will not slice.
 
Tadashi70 said:
The weight transferr should be to the inside of the right instep and inner thigh. It should not be on the right heal. If it remains on the right heal, your slice will return due to the fact that your weight will remain on your back foot and the arms will take over.
align the shoulders, give your self some spin tilt toward you right side and make sure the weight is on the inside of the right leg. If you operate behind and through the ball you will not slice.
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Agreed Tadashi70 - 100% correct!! Did I say 'heal' anywhere!!?? ;)
 
Sorry buddy I see your misunderstanding. I wrote rear just to emphasise I am right handed and my right foot is my rear foot - just in case someone tried some weird golf move!! ;) Lol
 
It has been 40+ years since I fought the slice battle but I remember the ah ha moment that got me moving in the "right" direction. I don't remember when where I saw it, golf mag or newspaper column (yep there used to be tips in the paper) most likely. There was no www back then of course.

That tip was to keep my left elbow close to my body during the swing back and through and not to let the right elbow get too far away during the finish. Before that it was big ole banana slices after that it was fighting a hook. There are lots of refinements from there but that was the start. Keep that elbow tucked, get the hands back and up in the right place when you take it away then elbow close in the down swing and front elbow close through the finish. Do that and you have to release the club head, no choice.

Keep in mind, most of you guys are swinging from the other side of the ball so it would be the opposite elbows for you. Right elbow close going back and through and left close through the finish.
 
Good point Lefty! Would that be the same as staying connected through the back swing?
 
Interesting thread. I used to have a bad old slice but have gradually removed it, however I did notice I missed a couple of greens well to the right on my last round. On one of them the divot was straight at the hole so the club head must have been wide open. I know on occasion I come from too far outside and it across the ball, depending on the club head it goes from anything between a big pull to a miss wide right. So fristrating.
I have worked on alignment a lot recently, I just need to keep the swing in the groove now, for me it is all about the take away. If I get this right the shot is lovely.

My worse slice of the last few rounds was when I hit a tee shot and my front leg slipped backwards leaving me in such an open stance! The ball went 20 yards right of the fairway!
 
sickyspider said:
Good point Lefty! Would that be the same as staying connected through the back swing?
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I don't know what staying connected means. I just remember that this was a huge turning point for me. Mine is a homemade swing learned mostly from tips in the newspaper (Arnold Palmer I think) Of course there are lots of other things, set-up, grip, staying behind the ball, spine angle, but that was the start, getting the elbows close instead of flying, I was letting the left elbow get way too far out and could not release the ball.
 
Keeping my shoulders closed for as long as possible in the downswing.
 
When I was taking lessons, there were several things that helped me. Not sure I could pick just one.

1. Stronger grip
2. Proper alignment - my left shoulder was always open so I had to pull it in making sure everything was square. I used to have my hips pointing one way and my shoulders pointing another.
3. I set the ball up with the logo facing the inside swing path and aimed for hitting the ball on the inside instead of the outside of the ball. Sometimes he would put a basket just outside the swing path so I couldn't swing out/in.
4. When I set up to the ball, I was taught to place the ball more towards the toe of the driver instead of the heel. This made a huge difference for me!
5. A slight tilt to the right, keeping the head behind the ball
 
KellyBo said:
When I was taking lessons, there were several things that helped me. Not sure I could pick just one.

1. Stronger grip
2. Proper alignment - my left shoulder was always open so I had to pull it in making sure everything was square. I used to have my hips pointing one way and my shoulders pointing another.
3. I set the ball up with the logo facing the inside swing path and aimed for hitting the ball on the inside instead of the outside of the ball. Sometimes he would put a basket just outside the swing path so I couldn't swing out/in.
4. When I set up to the ball, I was taught to place the ball more towards the toe of the driver instead of the heel. This made a huge difference for me!
5. A slight tilt to the right, keeping the head behind the ball
Click to expand...

Good points! I always try to use the logo to encourage an into out path and my coach too used a weird device to stop me swinging over the top! I like point 4 - will try that out!
 
thepete said:
Keeping my shoulders closed for as long as possible in the downswing.
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This is a great tip. Getting the hips and lower body to lead the swing and have the upper body work as one piece to come through is a great way that I have found to stay inside of my own swing path.
 
for me it's gotta be 1 of 2 things or possibly combined...

getting my hands thru at impact or eliminating the action at the top of the backswing that causes me to come across the ball.
 
"Let your body support the swinging of the instrument"

A moment where I finally got out of my own way and just started to play the game.
 
"Divots go in front."
 
For me it was not over rotating my hips at impact. When I focus on this the results are more straight flight or even a draw.
 
Get your weight to the left side. Bump and rotate. Swing around the left leg.

All good ones I have heard.
 
sickyspider said:
. . . My own slice was mostly caused by my shoulders being open to the target. I only recently realised that was because of the natural way we grip the golf club. The natural tendancy is to lower the right shoulder (I am right handed) by twisting at the waist fractionally. This twisting was so small I never really noticed it but it was an insidious killer of my swing consistency. Anyone that slices the ball will know it is probably the most soul destroying shot in golf - ruins confidence which is so important in this game! . . .
Click to expand...

My last round of 2012, I noticed that exact thing. Immediately after noticing it, I hit my last six fairways of the round. I just took the position I was in, and moved my left shoulder forward an inch or so. Just so it felt a little different. Had a small fade the last six drives (and the rest of my full shots as well!) and the slice didn't happen the rest of the round.

In fact, when I did notice it, I stopped and told they guys I was playing with that this was going to be a great drive. I took a step back and lined up again, set up and bumped my left shoulder forward. And hit my best drive of the round to that point! haha.

All thanks to a tip I got from Tadashi from a long time ago. Just something I had gotten away from.
 
For me it was set up a lot too. Once I started aligning myself correctly, I started hitting it straighter.
 
MY big "AH HA" moment came after reading a tip in GD...I got sick and tired of reading that the way to hit a draw is to "open the face slightly and swing outside at a bigger angle than the face is opened...so I tried it...extremely exaggerated...

When I tune the suspension on my racecar, I think in extremes to understand the impact of my adjustments, and it helps me bring the whole package together, so I tried it with my driver swing (the only club I regularly faded or sliced).

I set up with the clubface a bit open, with the center of the face a good 6 inches inside the target line and the club soled a good 6 inches behind the ball. Then I tried to flatten out my backswing as much as possible..go around my core instead of over and under it, then I really had to come from the inside and reach out to the ball on the downswing...The first shot drew so hard that it almost went half as far left as it did forward, and it went every bit as far forward as any of my better drives. It really looked like that shot tracker thing they show on TV when the pros tee off. Just crazy pretty.

I have continued since then to repeat the basics of that swing, without the extremes. I did keep the ball/clubhead part of the set-up. I do still try to make myself feel like I am reaching back behind me instead of over my head on the backswing. For the most part now I hit the ball straight with a very slight draw, but I am getting to the point that I can change face angle at address a bit and release my wrists a bit differently and do different things with the lateral flight, draw or fade on purpose. I still vary quite a bit with the amount I intentionally draw it, but straight or a very small fade on the balls descent can be done intentionally and repeatably now.

So going around my body instead of over/under with my swing has stopped the slice dead cold, and it hasn't reappeared on even one shot since.
 
Stronger grip and making sure my shoulders are lined up square to my feet
 
Slow down the backswing.
 
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