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My Continued Slicing Problem

Splendorlex

Splendorlex

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Joined
Jul 13, 2013
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Location
Northern Illinois
Handicap
40+
I know I'm not alone. And also be warned, I'm a true hacker on this forum. :) My best round had me breaking 90, but that was 10 years ago and I'm just back from a long hiatus due to kids.

Like many high handicappers, I've always had a slicing problem. Sometimes I seem to get dialed in and can hit my middle irons consistently straight, but that only lasts for so long before I'm back to my slicing issue (sometimes punctuated by other ugly high-handicapper shots like tops and duffs!)

Now, I'm trying to go about it the right way this time by getting actual lessons. I had one video lesson so far (and I'm going to try to embed some of that video here.) This has his narration and some of the drawing stuff he was doing. Sadly, I don't have a pure, full run video, just the video he was playing around with during the lesson. He was having some technical difficulties with his saved "model" videos, so it wasn't as worthwhile as it could have been. (But I also got the lesson free since I helped fix the issue. :))



Now, the instructor said he thought my slice was a product of me not getting behind the ball, and not getting enough of a pivot. He tried to get me to work on that, but he also tried to get me to work on pronating my wrists through contact. It seems I'm maybe trying to help the ball into the air or something.

The problem is I can't seem to get both of these things going at once. Should I SOLELY work on getting behind the ball for right now and not worry so much about the pronation? Or maybe the other way around? Is there something else you see from the video that I could try to do better? (I know there are many things, but I mean in terms of trying to get that slice under control.)
 
**disclaimer - I am a hacker with no actual knowledge, just personal experience**

You're swing looks very similar to mine (chicken wing with limited release) and I have similar issues, from my last lesson (and input from another teaching pro tonight), I am working solely on the wrists and seeing good results (when I remember to remember it!).

The guy I was with tonight was a firm believer in one step at a time and I've learned the expensive way that's how I am too!

Good luck with it!
 
It may turn out that I need to do one thing at a time as well.
 
With all due respect, I am not a fan of this instructor. Seemed like there was a decent amount of guessing and indecisiveness on his part...and I'm not even really sure he diagnosed you properly. I recommend taking this to the Ask The Pro section or waiting to hear from one of a handful of guys (Tadashi comes to mind) who have some real knowledge.
 
I have to tell you, I used no method to find a particular instructor. There's a proshop and range literally 5 minutes from my house that I go to, and I asked inside who they have that gives lessons. They have 3 different pros (all with decades of experience, according to the flyer) and I asked the counter guy for his reco, and he recommended the guy I got the lesson with.

It is tough, since there are SO MANY golf instructors out there. The big sites and mags seem to have their "top" recommendations for golf instructors, but I don't know if their recommendations are really good for ME, the high handicapper.
 
I know, it is hard. Nothing personal was meant at all.
 
tequila4kapp said:
I know, it is hard. Nothing personal was meant at all.
Click to expand...

Oh, no worries at all. Your comment is EXACTLY why I wanted to post it here and get feedback. :) If I'm going to work on my swing, I want to do it RIGHT!
 
I gotta post this up again. Take a look at some of this guy's other videos. Good stuff.



 
Smallville said:
I gotta post this up again. Take a look at some of this guy's other videos. Good stuff.
Click to expand...

Pretty good video. Did he do that specifically for you or something?
 
I don't like that he was comparing your iron shot (looked like a short iron, just based off how bent over you were) to someone hitting a wood off a tee, doesn't make sense to me. He also kind of laughed at your swing, a little unprofessional.

Definitely looks like you came through the ball with an open club face on the one shot from your right side. Your swing looks similar to mine at the beginning of this year. Looks like you're taking a one plane backswing (left arm is parallel with your shoulders), then taking a more vertical/over the top downswing. I started taking a two plane backswing (get your hands higher above your shoulders, your left arm and shoulders will no longer be parallel), and it has helped me dramatically. Try to keep the club head and your hands coming straight back as long as you can.

How does your weight distribution feel front to back? Looks like you might have a lot of weight on your heels.
 
This is just a short video that shows the difference between one plane and two plane; his hands on the two plane in this video are really high.
[video=youtube_share;Xshjlo-3kRo]http://youtu.be/Xshjlo-3kRo[/video]
 
We definitely talked about the plane of my swing. I'm very much coming over the top on the downswing, and to fix that he wanted me to try to get more behind the ball. I'm not sure it was having any impact on my plane, however. I'll try to take note of my weight distribution next time. I'm likely back on my heels as you suggest.

Also, I was hitting a 6 iron in this video. The one caveat is that it's from my old set of irons that I just replaced. I had a set of Palmer Axioms that I bought at Kmart in like 98 I was still using at the time of the lesson. I now have a set of Wilson Di7s, and they certainly feel a lot long
 
A few things come to mind when I watch the video. You have the club in a good position at the top based on your stance and posture. That being said I'd like to see you change a few things.

1. I'd like to see you stand a little taller by taking a bit of the flex out of your knees.
2. Get you weight more in the balls of your feet. You are on your heels right now and this promotes hanging back and coming over the top
3. I'd like to see you turn back through the shot vs slide, as you are doing now. This is easier said then done from where I sit but can be accomplished.

The best way to fix this is, On your down swing make sure your left hip is pulling back off the line. This move is easier to accomplished if you keep your right leg flexed on your take away. When you turn into your back swing make sure the weight is on the inside of the right foot. If the weight get outside the right foot the slide will be more prevalent. These changes will
Keep you on plane. These are also beginning tips that will lead you away from slicing And sliding.
 
Splendorlex said:
Pretty good video. Did he do that specifically for you or something?
Click to expand...

Yep, I went directly to Tad for advice and he gave me something I could understand and recall while on the course.
 
Tadashi70 said:
A few things come to mind when I watch the video. You have the club in a good position at the top based on your stance and posture. That being said I'd like to see you change a few things.

1. I'd like to see you stand a little taller by taking a bit of the flex out of your knees.
2. Get you weight more in the balls of your feet. You are on your heels right now and this promotes hanging back and coming over the top
3. I'd like to see you turn back through the shot vs slide, as you are doing now. This is easier said then done from where I sit but can be accomplished.

The best way to fix this is, On your down swing make sure your left hip is pulling back off the line. This move is easier to accomplished if you keep your right leg flexed on your take away. When you turn into your back swing make sure the weight is on the inside of the right foot. If the weight get outside the right foot the slide will be more prevalent. These changes will
Keep you on plane. These are also beginning tips that will lead you away from slicing And sliding.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tadashi, I appreciate the advice. One or two people here have a Rory swing gif running in their sig, and every time I see it I'm mesmerized for a minute or two. :) It's making me realize my lower body isn't doing me any favors in my swing right now, it's all slide and arms. I'm trying to get in my head the idea that the downswing should start with the lower body, but I'm not getting it quite yet. I'll keep at it!
 
Tadashi70 said:
A few things come to mind when I watch the video. You have the club in a good position at the top based on your stance and posture. That being said I'd like to see you change a few things.

1. I'd like to see you stand a little taller by taking a bit of the flex out of your knees.
2. Get you weight more in the balls of your feet. You are on your heels right now and this promotes hanging back and coming over the top
3. I'd like to see you turn back through the shot vs slide, as you are doing now. This is easier said then done from where I sit but can be accomplished.

The best way to fix this is, On your down swing make sure your left hip is pulling back off the line. This move is easier to accomplished if you keep your right leg flexed on your take away. When you turn into your back swing make sure the weight is on the inside of the right foot. If the weight get outside the right foot the slide will be more prevalent. These changes will
Keep you on plane. These are also beginning tips that will lead you away from slicing And sliding.
Click to expand...

This guy is the man! If I lived close to him, I'd beg him to be my teacher. I watched him work with people for hours on the range at the ultimate demo day. Great, great teacher.
 
I'm headed to the range on the way home to see if I can get more "turn" and less "slide." Can't wait! :)
 
Smallville said:
I gotta post this up again. Take a look at some of this guy's other videos. Good stuff.



Click to expand...


Thanks for posting this Smalls, and great tips Tadashi. I've always had a cut swing and just never checked my shoulders. Decided to check them out when I got home today, and sure enough, they were slightly open at address. Moved to an iron stance with the club positioned in the middle, and yup, still slightly opened. I'm real excited to try closing them up, hoping I can get to the range before my round Saturday.

Tadashi, I hope to know you well enough one day to have you analyze my swing. Seeing what other people say about you on here, and the fact that you helped so many out at the MC, even people you were playing against, speaks to how great of a person you are. Kudos to you buddy.
 
I have a new question related to this. Could a continued slice also be due to too weak a grip? I went to the range today, and halfway through tried to turn my right hand more on the top of the club. It felt a little odd, but also seem to have substantial benefits of me hitting the ball both solid and straight. I took some video that I'll edit and post later.
 
Splendorlex said:
I have a new question related to this. Could a continued slice also be due to too weak a grip? I went to the range today, and halfway through tried to turn my right hand more on the top of the club. It felt a little odd, but also seem to have substantial benefits of me hitting the ball both solid and straight. I took some video that I'll edit and post later.
Click to expand...

Yes, a weak grip can also help induce a slice/fade; so you rolled your right thumb back more to the right to strengthen it. If you rolled your right thumb more left, you're actually making it weaker.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...DO6G2yAGT3oGYDA&sqi=2&ved=0CC0Q9QEwAA&dur=372
 
Splendorlex said:
I have a new question related to this. Could a continued slice also be due to too weak a grip? I went to the range today, and halfway through tried to turn my right hand more on the top of the club. It felt a little odd, but also seem to have substantial benefits of me hitting the ball both solid and straight. I took some video that I'll edit and post later.
Click to expand...

FYI - If you are a right handed player, moving your right hand on top of the club promotes a weaker grip, not stronger grip.
 
So it turns out I was actually weakening my grip. If that's the case, why was I then hitting everything solid and straight? I'm wondering if the odd feel of the weaker grip caused me to have better wrist action through the hitting area.

Man, golf is confusing.
 
Splendorlex said:
So it turns out I was actually weakening my grip. If that's the case, why was I then hitting everything solid and straight? I'm wondering if the odd feel of the weaker grip caused me to have better wrist action through the hitting area.

Man, golf is confusing.
Click to expand...

You said that you moved your right hand on top of the club, but nothing about your left hand position.


Did your left hand move as well, or did you just move your right hand more on top of your left thumb?

Here's a picture that may help describe the positions.
images
 
Now I believe I was leaving me left hand as is and just moving my right to what looks more like a neutral position. I have some video I'll edit and post. Perhaps I was also just swinging better at that time.
 
As promised, even more video from me. It shows me hitting a few different clubs with my normal grip. If you just want to skip to where I turned my right hand a little more in my grip, it starts around 3:03. I also have some slo-mo video of the swing with the new grip starting at around 5:40.

 
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