Idea on how to cure a slice from a 19 handicap golfer

[InTheRough]

What do you guys think of this? What do you guys think about teaching a chronic slicer how to hit a controlled fade instead of forcing them into a draw? I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but the whole thing is face to path. Not everyone who slices hacks at the ball with the extreme over the top swing. If the face is open to path the ball is going right (or left if you're a lefty). I think it might be a good idea. Discuss.

 

[rough dweller]

What do you guys think of this? What do you guys think about teaching a chronic slicer how to hit a controlled fade instead of forcing them into a draw? I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but the whole thing is face to path. Not everyone who slices hacks at the ball with the extreme over the top swing. If the face is open to path the ball is going right (or left if you're a lefty). I think it might be a good idea. Discuss.

For me personally, I'm not sure that I would go for that. I am a long time slicer who finally decided to get some lessons from a pga professional. She is having me focus of the transition at the top of the swing, rather than thinking "about" the swing path. The first lesson was making the first move from the top to drop my hands instead of turning my shoulders. That has really helped me hit it solid with the club coming from the inside. Truth will be if I can make it stick.

Everybody is different, so maybe this works for some. Its definitely worth a try. Slicing is really frustrating.

 

[blueonblack]

Same swing, close the face of the club slightly?
They used to teach taking the grip with the club aligned square, usually with the club up in the air in front of you.
Sometimes you just grip the club open or closed and don't realize it.

 

[RecGolfer]

I would teach slicers how to hook the ball, then teach them gradually to straighten it out.

 

[BigMac]

I used to be a slicer, now I'm fighting a hook. Wish I could have stopped the transition somewhere in between the two!

 

[mikeg_74]

What do you guys think of this? What do you guys think about teaching a chronic slicer how to hit a controlled fade instead of forcing them into a draw? I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but the whole thing is face to path. Not everyone who slices hacks at the ball with the extreme over the top swing. If the face is open to path the ball is going right (or left if you're a lefty). I think it might be a good idea. Discuss.

Strengthen the grip and get the "v" pointing to your right shoulder (for a right handed golfer). this will tame the slice until you can fix other swing flaws.

 

[InTheRough]

See I've spent a ton of money on lessons. I was taught how to draw the ball and I've always fought a slice.

Hitting a controlled fade is different than just closing the face slightly. There is purpose involved. You're hitting to a target. You'll need alignment sticks for this. You have a target down range. Put your ball on the mat or grass. Walk out about 10 yds and stick an alignment stick in the ground directly in line with the ball and your target ( you may have to ask adjacent folks to stop hitting while you do that ). Straight down that is your target line.

I'll assume you have a decent swing with your irons. You'll put one alignment stick for your feet and another for your club path. If you have an inside-out club path and want to hit a draw you'll have your club face slightly closed to the club path but slightly open to the target line. The ball will start right of the stick in the ground and curve back.

To hit a fade, you'll want your club face slightly closed to the target line, but open to the club path. This means you'll line up with your feet and body in an open stance. If you have a strong grip, you may want to weaken it a little.

This had me hitting a nice high fade with my 6i while keeping my left wrist flat. I'd previously been doing it by cupping my wrist. That had been making timing critical and causing my driver to slice. But I also got a better understanding of club face to club path. Sometimes the fade was a little more than I wanted, but that was alignment. Sometimes I hit the ball dead straight and that was when I shut the face closed. It's a finesse shot.

When I played my round, I hit more fairways than I'd hit in a year.

 

[Buckeyegolfnut]

Same swing, close the face of the club slightly?
They used to teach taking the grip with the club aligned square, usually with the club up in the air in front of you.
Sometimes you just grip the club open or closed and don't realize it.

So true! I can't tell you how many guys I've seen set up with the clubface open to the target line and didn't realize it.

@InTheRough , it sounds like you have a good idea of what you want to do, and how to do it. As for chronic slicers, I've found a common cause is just not releasing the club, not understanding release. That was my problem, I hung onto the club like grim death! With grip and release changes ( a proper grip can make release easier ), I learned how to hook the ball. I found that pretty easy to throttle back vs the slice.

What shot shape you wish to play depends on what side of the course you want to eliminate from consideration. Hitting a controlled draw, I eliminated the right side. Faders eliminate the left.

 

[JonMA1]

I think there are many different ways for many different folks to overcome a fault. As someone who has had problems learning from conventional teaching, I'd consider alternative methods.

Personally, I hate "playing" a slice. I'm not sure at what point a slice becomes a fade. I know that a ball moving slightly left to right can result in very good distance (relatively), so I guess those would qualify.

If the method you've described has helped you @InTheRough, it will likely help others. The name of the game is trying to obtain some improved level of control. I understand the logic of teaching a slicer how to draw or a hook, but developing a two-way miss with the driver is no fun.

 

[Jmk202]

What do you guys think of this? What do you guys think about teaching a chronic slicer how to hit a controlled fade instead of forcing them into a draw? I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but the whole thing is face to path. Not everyone who slices hacks at the ball with the extreme over the top swing. If the face is open to path the ball is going right (or left if you're a lefty). I think it might be a good idea. Discuss.

You're right. I've hit a slice/fade with and in to out swing for a long time. Early this year a coach explained it to me like this:

Ball movement is 95% the result of the club face position to the swing path. There are 2 main variables. 1) swing path direction and 2) club face to referenced path. So if you have a massively out-to-in swing but get the club face closed to you swing you'll have straight ball flight (albeit likely a pull from your target line). So for me I typical had a gentle in-to-out (1*-4*) but always faded/sliced because I had passive hands and never got club faced closed. So he gave me a few different feels and positions to find to get the club faced closed.

When I practice I try to over emphasis bot swing path and club face until I get both a Hook, then draw, then slice, then fade. Helps me find the center line a bit and ingrain that feeling.

 

[MrDC]

Because sometimes to fix a swing problem it takes extremes to the learn the feels, and going from a slice to a fade doesn't "cut" it, you need to get the ball moving the other way and then you'll know what it takes to stop the slice.

 

[etakmit]

Because sometimes to fix a swing problem it takes extremes to the learn the feels, and going from a slice to a fade doesn't "cut" it, you need to get the ball moving the other way and then you'll know what it takes to stop the slice.

Yep that's how my wife's coach used to teach her - have her hit massive hooks, and then have her hit massive slices. Then hit something straight. Feeling the differences in path, face, etc in both directions was super helpful to my wife.

 

[Raiderboost]

I used to come over the top a lot but had good hands so that I usually squared the club face up pretty well and hit a straight pull to a small fade. I would still leave it open sometimes though and get a big slice. My dad's cousin who was a pro told me to go to the range and take the club out and then up and make a loop so that it got me coming from the inside. I practiced that a lot and it really straightened things out for me. I still battle coming over the top some and will do this drill some to help get it corrected. One thing I have noticed though is that if I start trying to play a fade it tends to lead to me coming back over the top more. Overall I try to hit a pretty straight ball with maybe a little draw. Usually I get the draw more so from just making sure I rotate my shoulders all the way at the end of the swing to make a full turn to the target.

 

[Bernoulli]

I used to come over the top a lot but had good hands so that I usually squared the club face up pretty well and hit a straight pull to a small fade. I would still leave it open sometimes though and get a big slice. My dad's cousin who was a pro told me to go to the range and take the club out and then up and make a loop so that it got me coming from the inside. I practiced that a lot and it really straightened things out for me. I still battle coming over the top some and will do this drill some to help get it corrected. One thing I have noticed though is that if I start trying to play a fade it tends to lead to me coming back over the top more. Overall I try to hit a pretty straight ball with maybe a little draw. Usually I get the draw more so from just making sure I rotate my shoulders all the way at the end of the swing to make a full turn to the target.

Take out the words 'used to" and that describes me. I'm working on eliminating the over the top but on a "good" swing I'll hit a pull or a fade.

 

[PKorf]

without reading through all of the online nonsense.......just go get a freaking lesson man. Lessons and practice. lol repeat

 

[TrueMotionMatt]

We have a special section of our website for THPers that is free...would it help if we added some "slice-fix" videos? I haven't really publicized to the THP community that we offer this special section. We were testing the waters with some other THP folks who had questions about bunker drills that I uploaded to our site. You just have to create a free login, and you'll get a weekly "tip" email from us.

Let me know, and I can add some videos there to help you out.

98 out of 100 golfers who come into the studio have a problem with a slice, and we usually get them to learn how to hit a draw. I don't mean to discount your troubles, but I'd say 96 out of 100 know how to hit a draw after one lesson.

Matt

 

[terry01]

I used to be a slicer, now I'm fighting a hook. Wish I could have stopped the transition somewhere in between the two!

+1

 

[DocTrussell]

I put in a temporary fix of strengthening my grip which fixed the slice (I have a good in to out swing but very passive hands so would end up with a push slice). It is currently just a push, albeit 20 yards off target. My lessons are working on the ball flight aspect right now so trying to get a more neutral grip, but it takes time.

 

[pattyboy21]

I always tell a chronic slicer to try to hit the inside of the golf ball with the toe of the club. And I mean REALLY try. To this day, not one has actually done it; most of them hit much straighter immediately and some actually draw the ball the first time. A lot still hit the ball with a wide open face...

I'd advise the same to you: set up completely square with a stronger than neutral grip. Swing as you normally would but REALLY, REALLY, REALLY try to hit the inside of the golf ball with the toe of your club as you come into impact. See and feel what happens.

 

[Bernoulli]

98 out of 100 golfers who come into the studio have a problem with a slice, and we usually get them to learn how to hit a draw. I don't mean to discount your troubles, but I'd say 96 out of 100 know how to hit a draw after one lesson.

Matt

Considering that I have hit exactly 2 draws in the past 5 years - both this year, both with fairway woods and both unintentional, your statements have me very intrigued.

 

[StLCardsFan]

Many years ago I was a chronic slicer but was good enough most of the time to keep it under control. Finally went to get lessons and he wanted to change the slice for the draw just as the OP described. After 6-7 lessons we got it figured out but i was never able to hit the draw, but pretty much hit it dead straight so that's perfectly fine with me.

I had the typical over the top move going on and he was just trying to correct that to a more proper path, which was accomplished even if it didn't result in a draw.

 

[Luchnia]

It is interesting how different things work for different people. I don't really do an out to in swing. I just will have the club face off a bit at impact. All I have to do is always remember not to get my left hand too weak and I am good to go.

I can simply move my left hand slightly stronger on the club and that does it. If I am really tired and need rest not much I can do because I don't swing through good enough. When I am like that I should not be playing anyway.

 

[blugold]

If they're not going to take the time to practice, don't teach them anything. Enjoy your time doing something that will be worth your investment.

 

[tequila4kapp]

As a former slicer who now draws/hooks the ball I think there is a lot to be said for simply taming the slice into a reliable fade and playing it. One way misses and knowing where the ball is going are things of beauty.

 

[TrueMotionMatt]

Considering that I have hit exactly 2 draws in the past 5 years - both this year, both with fairway woods and both unintentional, your statements have me very intrigued.

Alright...challenge accepted. The key is that you have to retrain your brain, and you have to do it WITHOUT hitting a ball FIRST.

@TrueMotionTim & I created a special login to our website for THP Members at no charge. Now we will have an extensive 'Fixes' section in our soon to be released Full Academy, but I thought THPers would benefit from a nice little sneak peak into how our Academy looks AND learn about how to fix a slice at the same time; bunker drills are also in there.

This link will give you guys Free access to two simple bunker videos & the slice fixer series; we just need your email so we can create a login for you. It's super simple, and you'll also start receiving our weekly emails where we talk about different golf related subjects. They're usually short, a couple minutes at most.

Click HERE: THP Knowledge Academy - Bunkers & Slice Fixer