Do you often ‘slice’ the ball in golf?
Though this is something that many amateur and professional golfers are guilty of, a slice is (by far) one of the most frustrating flaws of a golf swing – inhibiting your ability to keep the ball in play.
Knowing what causes a golf slice can help you to overcome such shots in the future, allowing you to play better and shave strokes off your scores.
Allow the team at Clarkes’ Golf Centre to delve a little deeper.
What is a slice?
If you’re right-handed, a slice is a shot where the ball curves to the right. For left-handed players, the shot moves hard to the left.
Either way, a slice can reduce your potential distance and power.
What causes a slice?
A slice usually happens when a sidespin is put on the ball – shaping it away from the target. However, there are a number of other factors that can lead to a slice, particularly your setup, posture, grip and swing.
Here we take a closer look at these in detail:
1. Setup and ball position
How you set up for a shot can have a huge impact on your swing path.
For example, when you look down, your feet, knees, hips and shoulders should be parallel to the target line. If your lead foot is too far back, you’ll have an open stance and your shoulders won’t be able to rotate fully, causing you to slice the ball.
At address, if the ball is too far forward, then your clubface is likely to be open at impact, and this results in a slice. To stop the slice, move the ball back towards the middle of your stance.
2. Grip
The biggest cause of a slice for many golfers comes down to how they hold their golf club.
Some players have a weak grip, holding their thumbs close to the top of the club. When holding your club in this way, the clubface is left open when you swing, leading to a big nasty slice.
Others grip their club too tightly – restricting their wrist and hand’s natural tendency to return the club square at impact.
The best thing to do is rotate your hands slightly so you can see the top three knuckles on your non-dominant hand. This will allow you to rotate your wrists at the bottom of the swing and square the clubface.
3. Head position
It’s easily done – but if your head moves ahead of the ball in the direction of the target anytime during the swing, the clubface will be open at impact and you’ll end up slicing the ball.
Making an effort to keep your head slightly behind the ball throughout your swing will help you to hit the ball straighter and potentially further.
4. Rushing
One of the biggest mistakes made by golfers the world over is rushing the swing. When this happens, you’re likely to strike the ball before your body has turned – sending the ball off to the right or left (depending on your dominant hand).
The trick to not slicing the ball is to keep your swing smooth and steady. Decelerating too much will cause the clubface to be open at impact and prevent you from rotating at the wrist.
5. Weight shift
When making your backswing, weight typically shifts to your back leg.
If you fail to make the weight shift from your back foot to your forward foot, the centre is bound to be too far behind the ball. This means you’ll end up reaching for the ball and making contact with an open clubface – and nobody wants that!
Need help fixing a slice?
Fixing a slice is easy when you know how.
Whilst you could visit the driving range and focus on your ball flight, we highly recommend booking a custom club fitting. This will allow us to determine which aspects of your game require improvement and whether or not you’re playing with the best equipment.
If you need to invest in new golf clubs or accessories to enhance your performance on the links, you’re sure to find everything you need both online and in-store.
To find out more, give us a call on 01744 419 914 or come and visit us, just off the Rainford Bypass.
