How to Fix a Slice in Your Golf Swing
By Steve Silverman
While trying to build a consistent and repeatable swing is the goal of every golfer, there are factors that can cause problems hitting off the tee or from the short grass in the fairway. One problem that every golfer faces at some point is the slice. It can be fixed with attention to detail and practice.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Check the way you are addressing the ball. One of the biggest mistakes golfers make is opening their left shoulders to get a better look at the ball as it flies. Your shoulder needs to be square to the target in order for your ball to fly straight. Opening your shoulder will alter your club head's angle at impact and send it veering left to right.
Make sure your grip is firm enough. If your grip loosens, your club head will slip as you contact the ball, and that will send your ball off course. Your club must remain firm in your grip.
Don't speed up your hands as you swing. Your hips should be the engine of your swing and your hands should follow at the same speed. If your hands get ahead of your hips, you will not be square to the ball on contact. Let your hands move at a steady pace and follow your hips through the hitting zone.
Come under and through the ball when you swing. That may seem obvious, but many golfers who slice the ball have an outside-in swing. They come from the outside and go across the ball.
Keep your head down through your swing. One of the biggest reasons for slicing is that a golfer does not hit the ball squarely. In his desire to see his shot fly down the fairway, he lifts his head and hits the ball off-center, which often causes a slice.
Tips & Warnings
Practice your swing at the range by going through each step: Check your address, grip and swing path, and keep your head down.
About The Author
Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.
