Cures for a Slice in Golf

Take a deep breath as you address the ball and make sure you have a secure grip on the club. Many times, a slice will be caused by a weak grip. As the club face impacts the ball, the club slides into the open position and does not hit the ball squarely. As the ball rotates, a side spin is created and the ball will fly in the shape of a banana, going left to right when struck by a right-handed golfer. By making sure you have a secure grip with your bottom (right) hand, the club head will not slip and square impact will be made.

Make sure you are facing the target squarely with the ball clearly in the middle of your stance. You may be concerned about getting a fairway or tee shot up in the air and try to place the ball close to your front foot in order to make contact with the ball as you begin your upswing. While this seems logical, your hands are most likely reaching the ball before you begin to turn your hips--and that causes a slice. Play the ball in the middle of your body, with your left shoulder facing the target.

Use a club with a stiffer shaft. A graphite club is quite whippy and will usually provide extra distance. That distance will not do you any good if your long shot is two fairways to the right. A stiffer shaft will allow you to make square contact with the ball and help you keep your ball straight and down the middle.

Slow your swing down. Most golfers will try to swing harder and faster in order to get extra distance on their shot. However, your golf club does the work for you, and there is no reason to swing the club faster. Speeding up your swing will change the timing of your swing and get your hands to the ball before the rest of your body. That causes the slice. Slow down so that you begin to turn your hips the moment your hands impact with the ball.

Study the top pro golfers in order to see how to make contact with the ball. The key is making sure your hands do not come through the ball any quicker than the rest of your body. The top pros do this all the time. Some of their swings may be quicker than yours, but the hands are no faster than the hips. Once you can understand this, you can get rid of your slice.