What Causes a Slice in Golf?

If, at anytime during his swing, the golfer's head moves ahead of the ball in the direction of the target, he is likely to slice the golf ball because the face of the club will be open when he hits the ball. That's caused by two errors. First, by moving his head forward of the ball, he will restrict his shoulder turn which, alone, will result in an open face. Further, he most likely will not allow his right wrist to cross over his left at the moment of impact, which will also cause the club face to open. If you make sure that your head stays in the same position slightly behind the golf ball throughout your swing, you will begin hitting the ball straighter, and probably longer.

Many golfers' problems with a slice begin with the way they hold the golf club. First, they might have a so-called "weak grip," which means that their thumbs are more at the top of the club, so when they swing, they leave the clubface open--which causes them to slice. If they were to rotate their hands clockwise so they see the top three knuckles of their left hand, they are more likely to rotate their wrists at the bottom of the swing and close the club face. The other fault is that the golfer will grip the club too tightly. By doing that, he will restrict the swing, the tightness of the grip will affect the arms, and the ball will slice.

If at your address your golf ball is too far forward, you are likely to never close your club face, which will lead to a slice. Also, if you address the ball and keep your weight on your left side throughout your swing to help your accuracy, you will also be likely to slice the ball. Move the ball back to about the middle of your stance, and shift your weight to the right on your backswing and to the left on your downswing. By doing these two things, you are likely to reduce or eliminate your slice.