Nick Piastowski
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Andrew Rice, his video recorded and his tweet of his video shared, obtained a response. Why, the commenter wrote, are there so many items of content material — on find out how to remedy a slice.
To which Rice mentioned:
“Hmm! I’m wondering why …?”
Certainly. The slice repair is a well-liked matter, because the slice is a incessantly encountered error. That mentioned, Rice, a GOLF High 100 instructor, believes he has three strikes to straighten out the right-to-left (or left-to-right) ball flight decisively, and you’ll view them on the video beneath. We’ll assessment them while you’re completed watching.
1. The clubface repair
“All through the swing, I would like you to maintain the clubface as robust as closed as you probably can,” Rice mentioned on the video. “Meaning going again, it’s wanting on the floor; coming down, it’s wanting on the floor.”
2. The rotation repair
“From the highest of the backswing, I would like you to eradicate any rotation,” Rice mentioned on the video. “We’re not going to get open. You’re going to maintain your again to the goal, your hips as closed as you’ll be able to coming into the golf ball.”
3. A front-side drive repair
“That is the place we’re going to drive onto our entrance facet,” Rice mentioned on the video. “I would like you to really feel such as you bought good shift into that lead foot, and that’s going to permit us to get some compression on the again of the golf ball.”
At this level on the video, Rice swung, and his ball drew. Will his fixes take time to bake in? Sure. However do they account for what results in a slice? Additionally sure.
Let’s preserve the slice dialog going. Final yr, Kellie Stenzel, one other GOLF High 100 instructor, wrote an article for this web site headlined “10 methods to cease slicing the ball off the tee (for good)!”, and you’ll learn that story by clicking right here, or by scrolling beneath.
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If there’s one problem that the majority amateurs wrestle with, it’s slicing the golf ball.
Go to any driving vary or golf course and also you’ll see your fair proportion of gamers doing this, robbing themselves of distance, and being pressured to play from off the golf green.
However there are methods to keep away from the frustration of slicing — it takes only a few changes, understanding and the proper perspective. If you happen to’re open to the instructing, earlier than it, you’ll be hitting the ball farther and straighter.
To assist get you there, I provide 10 methods to cease slicing the ball as soon as and for all. Give them a glance beneath.
1. Give attention to clubface
Most golfers who slice the ball have an open clubface all through their swing — not simply at impression.
The clubface has probably the most affect on the curve of the ball, so it’s vital to get it sq. as early as potential in your swing. Bear in mind, the ball will deflect the place the clubface goals, so if the face is open, the contact isn’t sq. — which can trigger the ball to slice.
2. Grip
To keep away from slicing the golf ball, your grip must be spot on. This implies the membership in your lead hand is held correctly within the fingers and never within the palm. For these golfers who put on a gap into their glove, this implies you’re gripping the membership improperly.
Many golfers who slice are likely to put their thumb straight down the center of the grip. As a substitute, put the lead thumb simply off-center to the proper if you happen to’re a right-handed golfer, and simply to the left if you happen to’re a left-handed golfer.
3. Posture
Posture has rather a lot to do with making good contact. This implies your arms dangle along with your palms beneath the shoulders, which can assist regular your downswing membership path.
Naturally, your arms swing the place they dangle, so having good posture will show you how to keep extra on airplane.
4. Depth in backswing
You completely want to permit the membership to maneuver round your again as your flip. The depth is instantly correlated with the rotation of your physique by the again and hips, fairly than utilizing solely your arms.
Once you flip and rotate your physique, you’ll be able to permit the arms to swing down your shoulder line. This appropriate path will assist produce both a straight shot or draw — assuming your grip and clubface are appropriate.
5. Launch
To assist fight this problem, I counsel utilizing certainly one of my favourite drills.
Cut up your palms aside on the grip of the membership by 4-to-6 inches, and make your regular golf swing. The clubhead doesn’t have to hit the bottom while you do that, and also you don’t even want to make use of a ball at first.
Attempt to hear a little bit of a ‘whoosh’ on the ahead swing, and, as a result of your palms are cut up aside, it ought to affect the clubface to remain both squared and closed.
In case you are too tight, otherwise you delay this launch, you gained’t have the ability to hear the ‘whoosh’ noise.
When you add a ball, put your palms again collectively, making an attempt to launch the clubface.
6. Exaggerated launch
I feel drills are a good way to stop you from slicing the golf ball — so right here’s one other one value making an attempt.
Place your ball on a low tee.
Now, take a half-swing with a short-to-mid iron, and, in your ahead swing, attempt to exaggerate the discharge of the clubface by having the face look right down to the bottom. It must be at hip degree on the ahead facet of your swing.
When completed appropriately, it’s best to have the ability to produce some hooks due to this hyper-exaggerated launch.
7. Be keen to hit hooks
Having a optimistic perspective and trusting the method goes a good distance when making an attempt to make adjustments to your golf recreation.
So if you happen to’ve sliced for a very long time, hitting a draw or hook will really feel and sound actually good — because it produces rather more stable contact.
Simply bear in mind to be affected person as you implement adjustments to your swing — nothing can be fastened in a single day.
8. Downswing path
Past clubface at impression, the second biggest affect on ball flight is the downswing path. That is the place you’ll need your arms to swing down over your turned shoulder line.
To get the texture for this, I like to recommend utilizing alignment sticks, which might help information your swing path from transferring out and throughout the ball.
Inserting issues in the way in which to keep away from this over-the-top path will assist present suggestions and enchancment.
9. Get rid of stress
As talked about earlier, stress can enormously affect your slice. So that you’ll need to attempt to reduce it with a purpose to have a pure launch and pace.
Most membership grips are tapered, which means they’re bigger on the high and smaller on the backside. Nonetheless, too many amateurs grip the membership method too tightly, incorrectly considering that it’s going to transfer on them ought to they chill out their grip.
As a substitute of utilizing a demise grip, maintain the membership flippantly. This can permit you to really feel the load of the clubhead all through your total golf swing.
10. Shut your stance
To assist enhance your skill to show and have depth in your backswing, attempt closing your stance.
Take your regular setup and goal your clubface towards your goal. Then, merely drop your path foot again roughly 2-to-6 inches, permitting your shoulders and forearms to react to this as effectively.
This refined transfer will provide you with a head begin in your flip, serving to the membership come extra from the within on an accurate path — which can assist eradicate slices.
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Nick Piastowski
Golf.com Editor
Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Journal. In his position, he’s liable for modifying, writing and growing tales throughout the golf house. And when he’s not writing about methods to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native might be enjoying the sport, hitting the ball left, proper and brief, and ingesting a chilly beer to scrub away his rating. You may attain out to him about any of those subjects — his tales, his recreation or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.