Six fixes for your slice

Published: 24 November 2016

A slice costs you distance and control but, most frustratingly of all, you don’t know why you do it.

Fault: You regularly slice the ball.
Fix: It is the most common miss among amateur golfers – the high slice. It costs you distance and control but, most frustratingly of all, you don’t know why you do it. I see it in around 75 per cent of people I teach and use one or two of these six drills with each of them to help eliminate this miss. These quick and simple tips are designed to give you the feelings in your set-up or swing that allow you to hit a straighter and more powerful flight when out on the course and under pressure.

1. Face angle: Close it

Set up with your feet aligned to the target and your clubface slightly closed to this line. From this address position make a real effort to swing out to the right and away from your body. This encourages an angle of attack more from the inside.

2. Path: From the inside

This is a classic and really effective drill. Place an object directly behind or just outside your ball and make your swing. This forces an in-to-out attack as the opposite will see you hit the object.

3. Weight: On your heels

Most slicers have their weight too much towards their toes, creating a swing that is too steep. A great way to flatten out that swing plane is to place a ball under your back foot. This encourages you to move the club further behind you in the backswing, making it easier to swing from the inside.

4. Takeaway: Arms close

A big gap between your arms and your body on the first move back will likely result in a steep angle of attack coming from the outside back in to the ball causing you to cut across it. Focus on keeping your arms close to your body during the takeaway to avoid it.

5. Backswing: Right foot out

A reverse pivot is another slice cause. This is where you favour your lead side during the backswing and your back side in the through swing. It should be the other way around. Turning your back foot out will make it easier for you to load your right side (right-handers) on the way back.

6. Rotation: Full turn

A full rotation on the way back allows you to properly load your right side for power. Anything short makes you more likely to throw your hands at the ball and come ‘over the top’. Imagine your clubhead has to break through a pane of glass at the top of your swing.