| A slice is caused by one thing, the angle of the club when it makes contact with the golf ball. (.) |
Control your wrist, and control your slice
By You're standing on the tee with water right and think, boy I don't want to hit it right. What usually happens next? The ball doesn't go into the water because it wants to. It go in the water because it has to!
You did everything absolutely perfect to produce this slice and send your golf ball to a watery grave. So how do you fix this abomination of a shot? First, you will need to know what a slice is and what some of its causes are.
A slice can start anywhere but then curves back to the right - for a right-handed player. The amount of this curvature can be small or great depending on the clubface angle when the ball leaves the clubface.
If you are slicing here's a quick check list to narrow down why.
1. Ball location - having the ball too far back in the stance will not allow the clubface to close properly. A player's hand spped also affects ball location. Fast hands need to play the ball back and slow hands more forward.
2. Hinge action (the control of the clubface transmitted through the left hand) - Faulty hinge action can lead to slices, hooks, pushes, and fades. But properly educated hands can even compensate for off plane motions.
3. Right arm action - Not straightening the right arm through impact allows the clubface to remain open. These three are the basic reasons for slices, but there could be more depending on the player.
Some misnomers about slices
1. Clubhead path controls initial ball direction.
This is one of the worst pieces of advice ever given. Why? The ball will always leave the clubface, at a right angle to the clubface, regardless of the path the club is swung on unless there is enough time and force to alter what's known as the Venturi Effect.
2. A strong grip eliminates a slice.
Yeah right. We've all heard this and I bet you've even tried it. You probably took a lesson - or two - from the local pro and have spent a few dollars (or even a few hundred) to get rid of that nasty slice.
Heck, you might have even tried to fix that nasty thing yourself! But you quickly realized after hundreds of golf balls...it did not work. You heard me. It didn't work, never has, and never will.
If you want to eliminate a slice, or a hook, you MUST learn how to control the clubface through the proper use of the left wrist. That's all there is to it.
June 22, 2007
Chuck Evans, G.S.E.D., a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, is one of only 31 golf instructors worldwide designated to hold a doctorate in golf stroke engineering. He is executive director of instruction for the Medicus Golf Institute and has served as director of schools for the PGA Tour Golf Academy, and as director of instruction for the United States Golf Institute. He is also the author of "How To Build Your Golf Swing."
Golfers need to learn Ball Flight Laws for maximum swing self-correction
To improve your swing, you must know why the ball does what it does in flight. That way you at least know what really caused the errant shot and perhaps can make the correct fix. You must understand the simple Ball Flight Laws.
... full article »- Pay close attention to those practice swings
- What the PGA Tour pros know: The importance of having an effective pre-shot routine
Darren wrote on: Aug 23, 2017
Strong grip and releasing the hands at impact was an instant cure for me. Anyone who says a strong grip doesn't help is giving you awful advice.
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Primevci wrote on: Sep 21, 2013
I was a bad slicer and changed from a neutral grip to strong and it fixed my slice then I over did the strong and hook the ball telling people that a grip won't fix the ball flight is stupid take this article with a few pounds of salt try it next time u go to the range
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Sean wrote on: Apr 30, 2013
Control your left wrist through impact? You must be a 30 handicap if you believe that's possible to do consistently.
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Anon wrote on: Aug 27, 2007
Item 1. under misnomers is misleading. It seems to state that clubhead path isn't important. But, an outside in swing can cause a sideways spin on the ball and therfore cause it to slice.
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chris wrote on: Nov 1, 2010
changing your grip WILL help with your slice.....it helped with me ALOT....night and day difference......ALOT of PROs use super strong grips for this reason(see john daly)..
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Chuck Evans wrote on: Dec 28, 2007
As stated, the clubHEAD path does NOT control the initial direction of the golf ball. That is a function of the clubFACE. An "outisde-in" stroke does NOT cause a slice. You can swing along that path all day and IF the clubface is square to that path when the ball leaves the face then it is simply a pull.
The important thing to remember is that the ball will ALWAYS leave the clubface at practically a right angle to the leading edge.
For more information on this see;
http://www.golfnewsupdate.com/ShowArticle.asp?CategoryID=3&ArticleID=221
chuck
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Harry Coffey wrote on: Dec 27, 2007
Whenever I "feel the ball in my hands" I get a great shot. It helps me at 64 years old to choke down a little on the club and take a nine-iron instead of a full wegde. Still a long ball hitter, it is humbling to back off, but the birdies keep on rolling in!
VR// Harry
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Frank Coyle wrote on: Aug 13, 2007
Where is the rest of the article???
Simply control the left wrist??
How? To be continued?
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Frank wrote on: May 27, 2008
How do I practice controling my left wrist at impact?
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Chuck Evans wrote on: Nov 4, 2007
I will re-state. Clubhead path DOES NOT control the initial direction of the golf ball. The ball will ALWAYS leave the clubface at 90 degrees to the leading edge. A slice is NOT caused by swinging "out to in." You can swing out to in and have the clubface pointed to the right and THAT is where the ball will start NOT on the direction the club is swinging.
To control the clubface via the left hand it must be trained to execute whatever action you want the club face to do.
1. Layback
2. Close
3. Close and Layback
Each of these motions produce different trajectories but all give straight away flight. If you are slicing the ball then you have a couple of things to look at.
1. Ball position - too far back and the club cannot close quickly enough.
2. Hand speed - slow hands play it more forward, fast hands play the ball farther back.
3. Faulty clubface motion - usually an under roll of the whatever Hinge Action you have chosen to use.
Whatever you decide to do make sure that at Low Point - the left shoulder - the clubface is at a right angle to the target line. Heck you may even feel like the back of your left hand is facing the ground at Impact. But if it where then you would hit nothing but low duck hooks!
Chuck Evans
www.medicusgolfinstitute.com
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B.J.smith wrote on: Jul 24, 2007
Good article, but how do you control left wrist?
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michael seaman wrote on: Aug 21, 2007
how do i square shoulders at adress when using driver they are aways going left of traget (slice) help
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rich wrote on: Mar 1, 2011
watch shawn clement top 25 tips. watch it fly long and straight transformed my driving now best club in my bag
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Dave Lynch wrote on: Jul 9, 2007
Please have someone spell check this material, thank you.
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william wrote on: Apr 23, 2013
I just regripped by clubs after finding out that I needed an oversized grip for my hand size.
Immediately I got a small fade that was sort of alright, but occasionally a strong fade that I really didnt want to see at all.
I have started strengthening my grip with my left hand and then taking my right hand grip and all day today I got the most fantastic shots Ive had since I started playing 19 months ago. Danged near got an eagle on a par 5 and was getting really great long shots down the fairways most of the day.
I have definitely learned the importance of the grip the last few days.
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