How To Fix A Slice In Golf: A Key To Finding To More Fairways

How To Fix A Slice In Golf:

A Key To Finding To More Fairways

Want to Finally Understand How to Fix a Slice in Golf?

Check Out These Easy Tips And Ditch Your Slice

How to Diagnose a Golf Slice

Is it a Slice or a Fade?

A similarity between a slice and fade is they both go to the right of your original shot line. The difference between the two is that a fade is done on purpose and a slice is a swing flaw. 

Golfers that play fades often do it to have more control of the shot. Fades allow for a faster swing with more control but a loss in distance.

A slice is not a controlled shot and can be a couple yards off or way off in another fairway. To answer the question, if you can’t control the golf shot, you have a slice to fix.

Club And Ball Position

The position of your club at set up and contact can tell you a lot about your swing. From the top of the handle to the bottom of the club head, club position says it all.

Where your club sits at address has an effect on the entire swing. With the club in the wrong place, you have to make changes in your stance to accommodate. 

Having the ball too far forward or back would force you to have your body leaning one way or the other. That means you are starting the swing off balance. 

Look at Your Setup

At set-up with your driver, you should have your feet at shoulder width. Some people like to have their feet pointed to the sides, not straightforward.

Your golf ball should be in-line with the inside of your front foot. The height that you have it teed up depends on preference. The size of your clubhead has a big effect on the appropriate height also.

Having the ball forward in your stance means you should have a little more weight on your front foot. At your hips, you will have a small angle backwards.

This sets you up to have your club head moving upwards at impact.

Take a look at your grip

An incorrect grip on the club can have a big effect on how the ball reacts to contact. (For right-handers) If you have your right hand rotated too far to the front, you will likely be adding side-spin. 

The reason being is that the right hand is likely the dominant hand and will cause the club face to open up. That open club face is going to add a lot of side-spin. This will not only push that ball right, but that added side-spin will make it slice even farther right.

Focus on Face Control First

Face control has a few factors.

• High or low
• Toe or heel
• Over rotated or under rotated

High/Low can be caused by the height of your club head or combination of tee height and size of club head. 

If the ball contacts the club face at the top of the club face, your ball may be teed too high. Or, the ball is too far to the center of your stance. 

When the ball is teed too high, you may have a perfect swing path. However,  because the ball was so high, hitting it in the middle of the club face was impossible.

When it is placed too far to the middle of your stance, your club will be at the lowest part of your swing. You will likely contact the ball at the very top of the club head. Sometimes, you may even swing under the ball and hit only the tee. 

Using a driver, you want the ball strike to happen when the club head is going up. If the ball is too far forward, contact will happen at the bottom of the club face, almost missing the ball.

Toe/Heel contact is likely a matter of having the ball too far away from you or too close to you. This is an issue that can be fixed with time at the range, finding out your sweet spot. 

This may also be the cause of a slice. Depending on your in-to-out or out-to-in swing, you may add a lot of side spin on the ball. Adding side spin with a driver never ends well. 

Over/Under Rotation can be another problem. Over rotation can cause a hook and under rotation can cause a slice. Either of these will make the odds of striking it in the center of the club face much smaller.  

That’s how simple this is.

What’s Happening when You Slice the Golf Ball?

When you slice the ball, you have put too much side spin on it. The spin causes the path of the ball to go left to right for right handers. Kind of the way that a pitcher in baseball makes the ball move with a slider. 

The ideal straight drive has little to no side spin on it. Due to the weather, it is possible for a drive that would have normally been straight to go left or right. 

Why You Slice Your Driver but not Your Irons

A good reason that you slice your driver a lot more than your irons is likely because of club length and club head speed. 

The club length has more of an effect because it is harder to control the club head. The club length makes any imperfections in the swing more dramatic. This causes the ball to have more side-spin.

Mixing that with a higher club head speed adds even more side spin.

The result is having a ball with much more side-spin and a much harder slice.

How to Diagnose a Golf Slice

Those of us that have a problem with slicing are either amateurs or don’t care enough to try to fix it. If either of these are you, I would say that the best way to diagnose your swing is by a golf pro instructor. Another option is by a licensed swing monitor instructor such as GolfTec.

How to Correct a Golf Slice with Irons & Drivers

How To Fix a Slice With a Driver

Adjust your set-up: starting in the correct spot at set-up is the only way to correct your swing. Make sure you have the ball teed up where you want it (ball height, how close it is to you, and lined up with the inside of your front heel.) Feet shoulder width apart and a slight bend backwards at the hips.

Practice the takeaway: When you start your backswing, make sure the clubhead starts by going straight back. Many golfers with a slice problem take the clubhead away going to the inside. This usually causes the club head to be going out-to-in on the down swing. The result is usually a big slice.

Down swing: The downswing is a part of the swing where a lot of amateur golfers try to insert power into their swing and begin to lose control. The backswing is usually cut short at the top and the downswing is rushed. With that, the downswing is off to a chunky start. The power hungry players engage the kung-fu grip and it goes from swinging a golf club to swinging an ax or baseball bat. A top to bottom or outside-to-inside swing is a sure way to add sidespin. 

How you take away the club has a direct effect on the downswing. Even though your not swinging the club at the ball in the take away, it is almost a building block to set up a balance downswing. 

Clubface position at contact: Another thing that happens when that dominant hand overpowers the other, the swing becomes imbalanced. This imbalance disables the wrists to rotate in unison and the club doesn’t rotate through the ball. Instead, it locks in a position before becoming square with the ball. At contact, the open-faced club will cause a lot of sidespin and will add to how bad your drive slices. 

How To Fix a Slice With Irons

Due to the difference in club length, irons are not as likely to slice and if they do, it is not as much. One common cause of slicing with irons is the over-the-top swing, also known as an in-to-out swing.

When you start your don swing, make sure that you keep your back elbow tucked in tight to your side. That will help prevent your club head from going in front of your swing arc. If the club does not go outside of the swing line, you will not be going “out-to-in” anymore.

Making sure that your ball is in the right place in your stance is also very important. For shorter irons, the ball should be just in front of center. As the clubs get longer, the ball should be placed a little bit farther to the front. 

Conclusion

With this tutorial, we hope you’ve learned some vital lessons about how to fix your slice. Now, you can work on improving your game. It’ll definitely take a couple of practice sessions and some determination.

Let us know what you think in the comment section. Plus, you can share your progress and some of your findings.

FAQs

Is a Fade a Slice?

In a nutshell, the difference between a “fade” and a “slice” is whether you meant to do it or not. A “slice” is a bad swing habit, a “fade” is a tool. 

Slices curve left to right (for right handers) and right to left for left handers. “Fades” are more of a tool that lower handicap golfers use to navigate a fairway. 

What is a Slice vs a Hook?

Hooks are the same as a slice, except they go right to left instead of left to right. A “hook” is the result of another bad swing habit. 

A “draw” is to a “hook” as a “fade” is to a “slice.” The “draw” is a tool used to play particular fairways.

How Do I Stop Slicing and Hit a Draw?

There are several reasons for slicing a shot. In order to know what to stop doing in order to play a “draw” may be a good reason to get lessons from a trained professional. Some reasons could be an “out-to-in” swing, an open club face (not rotating the club), incorrect grip, etc.

Does a Strong Grip Fix a Slice?

Changing the strength of your grip may help you fix a slice. The question is, which hand will you make the change? 

Will a Weak Grip Cause a Slice?

As mentioned in the previous question, grip strength could help fix a swing. It depends on the reason(s) for your slice and which hand (or both hands) needs to be changed.

Will a Stiff Shaft Fix My Slice?

A stiffer shaft can very well fix a slice or make you slice less. If you have a faster swing and play a light flex shaft, the shaft will not be able to come back to straight on your downswing. That means the face of the club is open and will add side spin to your ball, causing a slice.

How Do Left Handed People Fix A Slice? Can Ball Position Cause a Slice?

A left handed slice is caused by the same things as a right handed slice. (out-to-in swing path, not enough rotation, incorrect grip, to name a few)

Ball position can cause a slice. Ball position is very important. The ball must be placed in your swing so the club can create the wanted action on the ball. Also, if the club head can not strike the ball in the center of the face, it will result in a mis-hit.

Will Anti Slice Tees Fix A Slice?

I am sure they do….to an extent. I think that using an anti-slice tee to fix your slice is like using a small band aid on a large wound. The reason someone slices (or hooks) a golf ball is because their swing has imperfections that need to be changed.  

What is Over the Top Golf Swing?

An over the top swing means your club head looks more like you are swinging an ax than a golf club. Those of us that played baseball and were taught to hit ground balls usually have an over the top swing. This swing is also known as an “out-to-in” swing.

How Do You Fix an Over the Top in Golf?

Fixing a swing can be very difficult and there is often more than one thing that needs to be corrected. To change your swing path, try hitting the ball like a slapshot with a hockey stick.