“Slicing” in golf is when a sidespin is put on a ball, which means golf shots go right for a right-handed player and left for left-handed players. It is known as one of the most common faults in golf. It is not as destructive as the hook (a ball that curves during flight,) but it still does not help one to get a good score in their game. Unfortunately, it is not always a quick or easy fix, either.
Deer Creek Golf Club has seen and worked with many golfers over the years that have overcome this fault in our golf school. With this experience, we are able to offer some advice and tips on how to not slice a golf ball.
Tips to Stop Slicing
There are a few factors at play when a golfer continuously slices. No one wants to waste a tee time on slices and bad shots. Here are ways that work for some, including our professionals’ basic tips and things you can work on.
#1 Work on Proper Weight Shift
A common theme among slicers is having incorrect or insufficient weight transfer in their swing. When players get to the top of their backswing and the first move is made by the shoulders and arms is where the expression “coming over the top” comes from. The feet get stuck because the player is putting too much weight on the back foot.
A good weight shift comes from the proper sequence of movements starting in the lower body, feet, knees, then hips. Then the upper body follows the upper torso, arms, and hands, all in that order. This means that the hands, which control the club, will stay more inside the correct path for a decent swing.
#2 Turn Through the Impact
Good golfers who have proper weight will shift and turn their bodies through the impact and, more often than not, won’t slice. If professional golfers are analyzed, it will often be seen that their shoulders are about 15 to 30 degrees left of the target, and hips are between 30 to 60 degrees leftward.
Tips #1 and $2 are about correcting the motion of the body as a way to stop slicing.
#3 Don’t Aim for a Slice
Many golfers who are dealing with a slicing problem attempt to aim more left as a fix for how to correct the right slice in golf. That is not the answer! If a round is being played with a left-to-right wind, then aiming more left will just further exaggerate the slice. A wind that is coming off the left may stall the ball’s forward motion, meaning it’s going nowhere.
By working on correcting the swing and path of motion, golfers learn how to get the clubface and stance more squared up, which helps overcome the slice regardless of the wind patterns.
#4 Try Stronger Grips to Make It Easier to Square Up the Clubface
The face of the club naturally rotates closed as it approaches impact. A common problem that golfers have is being able to allow this to efficiently happen. Some players overdo it, and suddenly, instead of slicing, they’ve pulled insanely left.
A way to square the clubface up to avoid either of those bad shots is to strengthen the grip a little. For right-handed players, stronger grips mean more knuckles of the left hand and, if necessary, dropping the right hand slightly under the shaft.
#5 Use Softer Flex Shafts
As golfers swing down, the club head is initially lagging behind the hands. With stiffer and heavier shafts, it makes it harder for it to catch up correctly, while light and flexible shafts help the club head kick forward before impact. This creates more rotation of the face which then helps square up the face and adds loft to the face, which minimizes the headspin on the ball at impact.
Softer shafts should be used by players who slice, while heavier ones should be used by those who struggle with the hook.
Contact Deer Creek Golf Club
We hope our tips for how to not slice a golf ball have helped and if you are interested in our golf school, tee times, or rates, contact us today! If you are in the area, you can also check out our pro golf shop, filled with all the attire, accessories, and equipment you’ll need to look like a pro golfer.