In golf, hitting a slice is a shot that amateur and high handicap golfers dread. As you set up and hit the golf ball, you watch it curve far to the side when you were aiming to hit it right down the fairway. We’ve all been there before.
Even for myself, when I was stating out playing golf, one of the most frustrating things I struggled to fix was hitting a slice with drivers. It was only after hard work, coaching, and practising that I could finally overcome it.
In this article, we will learn what a slice is, what causes a slice, and some tips that can help you overcome the dreaded slice in golf.
What is a Slice in Golf?
So what is a slice in a golf swing? A slice in golf is a type of mis-hit where the ball curves significantly to the right (right-handers) or to the left (for left handers) after being hit by a golf club. It is one of the most common issues that many golfers face, especially for amateur golfers.
A slice can be hit deliberately to navigate obstacles on the course, but more often than not, it’s a mis-hit golf shot.
For the rest of the article, we will refer to a slice for right-handed golfers. For left-handed golfers, you just need to reverse the directions and positions in the article.
Why is a Slice Bad?
Slices are considered bad in golf since they primarily affect the distance and accuracy of your golf shots. The side-spin caused by a slice leads to an overall loss of distance compared to if you were to hit the ball straight down the fairway. This makes it more difficult for you to hit the ball where you want, and to get lower golf scores.
For these reasons, it’s not uncommon for golfers to engage with a golf coach and spend time on the driving range to correct a slice. The goal to correct it would be to hit the ball with a square clubface as much as possible, reducing the slice shots.
What Causes a Slice in Golf?
At its core, a slice is caused by the clubface of a golf club hitting the ball with an open position. What could cause this could be down to a range of things which differ per person, and per situation.
Typical causes of a slice are explained in details below.
Club Face Open
Most of the issues described below all result in the club hitting the ball with an open face. For a right-handed player, this is when your clubface is pointing to the right instead of straight (square) down the target line.
As the clubface hits the ball with an open position, it causes the ball to spin a lot, resulting in the ball curving to the right of the target line.
Thumbs Too On-Top of the Grip
The grip is one of the most important aspects of a hitting the ball correctly. When you are gripping the club with the thumbs pointing down the club, rather than to the side over the grip, then it’s likely you may end up hitting a slice as you aren’t controlling the grip optimally.
So it’s important to have a firm grip that lets you control the club more, not the other way around which could cause a slice. With a better grip, you will promote hitting the ball square, instead of open.
Arms Separate From Body Core
If your arms tend to separate from the body core during your swing, it disrupts the overall flow and movement needed to swing the club in the ideal path to hit the ball squarely.
You instead end up with an “over the top” or “outside-in” type of swing path, which promotes a golf slice.
Lead Arm Straight Too Long
If you keep your lead arm (left hand for right-handed golfers), straight for too long in the downswing, it prevents proper release and rotation of the club. This leaves the clubface open when it strikes the ball, causing the slice.
A straight lead arm also promotes an “over the top” or “outside-in” type of swing path, which also results in a slice.
Bad posture
Having a good posture is important to ensure you are set up correctly for a golf swing. If you have a poor posture, it’s like to affect your entire golf swing, which results in the clubface being open during impact, leading to a slice.
Poor postures include:
- Bent over too much at the hips
- Rounded shoulders
- Head too far forward
- Lack of weight transfer
- Timing issues
It’s important that you can find a posture that suits you and allows you to be flexible during the golf swing, which helps you hit the ball squarely, reducing the potential for a slice.
Not Flexible Enough
Being flexible is important in a making a good golf swing. If you are lacking flexibility, it can affect your ability to turn and rotate during the swing.
When this happens, it’s common to see compensations which lead to the clubface being open on ball impact, causing the dreaded slice.
Poor Ball-Position & Tilt
The position of the golf ball dictates the angle of attack of the golf club on the ball. When the ball is too far back in the stance (near your trailing leg), it encourages an outside in swing path. As we know, this type of swing leads to the clubface being open and causes a slice.
If the ball position is too far forward (near your leading leg), it makes it harder to release the club fully, making the clubface prone to be open upon impact, creating a slice spin.
Tilt refers to the angle of the spine in your setup position. Too much tilt away from the target encourages flipping the ball, leaving the clubface open. Conversely, too little tile, encourages a steep over the top move which also leaves the clubface open.
Shoulder Line vs The Target Line
The shoulder line refers to the direction the shoulders are pointing if a line was drawn through them. Ideally, the shoulder line should be parallel to the target line, pointing to the target.
If the shoulder line is open, it promotes the outside-in golf swing that ends up with the clubface hitting the ball open. An open shoulder line also affects weight transfer, where the trail side cannot transfer weight to the leading side. This prevents the ability to release the clubhead, likely causing it to hit the ball open.
Incorrect Foot Flare
Foot flare refers to how open your feet are compared to the target line. Having too much or too little foot flare can cause issues during the swing, leading to an open clubface ball impact.
Having too much foot flare opens up the shoulder and hips too much, resulting in an out-side in swing path. It also makes it harder to transfer weight properly from trail side to lead side, which can lead to the clubface being open.
Having too little foot flare causes a reverse spine angle, leading to golfers hitting the ball over-the-top. It also restricts hip and shoulder turn in the backswing, reduces are extension, and release during impact, leaving the clubface open.
Why Do I Slice My Driver But Not My Irons?
Slices can happen almost all clubs, so just when you fixed it for an iron, you may still have it for the driver since the setup and golf swing are different,.
So why could you have a golf driver slice but not your irons? Here are some common reasons:
- Club Length & Swing Path – drivers are the longest clubs in your bag and have a higher chance of causing the clubface to mis-hit the ball. It’s much easier to come “over the top” during the downswing. Something that I struggled with as I was learning golf.
- Loft Differences – drivers have much less loft than irons and are less forgiving. The loft on irons helps to mitigate any ball spin, but on the drivers the effect is more pronounced.
- Ball Position & Stance – with a driver, the ball is aligned further forward to encourage you to hit the ball upwards. However, this can also cause issues on your golf swing leading to the clubface striking the ball with an open position. With irons, the ball is more centered and you are expected to hit it in a more downward strike, reducing the chance of a slice.
How to Stop Slicing Your Shots
Adjust Your Grip
One of the primary reasons for causing the slice is having a poor grip. By adjusting your grip, you can more easily square the clubface when it hits the golf ball, reducing the chances of a slice.
To improve your grip, you can do the following:
- Strengthen your grip on the club: rotating both hands clockwise to strengthen the grip promotes closing the clubface at impact. This causes a squarer clubface and sometimes can produce a draw or hook shot.
- Position hands more on top of the grip: if you hold the club too much underneath the club, you can adjust your grip to be more on top of the grip. This encourages more rotation of your hand/wrist, leading to a more square clubface upon impact.
- Grip Pressure: if you are gripping the club too firmly, it restricts the release of the club. Having a more relaxed grip promotes a better release to square the clubface.
- Grip Size: If your grip size is the wrong size, it leads to poor hand/wrist angles that can cause an open clubface. To fix this, you can find a grip that is more suited to your hand that helps you hold the face squarer.
Position the Ball Properly
You can reposition the ball to suit your playing style to prevent you from slicing a golf ball. If you normally place the ball too far forward, place it further back in your stance. This promotes a more outside-in swing path.
Conversely, move the ball forward in your stance if you typically place it too far back. This helps shallow the clubface as it hits the ball, creating a more square impact position.
If you are slicing it more with longer clubs, such as the driver or wood, consider moving the ball further back. This helps to shallow the angle of attack and encourages a more square impact position. In my early days of playing golf, this was something that helped me hit straighter driver shots.
Monitor Your Stance
Your stance plays a key role in setting up the swing path and clubface orientation, so adjusting this can help encourage to square the clubface at impact.
Here’s how it can help:
- Posture: if you’re bending over too much, or your head is too far behind the ball, it’s difficult to make the proper inside swing path and release to square the clubface.
- Stand width: a wide stance promotes an outside-in swing path, so narrowing your stance can help to encourage an inside-out path. This helps to square the clubface.
- Stance alignment: if your body and feet are open (aiming to the right of the target for right hand golfers), it promotes an open shoulder turn, and outside swing paths. This both results in slices. To prevent this, you need to square your stance, to encourage a more inside path.
- Weight distribution: if you have too much weight on your toes or heels, it makes it difficult to properly do weight transfer, and rotate through impact to square the clubface. Try to even your weight distribution to fix this.
- Knee Flex: a lack of flexibility restricts your body from turning back and through the ball, which can lead to the clubface being open. Practice to make your knee more flexible, which enables your hip and shoulder to turn more, squaring the clubface.
Improve the Release
Many slicers, including myself when starting playing golf, have issues with premature release or casting/flipping of the ball, which leaves the clubface open at impact.
To prevent this, it’s important to have a full release of the and rotation of the forearms and hand during the downswing, through impact to square the clubface.
Inside-To-Square Swing Path
As slices are typically caused by over the top, outside-in swing paths that leave the clubface open at impact, it’s important to focus on developing an inside-to-square swing path. This helps prevent slices.
An inside-to-square swing path is pretty much the opposite of an over the top swing. Developing an inside-to-square swing path puts the clubface in a square position, reducing the chances of a slice shot.
Final Thoughts
To recap, a slice in golf is a type of mis-hit where the ball curves significantly to the right (for right-handers) or to the left (for left handers) after being hit by a golf club.
The main cause of a golf slice is the clubface being open upon impact with the golf ball. Understanding what causes this is the key to know how you can square the clubface to hit straighter shots.
Hitting the ball with a square clubface is extremely important in golf since almost all type of shots on the course require this, so the better you learn to do this, the faster you will lower your golf scores.
