For most golfers, overcoming the slice almost feels like a right of passage. Slicing the golf ball is very common among beginners, yet it is something that many other golfers struggle with their entire careers. Learning how to fix a slice can save you years of frustration and make the game so much more enjoyable.
There is no perfect way to work through every slice, as different reasons often cause this shot. However, if you are willing to work through this process with us a bit, we can get the ball traveling straight again.
What is a Golf Slice?
A slice shot starts out straight and then makes a severe turn to the right. To make things simpler, this guide is for right-handed golfers. Left-handed players simply need to reverse the advice. There is a difference between a slice and a fad. The amount of turn to the right will be considerably more for a slice.
When a sliced shot hits the ground, chances are it will turn even further right. These shots end up in hazards, out of bounds, or even on the next fairway. The bottom line is that if you slice the ball often, you know what this shot looks like.
How To Fix A Slice
We have always talked about the importance of learning how to work the ball if you want to learn to straighten it out. For instance, if you can learn how to hit a fade, you will have some defense against a slice if it comes up.
However, even those that don’t know how to hit a fade can use these tips to fix a slice. Work through each of these, and you will discover which one is causing your ball to slice.
Check Your Setup and Stance
The first step towards fixing any issue in your golf swing should be to ensure the setup and stance are correct.
Without a solid and stable base to start your swing from, you will have a very hard time hitting a straight golf shot. The biggest mistake that slicers make is they aim very far left and attempt to let the slice happen naturally.
The funny thing about this is that aiming left can be a cause of a slice. Golfers try to fix the problem, but they are essentially making it considerably worse.
In addition, the ball position tends to be another issue that slicers struggle with. If the ball is too far forward, it can cause an outside-to-in swing. In addition, if the ball is too far from the golfer, they will reach for it and potentially slice it.
Try to get comfortable with your setup and stance.
You can use a mirror, have someone video you, or even take a lesson with a professional. Not only will a great stance help fix a slice, but it can also improve your other shots.
Grip Check
Although a neutral grip in golf is often best, many slicers have to strengthen the grip a bit to get the ball traveling straight. The proper grip will include turning your left hand over just a bit to the left.
This leaves room for your lower hand or right hand to get a bit more under the club. Weak grips allow you to see lots of the top of your hand; the strong grips help you see the fingers and underside of the hand.
With a weak grip, it becomes considerably easier to turn the club over and release it at the proper time. Eventually, golfers will want to fix any path issues they have. It’s best not to rely 100% on the grip to do the job. However, the grip is something any slicer should check on.
Watch The Takeaway
The takeaway of your golf swing can make or break you. If the takeaway is where it should be, the rest of the swing will fall into place considerably easier.
For golfers that slice the ball, most of the time, the takeaway is a bit outside. With the club starting on an outside path, it never makes its way back to the inside, and the result is a slice golf shot.
Learn to take a low and slow takeaway. Keep the club along the ground a little longer, and ensure you are not pushing the golf club out away from you as you turn.
Great players will even incorporate a little takeaway check into their pre-shot routine. This is a smart idea to help keep the slice away. Any mental reminder you can equip yourself with will help.
Learn To Get The Club On Path
Getting the golf club on the proper path can take a little work. The good news is that there are plenty of drills and training aids to help. The area of the swing that causes most slices is the transition from the backswing to the downswing.
On the downswing, you must keep your right elbow close to your body.
It should drop into place as you rotate your body. If you have rotated back in your swing, rotating through the shot should not be a problem.
Take some practice swings to the top of your swing and investigate what your first move down is. Do you cast your arms out away from you at the top? Do your lower and upper body work together?
The arms need to stay closed if you are going to hit a straight shot.
Better Weight Transfer
The weight transfer in the golf swing includes loading up your right side on the backswing and transferring to the left side on the downswing.
We transfer our weight in a golf swing because it is a very powerful move. However, some players struggle with this concept and still try to create power with their arms and hands instead.
You can work on making a better weight transfer without even having a club in your hands. Take your arms and cross them over your chest. Now rotate back like you would if you had a club in your hand.
Do you feel your weight transfer to your right side? Does it then push off to get to the left at impact?
If you are not feeling any of this weight transfer happen, or it’s not done efficiently, it could be causing your slice.
Understand The Release
The release of the golf club is such a hard concept for golfers to understand. However, when you look at other sports, you can see why it’s so important we release the golf club. Even sports like baseball, hockey, and tennis all have a release built into the technique.
As you swing down, your club needs to move from being open to square to eventually closed after you hit the ball. Truthfully, if your setup and stance are correct, your grip is correct, and your takeaway and path are on track, the release will happen naturally.
Many players need to learn to let their larger muscles, like shoulders and hips take over as opposed to hitting shots with their hands and wrists.
The release of the club head has to be timed right; we recommend working on this concept on the driving range.
This video does a great job of explaining the release in golf and why it is so important.
Is The Equipment The Problem?
Some lucky golfers will find that their equipment is the reason behind their slice. We call these golfers lucky because sometimes it takes a shaft replacement or a wrench twist to fix their slice instead of hours spent on the range.
If your golf club is too long, too stiff, or too heavy for you, it could lead to a slice. Most of the time, these are easy to pick up on because you won’t slice the ball with all clubs in your hands.
One of the best ways to test if the equipment is the problem is to go to a golf club fitting. For those who don’t want to spend the money on a fitting, you can borrow a friend’s club at the range and see if the ball still slices.
Practice On The Range
Practicing on the driving range to fix your slice will certainly help. However, we recommend you use a few training aids to help make the process a bit easier to see and feel. Here are a few that are worth checking out.
Eyeline Speed Trap
The Eyeline Speed Trap helps players learn about the path and ensures an inside-to-out swing path that allows for a straighter golf shot. With the Eyeline Speed Trap, you will try to swing the path down the center of the tool without hitting any of the barriers, the concept is simple and works quite well.
Eyeline creates golf products that give players more awareness of their game; the Eyeline Speed Trap 2.0 lets players see how their setup, impact, and takeaway will impact their swing plane.
Callaway Easy Swing Trainer
If you find that connection is the issue in your swing and want to make sure your hands, arms, and elbows are all working together, this is a great way to do it. The Callaway Easy Swing Trainer makes it considerably easier to have a great takeaway and encourages players to have more confidence and power.
The Callaway Swing Easy allows players to sharpen their fundamentals and become more consistent in their golf shots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about how to fix a slice.
Let’s be honest. A slice is not the easiest thing to fix.
However, if you spend time working on the proper positions in your swing and you can overcome the mental fear of hitting a slice, you can easily learn to fix it. Once you have it fixed, try to intentionally learn to hit a slice.
The theory is if you can hit a slice, you can also fix a slice. Understanding why you slice the ball and knowing what your golf swing looks like will help you become a more consistent player. Don’t be clueless about the slice; the concepts are simple, and you can work them out if you dedicate the time.
The driver tends to be the hardest club to fix for golfers that slice the ball. Start small by hitting some straight seven-iron shots. Notice how your hands turn over, your weight transfers, and you finish the swing in balance.
Start to move up your bag and feel each of the clubs in the same way. When you get to the driver take a slightly narrower stance and see if you can repeat this same feeling and motion as you had with the 7 iron. It takes time and patience, but most golfers just need to get the feeling, and then they can repeat it for years to come.
A slice with a driver is typically caused by the club path being over the top. This leaves the face of the driver open at impact. Golfers that learn how to properly drop their golf club into place and then release it will end up with much straighter golf shots.
Iron shots are easier to fix than driver slices, the key is to make sure your setup is not the culprit. With the setup and stance being slightly different depending on the club you have in your hand, it’s important to get your feet, hands, shoulders, and hips in the proper positions before taking the club back; this fixes most slices with an iron.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to fix a slice will take some time and likely cause frustration. However, if you can get this process down, chances are you will shoot considerably lower.
Stop aiming down the left side of the fairway and hoping that the golf ball will turn over toward the center. Instead, look at the causes of the slice, which areas of your swing need attention, and work to fix them.
We have seen some players with a terrible 20 to 30-yard slice learn how to fix it. The ball will travel much further, and staying in the fairway is the only way to set yourself up for a birdie.
