Slicing is an issue that has plagued golfers forever. Not only does it affect how you play, but it also takes a lot of the fun out of golf. And it's a particularly frustrating problem to endure with the driver. Due to the high swing speed, the shape is exaggerated and leaves you approaching greens from distance, should you find the fairway.
So, how can you stop cutting across the ball and rid yourself of this destructive shot? Well, here's John Jacobs with three great tips that'll give you something to work on.
Exaggerate your set-up
The slice often stems from cutting across the target line, which not only sends the ball curling off to the right, but also robs you of distance and power. And a lot of the problem starts before a ball has even been struck. Slicers tend to aim way left (right for lefties) in an attempt to give themselves at least a chance of finding the short grass. But that only makes it worse.
A good way to reverse this is to exaggerate things the other way to give you a feel for the right movement, as in the following drill. So, take your normal set-up then move your trail foot back so you're aiming way to the right but everything else is aligned to the target.
This will encourage you to swing more around your body and encourage an in-to-out path. Try hitting some shots this way and it'll really help you groove a better upper body movement. Don't feel like you can't take it to the course, either.
'Close and away'
Another great way to grasp the correct feeling is to think ‘close and away’. You need to get the feeling that your arms are staying close to your right hip on the way down, and then moving far away from your left hip as you swing through.
Thinking ‘close and away’ gets your arm path following your swing path and will stop you getting too cramped and pulling the club into your body as you swing through.
Use a visual cue
In my final drill, set an alignment stick right of your target line about six feet in front of you, as in this photo. Draw a line on your ball and align it to the stick, while keeping everything else aligned to your target.
Now try and swing towards the alignment stick. The combined visual cues here should encourage you to swing out to the right more and reduce the unwanted left-to-right spin.
