Fix my slice?

Zascar

I have played golf for many years but these days it's only a couple of times a year. I still enjoy it however the one thing I hate is teeing off. My short game is fine but my driving is atrocious. I have a massive slice - the balls often goes off to the right but even it it does go straight at first, it will always curl off to the right quite severely like a hockey stick. I lost several balls yesterday. I'm not bothered about being a brilliant golfer but if I could simply hit straight I'd be delighted.

I don't even bother using a driver now I use a rescue which on fairway shots I'm generally ok with but if I'm trying to hit long off the tee it's inevitably going to go off to the right. What is the best way for me to try to fix this? I've tried closing the face and adjusting my stance, nothing works. Should I go and get a lesson or two?

Glebee

I had the same problem for a while but used to hook it. When I was teeing off I always took the hook into account and most of the time it worked out ok.

dan_ep82

Strike in the middle? A heel shot will fade 90% of the time.

You can also hit a slice with a closed face if your path is more Left than the face angle. You have to swing right of your face angle for a draw shape.

Google or YouTube ball flight laws to give you a better idea of how your doing what your doing so you have a chance of fixing it.

If you can afford a lesson it’s 100% worth it. A lot of reasons for a slice and you can spend a lot of effort just trying to fix a symptom (real or presumed) without actually fixing the cause. Your pro will tell you in 3 swings or less what needs to change and what to work on.

Glebee

dan_ep82 wrote: »

Strike in the middle? A heel shot will fade 90% of the time.

You can also hit a slice with a closed face if your path is more Left than the face angle. You have to swing right of your face angle for a draw shape.

Google or YouTube ball flight laws to give you a better idea of how your doing what your doing so you have a chance of fixing it.

If you can afford a lesson it’s 100% worth it. A lot of reasons for a slice and you can spend a lot of effort just trying to fix a symptom (real or presumed) without actually fixing the cause. Your pro will tell you in 3 swings or less what needs to change and what to work on.

Agree with the lessons, well worth it..

ThunderCat

Zascar wrote: »

I have played golf for many years but these days it's only a couple of times a year. I still enjoy it however the one thing I hate is teeing off. My short game is fine but my driving is atrocious. I have a massive slice - the balls often goes off to the right but even it it does go straight at first, it will always curl off to the right quite severely like a hockey stick. I lost several balls yesterday. I'm not bothered about being a brilliant golfer but if I could simply hit straight I'd be delighted.

I don't even bother using a driver now I use a rescue which on fairway shots I'm generally ok with but if I'm trying to hit long off the tee it's inevitably going to go off to the right. What is the best way for me to try to fix this? I've tried closing the face and adjusting my stance, nothing works. Should I go and get a lesson or two?

I had a bad slice at one time also and what worked for me was a video I saw that said to imagine that at address you are stood on a massive clockface which is lying flat on the floor. Your target is at 12 o'clock and you are facing 3 o'clock (for a right handed golfer) and the start of your backswing takes the club towards 6 o'clock. The reason for the slice was because on the downswing the club was coming back towards the ball through the 5 o'clock position and thus cutting across the ball. The video said that instead make a conscious effort to come back towards impact through the 7 o'clock position. Sure enough that worked for me. There are various reasons for a slice so it may not suit your issue but no harm giving it ago. But as others have said, a lesson is the best advice of all.

Euphoriasean

Found this great for my high right slice. All I concentrate is having the logo on my golf club facing up to the sky at the top of my backswing.

https://youtu.be/j3ZdO91MajA

Now to get rid of the dreaded shank that has developed in the last week. Sunday was not pretty.

valoren

Rick Shiels has a good series of videos to fix slicing the driver.
Par 1 below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDnctpwLa8o

kensingtondell

Some tips
1.strengthen your grip. ie make sure to see two knuckles on your left hand.
2.posture at address. make sure your feet are both facing the target but even more important check your left shoulder and move that slighly inwards.
3. try and get the swing on plane. on takeaway try and take the club back straighter for the first 6 inches

30 euros for a pro will fix this imo. just pay the pro and get the job done. choose a good pro though as some arent great . If you can get one with trackman it would really help you see what you are doing incorrectly. Its nice to understand what you were doing incorrectly and see the fix

Zascar

Thanks, does anyone know a pro in South Dublin that has a trackman?

Insecurity Guard

Zascar wrote: »

...but if I could simply hit straight I'd be delighted.

As no doubt, we all would!!

I'd say the commonest reasons for the slice are either an incorrect grip or the dreaded 'over the top' movement in the transition.

Over the top is a real pain because it doesn't feel wrong, and it commonly shows up on the tee because we're trying to hit that one a bit harder. I know because I'm a martyr to it..:(

I found these really good on alignment and controlling the hands:

Backswing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VivoVdUMjLE
Downswing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjIn_CoBOvk

Rikand

Zascar wrote: »

Thanks, does anyone know a pro in South Dublin that has a trackman?

Hugh Feeney in The Spawell does if south west suits ya

0852829889

spacecoyote

Zascar wrote: »

Thanks, does anyone know a pro in South Dublin that has a trackman?

If you can stretch the legs as far as Carton, the GUI academy has a great set up & has trackman available. There are plenty of pro's there to choose from. I had a lesson last year with Kelan McDonagh who I thought was excellent. Kenny Fahey is also very good.

There are a couple of pro's I've seen around the place at the spa-well with trackman, so a quick call should let you know

Corkey123

Zascar wrote: »

Thanks, does anyone know a pro in South Dublin that has a trackman?

Dara the pro in Bray has a trackman as well as a full simulation bay. Well worth inquiring if in the general direction 01 2763200

redzerdrog

I have always hit a fade off the tee and with my old driver could struggle with it often turning into a slice. I got the 2016 M2 before Christmas and my 20 yard fade turned into a 5 yard fade. I was driving the ball better than ever before.

However the last few weeks I have been wild off the tee and couldn't figure out what is was doing whuch then was making it even worse.

On the 12th tee this evening I had enough and decided to set up for a draw. Resulted in a hook into the deep rough so I reloaded and said to myself to set up somewhere in the middle of the last two drives. I creamed it and suddenly could feel the right set up again. Didn't slice another one for the rest of the round.

Crazy game!

DM_7

Zascar wrote: »

I have played golf for many years but these days it's only a couple of times a year. I still enjoy it however the one thing I hate is teeing off. My short game is fine but my driving is atrocious. I have a massive slice - the balls often goes off to the right but even it it does go straight at first, it will always curl off to the right quite severely like a hockey stick. I lost several balls yesterday. I'm not bothered about being a brilliant golfer but if I could simply hit straight I'd be delighted.

I don't even bother using a driver now I use a rescue which on fairway shots I'm generally ok with but if I'm trying to hit long off the tee it's inevitably going to go off to the right. What is the best way for me to try to fix this? I've tried closing the face and adjusting my stance, nothing works. Should I go and get a lesson or two?

Based on changes tried already, I bet you are not turning enough with the right hand side of your body and on the downswing you are starting outside and cutting across on the inside.

If you rarely play, just move your right foot back a few inches. Your feet won't be level and people will tell you that your stance is wrong but you will straighten up your drive as you will turn easier on the way up and down.

Try it at a driving range.

If you played more I would suggest a better approach but I think this fix will help.

GreeBo

Just get a lesson, it could be a few swing things or something basic like stance or grip.

Rikand

spacecoyote wrote: »

If you can stretch the legs as far as Carton, the GUI academy has a great set up & has trackman available. There are plenty of pro's there to choose from. I had a lesson last year with Kelan McDonagh who I thought was excellent. Kenny Fahey is also very good.

There are a couple of pro's I've seen around the place at the spa-well with trackman, so a quick call should let you know

Delighted to hear the recommendation for Kelan McDonagh. Good friend of mine here in Athlone and a great golfer. Delighted to hear he's getting high praise for his lessons.

For people who were at the boards.ie society outing in Tullamore a few years ago, Kelan was working the proshop as the assistant there too if you remember him

Wombatman

Align as you normally would then try to strike the ball from seven o'clock to one o'clock rather than 6 to 12. Line up the line on your ball 6 to 12 along the target line to help you visualize the 7 to 1 path. Hopefully this mental picture will help change tour club path. Counter intuitive that you have to try to hit to the right of the target line to stop it ending up right, but it works. If you don't see results make it more extreme until you are hooking the ball then gradually dial it back.

Experiment with moving the ball forward and back of you stance also.