Of all the bad shots to play in golf, the slice is probably the most frustrating. For an average golfer, the slice is often the main barrier to significant improvement. A bad slice doesn’t go as far as a straight shot, and the lack of directional control can often mean lots of lost balls and penalty shots.

There are a number of reasons why a golf may experience a slice, but it all comes down to the fact that left to right spin is applied to the golf ball through impact with the club face. The club face will be open as it makes contact with the golf ball, and this is what makes the ball veer from left to right.

One of the most common causes of the golf slice is a ‘weak’ grip. This is where the left hand (for a right handed player) is more underneath the grip. The left arm pulls the club through the swing, and this ‘weak’ grip results in the club face cutting across the ball. If you think you have a weak grip, move the position of your hands on the club so that the left hand is more on top of the grip, and the right hand is more underneath. This will immediately feel like a stronger grip, and will help to cure a slice.

If you feel you already have a decent grip, but you still slice the ball, then the cause is more likely to lie with your swing.

A good drill for curing the slice is to practice with a seven iron, but only bringing the club face back until the club is parallel to the ground. This will feel like a long chip, but it gives a good feel of the swing path. Practise hitting these half shots, focusing on developing an inside to outside swing path – this should have the effect of putting some draw spin on the ball. When you are comfortable with the swing path, try longer swings, until eventually you are hitting full shots. This takes a lot of practise, but if you have a naturally slice swing, then this drill will reshape your swing path and hopefully cure your slice.

Another cause of a slice is when the golfer ‘quits’ on the shot before it’s complete. This can have the effect of cutting across the ball, which causes the slice. A good way to prevent this is to focus on following through the ball. This will ensure that you don’t ‘quit’ on the shot, and hopefully cure your slice.

The slice can be an incredibly frustrating affliction for a golfer, and can lead to many a poor score. Hopefully the basic tips above can help you eradicate this feature from your game and get that handicap down.

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