4 slices & their cures

Golf Digest, August, 2003 by Jim Flick, Roger Schiffman

WHAT TRIGGERS A SLICE? AFTER MANY YEARS OF teaching thousands of average golfers, plus coaching such major champions as Jack Nicklaus and Tom Lehman, I've concluded there are four principal causes:

1 The upper body rotates open too soon on the downswing.

2 The hands get too high at impact.

3 The upper body outraces the club on the downswing.

4 The grip end gets too far ahead of the clubhead at impact.

These causes result in the clubface being open in relation to the swing path at impact. How bad is that? Recent research by TaylorMade reveals that an S-flex-shaft driver with 9.5 degrees of loft traveling on the proper swing path at 100 miles per hour, but with the face open just 2 degrees at impact, will result in a shot that finishes 16 yards right of the target. Clearly, a square clubface at impact is all-important. Other problems, such as swinging "over the top," will be cured in time if you first get the clubface square.

On the following pages, I'll give you simple drills to fix each of the four causes of a slice. How do you know which fix to apply to your swing? You can tell from your overall ball flight and your divot. (More on that later.)

A final thought: You may not want to turn your slice into a draw. Reducing your slice to a fade may give you a more dependable, consistent ball flight and better playability. It's all up to you.

1

CAUSE: Body opens too soon

CURE: Right foot back

This type of slice is all too common. The right shoulder moves out and over on the downswing, causing the club to come into the ball on an outside-in swing path. The ball starts to the left of your target. If the clubface is square to the path, you will hit a pull. But usually the hands and arms, sensing the club is coming down from the outside, hold the clubface open to the path, resulting in a pull slice (inset). With iron shots, your divot points left of your target.

CURE: You want to feel as if the buttons on your shirt point to the right of the ball at impact (this is one of Jack Nicklaus' swing keys). This drill will help promote that sensation: Hit practice balls with your right foot back, the heel down. Swing the club back, making a full shoulder turn (left). Then feel as if you swing primarily your arms and clubhead through impact. Let your body respond to the swinging of your arms and the releasing of the clubhead.

2

CAUSE: Handle too high at impact

CURE: Keep hands low

Another cause of an open clubface at impact: The hands are too high just before and through the ball, causing the clubhead to get stuck behind you. The ball starts down the target line or sometimes to the right, then slices weakly. There is little or no divot with the irons. Often this happens because the golfer either tries to clear the hips too fast or doesn't trust the loft of the club to get the ball airborne. A pulling up or lifting motion results, restricting the release and dragging the clubhead through impact. When the shoulders and torso lift, the forearms cannot swing and rotate to square the clubface at impact.

CURE: Set up in your normal address position and have a friend hold a club so its grip hovers just above your hands (above). As you swing back and through, your friend should keep his club's grip end steady. Concentrate on letting your hands pass just under his club.

3

CAUSE: Body outraces club

CURE: Hit balls standing on one leg

Do you suffer from a push slice, where your ball starts to the right of your target, then curves even farther right? If so, the likely cause is that your body outraces the clubhead. Some people call this a lunge. The companion problem is flipping the hands at the ball in a compensatory effort to square up the clubface. This requires phenomenal timing --flipping the club too late results in a weak slice, too early in a sharp hook.

CURE: I call this the "stork" drill. On the range, use your driver or fairway wood and put the ball on a tee. Take your address as you normally would, but with your left leg positioned slightly inside the ball. Now stand only on your left foot (step 1, below). Swing the club back and through. It might take a few tries to maintain your balance, but stick with it. Feel the sensation of your upper body staying behind the ball and only your arms swinging the club through impact. After you get the hang of making solid contact, you'll notice that the ball flight will be much improved--your shots should start on line and may even curve left.

Alternate hitting five balls on one leg, then five with your normal swing. You will quickly ingrain the feeling of keeping your body quiet and your arms swinging freely. Because the ball is teed, this drill also will force you to swing slightly up on the ball, your head actually moving a little to your right. That is a good feeling to have with your driving clubs. You will also notice that your right arm is crossing over your left through impact--but it will be a natural motion, not a forced flipping of the hands.

4

CAUSE: Handle too far ahead of ball

CURE: Right hand off after impact