What Causes a Slice and How Can I Fix It?

There are probably millions of golfers in this country and around the world who suffer from having a slice in their swing, and it can be one of the most exasperating things about playing the game. Most of the time you intend to hit the golf ball straight, at some target down the fairway or at the green itself, but when a slice takes over, that can send the ball far offline and force you to make a recovery shot from whatever kind of hazard awaits you on that side of the golf course. Here are some tactics you can use to straighten out that slice and get your ball flying more toward the desired target you had in mind.

What is a slice in golf?

For a right-handed golfer, a slice is a golf shot that sees the ball curving in a pronounced fashion from left to right, and although good golfers may have planned to hit a slice, the majority of the time this is an unintentional shot which simply goes off-line. Most recreational golfers who have high handicaps are plagued by having a slice that they simply can’t control, and which will generally get them in all kinds of trouble in hazards on the right-hand side of the golf course.

If you’ve heard about the term ‘fade’, that’s really a slice which is much less pronounced, and which goes from left to right in a more gentle arc than a slice would. A slice is just the opposite of a hook shot which will go from right to left, and for some reason doesn’t cause nearly as many problems as a slice. It seems that more golf courses are set up to penalize a slice shot than they are to penalize a hook shot.

Some golfers who are aware that they have a problem with slicing will take the extraordinary step of trying to start their shot out far to the left of their intended target so that it will slice back in and be on target by the time it reaches the destination. The problem with this is that you really can’t count on getting that slice every single time, so if you start your shot out far to the left, it may not slice back in, but it might stay to the left and get you into a different kind of trouble.

The main reason that a slice occurs when you swing a golf club is that the face of the club is at least slightly open at the time of impact. This could be due to your setup or to some issue related to your swing itself. It happens very often that amateur golfers will have an outside-to-inside swing path which causes the clubface to swipe across the golf ball, and to impart a slicing action on the flight of the ball.

If you’ve heard golf announcers using the phrase ‘coming over the top’, that’s what’s meant by an outside-to-inside swing path that swipes across the face of the ball. Chances are if you consistently slice the ball, you’re guilty of one of these two swing flaws: either coming over the top or doing something in your swing that leaves your clubface open at the moment of impact.

How to fix a slice

There are a few simple steps you can take which will correct your slice, but you should be aware that just because they’re simple doesn’t mean you’ll be able to fix your slice in one day. It will require practice in order for you to implement these recommended steps, and once you have mastered them, that should spell the end of your slicing days.

First of all, avoid the temptation to aim left of your target and slice the ball into it – that will not work on a consistent basis. Secondly, make sure that you position your golf ball more toward the middle of your setup rather than having it too far forward. If you have to reach for the ball when it’s forward in your stance, that will cause you to promote the outside-to-inside kind of swing, which will almost always trigger a slice.

You should also watch the divots that you take after each swing, noting whether they are aimed to the left, the center, or the right. That will tell you which way your clubface was pointing at the moment of impact, and ideally, you want that divot to be pointing straight ahead. Many golfers also have a weak grip which contributes to slicing, and you’d be much better off with a stronger grip that discourages it. To do this, rotate your left hand clockwise until you can see three knuckles of the left hand, and this should be the proper position for most golfers.

During your backswing, make a point of trying to keep your right elbow tucked in close to your body because it’s when you allow your elbow to fly out away from your body that the outside-to-inside swing gets started. Make sure you have a proper weight transferral during your swing, with your weight being transferred to your backside during the backswing, and then transferred forward during your downswing.

Lastly, make sure to release the club prior to impact, which means allowing your right hand and right wrist to rotate over the top of your left hand and left wrist, so as to prevent the ball from being pushed to the right.

Other tips to correct a broken golf swing

If you consistently hit a hook that you would like to avoid, there’s a fairly simple fix for that, which calls for you to focus on hitting the ball on the half of the ball which is closest to you, rather than the half which is further away from you. If you’re like most golfers, you will occasionally top a shot, which means you’ll hit it on the top and drill it into the ground, so it never gets airborne. This is generally caused by striking the ball on the upper half of the ball itself because your hips and shoulders are not in the proper position during your downswing.

If you can keep your left hip over your left foot throughout the downswing, you should be able to eliminate most of those topped shots. Another very common mishit for amateurs is the fat shot, which is caused by having the clubhead hit the ground before it strikes the ball. This can be resolved by moving the low point of your golf swing a little bit further ahead. You can try moving the golf ball a little more toward your left foot to do this or to just stay a little more upright during your downswing so that the club doesn’t brush the ground.

Final thoughts on slicing the golf ball

If you’ve always had a slice on your golf swing, keep in mind that you don’t have to live with it forever. Practicing with driving range mats is just one way to help. But, if you follow the recommendations described above, you will almost certainly lose that slice, and start to avoid all the hassles and hazards associated with having a consistent slice. By mastering the techniques which have been suggested, you should find that your ball flight is much straighter most of the time, and that will almost always translate to lower scores on the golf course.