Almost every golfer, at some point, has watched in frustration as their ball takes a dramatic, banana-shaped journey into the trees on the right. That shot, the dreaded slice, can ruin a scorecard and kill your confidence. But you don't have to live with it forever. This tutorial will break down the real causes of a slice and give you a clear, step-by-step plan with practical drills to turn that weak fade into a powerful draw.
Before we can fix it, we have to understand the problem. A slice isn’t some random, evil force, it’s a simple matter of physics. Your ball is behaving exactly as you told it to. The slice spin is caused by two main ingredients working together at the moment of impact:
When you combine an out-to-in path with an open face, you get the classic "pull-slice" - a shot that starts left and then curves weakly to the right. It robs you of distance and accuracy. Our goal is to fix these two root causes, starting with the one you have the most direct control over: your hands.
Your grip is your only connection to the club. Think of it as the steering wheel of your golf shot. If it’s not in the right position, you’ll constantly be making compensations throughout your swing to try and straighten the shot, which is an exhausting and inconsistent way to play golf. A "weak" grip is the number one cause of an open clubface and a slice.
A "weak" grip isn't about hand pressure, it's about the rotational position of your hands on the club. A weak grip is one where your hands are rotated too far to the left (for a righty). Your lead hand (left hand for righties) is too much "on top" of the grip, and your trail hand (right hand) is too much "underneath" it. This position makes it very difficult for your hands and forearms to naturally rotate and square the clubface through impact, leaving it wide open.
We're going to build a more neutral-to-strong grip, which encourages the clubface to close through impact. It might feel strange at first, but stick with it.
Practice this grip constantly. Hold a club while you watch TV. Get used to the new feel, because this single change can eliminate a huge percentage of your slicing problems before you even take the club back.
Many slicers subconsciously try to correct for their slice before they even swing. They aim their body way to the left of the target, hoping the ball will curve back into the fairway. Unfortunately, this makes the problem worse. By aiming your shoulders and feet left, you all but guarantee an over-the-top, out-to-in swing path.
Use alignment sticks (or two golf clubs) on the range. Place one on the ground aiming directly at your target. This is your ball-to-target line. Place the second stick parallel to the first, just inside the ball, where your toes will be. This is your body line. For a straight shot, your feet, hips, and shoulders should be parallel to the ball-to-target line. Correcting your alignment so you're actually aimed at the target eliminates the need to make that big cutting swing across your body.
Once your grip and alignment are sorted, it's time to tackle the swing path. The "over-the-top" move happens at the most critical moment in the golf swing: the transition from backswing to downswing. For most slicers, the first move down is a lunge with the right shoulder and arms, throwing the club outside the proper swing plane. The club then has to cut back across the body to hit the ball. The key is to start the downswing sequence correctly: from the ground up.
This is a classic for a reason - it provides instant, unavoidable feedback.
The anti-slice feeling is one where the club starts the downswing by dropping behind you, not by lunging forward at the ball.
This drill helps decouple your aggressive upper body from the start of the downswing. Initiating with the lower body turn *after* the drop will naturally pull the club onto the correct inside-out path.
The final piece of the puzzle is squaring the clubface. A lot of slicers hold the face open through impact in a misguided attempt to "steer" the ball. A powerful, straight shot requires a full release, where the clubface rotates from open on the way down to square at impact and closed after impact. A stronger grip makes this easier, but you still have to let it happen.
To learn how to square the face, you must first learn how to close it. We're going to intentionally try to hit hooks.
After a few shots, ease off the feeling just a little at a time. That big hook will turn into a small hook, then a tight draw, and finally, a dead-straight golf shot. You have now learned the feeling of releasing the club, which is the exact opposite feeling of slicing it.
Fixing a slice is a process of retraining your body to do something new. Start with your grip first, as it’s the foundation. Move onto your alignment and setup, then incorporate the drills for your swing path and release. Be patient with yourself on the range and give yourself time to get comfortable with these new feelings.
As you work on your swing, sometimes it's tough to know if what you're feeling is real. This is where getting a second opinion helps. With Caddie AI, you have a 24/7 golf coach you can ask questions to anytime, anywhere. If you’re questioning your grip, you can ask for a quick reminder. On the course, when your old slice starts creeping back in facing a tight fairway, we can provide a smart strategy to manage it and keep a big number off your card. The goal is to take the guesswork out of your game so you can swing with confidence.
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