How to Fix an Open Club Face in Golf

That high, weak slice that peels off into the trees is one of Mexicofthe most frustrating shots in golf, and it almost always comes from one thing: an open club face at impact. This article will show you exactly how to diagnose why your club face is open and provide you with simple, effective drills to get it squared up and start hitting straighter, more powerful shots.

What Does an "Open" Club Face Really Mean?

Before we fix the problem, let's get perfectly clear on what it is. For a right-handed golfer, an "open" club face is simply one that is pointing to the right of your target line when it makes contact with the ball. An open face can cause two big problems you've probably experienced:

• The Push: If your swing path is perfectly straight toward the target but the face is open, the ball will start right of the target and stay there. It flies straight, just in the wrong direction.
• The Slice: This is the big one. If your swing path comes from outside-to-in (cutting across the ball from right to left) and the face is open to that path, you'll put sidespin on the ball. It will start left or straight and then curve dramatically to the right, often into trouble.

Both shots steal distance and wreck scorecards. The good news is that fixing the open face usually fixes the slice. So, let’s get to work and find the real reason your club face is getting left open, starting with the most likely suspect.

Check Your Grip First: The Steering Wheel of Your Swing

Your hands are your only connection to the golf club. Think of your grip as the steering wheel for your club face - how you hold it has an enormous influence on where that face points at impact. The most common cause of an open club face is a “weak” grip.

A weak grip doesn’t mean you aren't holding on tightly enough. It’s a term for how your hands are positioned on the club. A weak grip is when your hands are rotated too far to the left (for a righty). This position makes it very difficult for your hands and forearms to naturally rotate and square the club face through the swing. Instead, it encourages the face to stay open.

How to Build a Neutral-to-Strong Grip

Let's rebuild your grip from scratch. This might feel strange at first, but stick with it. This is the foundation for a square club face.

The Left Hand (for Right-Handed Golfers)

1. Rest the club on the ground with the face square to your target.
2. Place your left hand on the grip so you’re holding it mainly in the fingers, running from the base of your pinky to the middle joint of your index finger.
3. Close your hand. From your perspective looking down, you should be able to see at least two knuckles on your left hand (the ones on your index and middle fingers). If you only see one or none, your grip is too weak.
4. Check the "V" formed by your thumb and index finger. It should point somewhere between your right ear and your right shoulder. If it points at your chin, your grip is too weak.

The Right Hand (for Right-Handed Golfers)

1. Bring your right hand to the club. The "V" formed by your right thumb and index finger should mirror your left hand, also pointing somewhere toward your right shoulder.
2. The lifeline in your right palm should fit snugly over your left thumb.
3. Feel like your hands are working together as a single unit, not fighting each other.

Moving from a weak to a more neutral or slightly strong grip will feel very different. But a stronger grip pre-sets your hands in a more powerful position, helping the club face rotate back to square automatically as you unwind your body.

Your Setup Could Be Sabotaging Your Swing

Even with a perfect grip, a poor setup can put you in a position where an open club face is almost unavoidable. There are two main culprits in your setup to check: ball position and body alignment.

Check Your Ball Position

For your mid-irons (like a 7, 8, or 9-iron), the ball should be positioned in the very center of your stance. Many golfers who slice tend to play the ball too far back in their stance. When the ball is too far back, you are hitting it too early in the swing's arc, before the club has had a chance to rotate around your body and get back to square. Simply moving the ball up to the middle of your stance gives the club face more time to square up naturally.

• For short irons and wedges: aim for the center of your stance.

• For longer irons and hybrids: one ball-width forward of center.
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• For the driver: just inside your lead heel.

Check Your Body Alignment

This is a subtle but common mistake. Many golfers who slice inadvertently aim their body - specifically their feet, hips, and shoulders - to the left of their target. They do this instinctively to "play" for their slice. The problem is that aiming left encourages an "out-to-in" swing path. To prevent the ball from starting dead left (a pull), the only option is to hold the club face open through impact. It's a compensation that reinforces the exact a bad shot you're trying to avoid.

Drill: The Alignment Check
Lay an alignment stick (or another golf club) on the ground just outside your golf ball, pointing directly at your target. Then, lay a second stick on the ground parallel to the first one, just inside your heels. This second stick represents your body line. Now set up to the ball. Your feet, hips, and shoulders should all be parallel to that second stick. This ensures your body is aimed parallel left of the target, not at the target itself.

The Top of the Backswing: Is Your Wrist Opening the Face?

What your lead wrist (left wrist for righties) does at the top of your swing has a direct impact on the club face. There are three basic positions:

1. Cupped: The back of your wrist is bent back toward your forearm. This position opens the club face at the top. This is a very common slicer's position.

1. Flat: The back of your wrist is in a straight line with your forearm. This is a square or neutral position. Think of major champions like Rory McIlroy or Tiger Woods.

1. Bowed: The back of your wrist is flexed down, toward the ground. This closes the club face. Think of players like Dustin Johnson or Jon Rahm.

If you get to the top of your swing and your left wrist is cupped, you have a massive amount of work to do on the downswing just to get the face back to square. It’s hard to do this consistently.

Feel the Fix: At the top of your backswing, try to feel like the back of your lead hand is flat, as if you could balance a tray on it. This simple sensation will keep the club face square, so all you have to do is rotate your body through the ball on the downswing.

The Final Piece: Releasing the Club Through Impact

The term "release" can be confusing. It doesn't mean consciously flipping your wrists at the ball. A good release is the natural unhinging of the wrists and rotation of the forearms that happens when your body turns powerfully through impact. Slicers often do the opposite - their body rotation stalls, and they try to guide the club through with their arms and hands, holding the face open in a "blocking" motion.

You need to feel the club head release past your hands through the impact zone. This is powered by your body. As your hips and torso unwind in the downswing, they pull your arms down. This momentum allows your lead forearm to naturally rotate over your trail forearm right after impact.

Drill: The Split-Hands Release

This drill helps you feel what a real release is like.

• Take a 7-iron and grip it normally with your left hand at the top.

• Now slide your right hand down the shaft about six inches, creating a gap between your hands.

• Make some slow, half-swings.

• As you swing through the impact area, you will feel viscerally how your right arm has to cross over your left arm to get the club squared up. Because your hands are separated, you can’t manipulate them easily. This forces you to use your body rotation and allows your forearms to do their job.

This feeling of the forearms crossing over is the hallmark of a good release that squares the face without any artificial flipping. After a few swings, go back to your normal grip and try to replicate that same feeling.

Final Thoughts

Fixing an open club face comes down to checking a few fundamentals in your swing, from your grip and setup all the way to how your body rotates through the ball. By systematically working through these checkpoints, you can identify the root cause of your slice and finally get the club face delivering a square blow to the ball.

If you find yourself on the course and that old slice reappears, our app, , can be a great rescue. You can snap a photo of your ball's lie from the rough to get immediate advice on how to play the shot, or ask for a simple swing thought to get you back on track for the next hole. We provide the clear, simple strategy you need to play with more confidence and turn those frustrating rounds around.