Slice tips

Slices can becaused by a number of things. Below are some common thinking processes of slicers; the reason that these ways fo thinking cause the problem are described and drills suggested to fix the faults.

1.If you don't feel like your backswing is long enough to give you the yards you need, you will lift your right elbow to bring the club back even farther. This causes your arms to swing way past the point when they should naturally stop. Now you're officially across the line (clubhead pointed right of the target at the top), and headed for inconsistent contact and those misses that go way high and to the right. If this is you, then see drill 1 and drill 2

2. If you think that extending your arms in your follow-through prevents chicken-winging and the tendency to hit a slice, then you have been mislead.

When you try to extend your arms — instead of allowing the force of your swing do it for you — you fail to properly rotate your forearms, specifically your left one. You know you're making this mistake if your left hand is above your right deep into your follow-through, with your left shoulder much higher than your right.

If this sounds like you, then see drill 3.

3. If you think you need to make big swing adjustments to eliminate your banana ball, then see drill 2 and drill 4.

Drill 1

Many players would benefit from stopping at what they think is three-quarters in their backswing. If that doesn't work, practice your backswing with a Nerf football wedged between your elbows. Try to keep the ball from falling out by keeping your elbows together. Make sure you complete your backswing with a full wrist cock. That's what gets you parallel at the top, not your arms.

Keep your elbows together with the clubhead pointed parallel to the target line for a powerful top position.

If you lift your right elbow, the ball will fall out and you'll lose power.

Drill 2

Make practice backswings with your wristwatch on your left wrist. Before you start, slide a pen under the face so that the cap end reaches the middle of the back of your left hand. As you swing to the top, can you feel the cap dig into the back of your left hand? If so, you've discovered the cause of your slice.

The pen drill tells you if you're cupping your left wrist. A cupped left wrist causes your clubface to rotate wide open at the top. Unless you make a serious compensating move, the face will stay open on your downswing.

Continue to practice your backswing with the pen under your watch until you can bring the club to the top without the pen jamming into your hand. Keep your left wrist perfectly flat. A flat left wrist means that your clubface is square at the top, which increases the chance of it being square at impact.

Watch Out!

If you start hooking the ball after performing the pen drill, you'll know that you've overcooked the idea of a flat left wrist by bowing it. You want your left wrist flat, not bent

Drill 3

As you swing through impact, rotate your left elbow so that it points down at the ground when your hands reach waist height in your follow-through. This kind of elbow rotation allows your right hand to properly turn past your left — the real way to beat a tendency to slice.

When you do it correctly, you'll feel like your left elbow is actually bending instead of snapping straight. When your left elbow stays soft, your right arm extends as if by magic. It's this right arm extension that gives your swing power and extra accuracy, and makes chicken-winging almost impossible.

Drill 4

Assume your normal address position with your arms crisscrossing your chest and holding a club parallel to the ground. Make a mock swing and note how far back the club turns and how far through it turns. If you're a slicer, you'll notice the club turns less in your backswing than in your follow-through. The unequal turn creates a cut motion through impact that sends the ball right.

THE QUICK SOLUTION

• Look down at your feet and imagine each is in the middle of a clock face.
• Flare your right foot to 2 o'clock and position your left foot at 12 o'clock.
• Now swing the club for real and feel the increase in shoulder turn going back and the lessening of it into your follow-through.

As you do this, make sure you maintain your posture and forward tilt. Straightening up through impact only encourages a slice. This tricks also works if you hook the ball. In this case, position your right foot at 12 o'clock and your left foot at 10 o'clock. This will decrease your turn back and increase your turn through. You'll hit the ball more with your body and less with your hands so they can't take over and shut down the clubface through impact.