How To Correct A Slice

by Paul Schreiber

SBJ Contributing Writer

For a golfer, correcting a tee or fairway shot that slices or fades to the right is rarely a simple matter. Driving the ball straight forward is a complex task even for an accomplished golfer.

"No one can hit a perfectly straight shot," said Rolly Hurst, a teaching professional at Rivercut Municipal Golf Course. Speaking in respect to right-handed golfers, he said "everyone either has a draw (hooks to the left) or a fade (slices to the right); that's their natural shot."

Defining a slice, R. Drue Johnson, director of golf at Hickory Hills Country Club, said it's "the spin imparted on the golf ball" that "causes a build-up on the left-hand side of the ball of air pressure, curving the ball right."

There are two primary reasons why golfers slice the ball. They can occur together or in isolation. "The two main components to a slice would be an incorrect swing path or an open club face at impact," according to Director of Golf Brian Maloney, of Highland Springs Country Club.

For a right-handed golfer, the club face "could be pointing correctly at the target, but the path that the club is traveling is from behind the ball on the right side to in front of the ball on the left side," he added.

Maloney said that previous experience playing baseball often produces a swing style conducive to slicing a golf ball. He said swinging a baseball bat "helps perpetuate a slice, because generally in baseball we swing around the body, and when we swing around the body in golf that creates slicing."

The difference between the two is that "golf is a more vertical swing rather than a horizontal swing," he added.

Each golfer has his or her own "natural swing," according to Max Arrowood, golf pro at Twin Oaks Country Club. He noted that when a golfer understands his or her natural style, adjustments to correcting a slice can be attempted by better assessing ball position, club grip, how one distributes body weight, and the line angle between the ball and the target.

Understanding what produces a slice makes a remedy more likely. "The first thing you do is you want to correct your alignment," Hurst said. "Make sure that you set up square to your target, parallel to your target line. When you are at impact, your left shoulder should not point left of your target."

Hurst added that a "good way to help stop a slice is once you feel your right shoulder stop on your back swing, then go forward." He added, "Your right shoulder is the last thing that comes into the ball. The faster your right shoulder moves, the more apt you are to slice it. The slower your right shoulder moves, the better chance you have drawing the ball."

Maloney suggested that golfers run through a mental checklist prior to shooting.

In an effort to keep the club head square with the ball and ensure more solid and efficient contact, he said "envision where the golf ball is. If you can, envision a barrier a barricade or a wall. The first thing that has to break through that barrier or that wall would be the golf club head.

"If the head goes first, then the face will be closing. If the grip end of the club goes first, then the face will be open."

Johnson expanded this idea further. Golfers "need to train themselves to be confident that they can swing at the target and get the club face square," he said. The objective is "to get the club swinging on an arc that is oriented at the target, and then get the club face rotating so that it squares at impact and is closed after impact."

"If you do slice, you aren't going to fix it with a round of golf," Hurst added. "What you need to do is learn to allow for it."

He said he feels that a reasonable appraisal of one's ability can lead to increased success at the game.

"The most important thing is, regardless of what shape shot you have, you can play effective golf if you learn how to manage and understand the limitations of your shot," Hurst said.

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