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What is a Slice?
A slice is a golf shot where the
ball instead of going straight,
makes an arch or banana-shaped
curve. For a right-handed golfer
the ball starts out going
towards the left of the target.
Then it curves sharply back to
the right of the target. The
slice is sometimes called a
"banana ball" or a "big old
curve" because of its path.
Among amateur golfers, the slice
is the most common error.
What Causes a Golf Slice?
If golfers only knew what causes
the golf swing to slice, they
would have some hope of
correcting it. Coaches and
progolfers have written entire
books on how to correct a slice.
Based on tons of research and
analysis of golf videos, it
would seem that the causes of
the slice can be condensed to a
few main flaws.
1. The golfer turns his upper
body rotates too soon when he is
on his downswing.
2. The golfer's hands are too
high when he hits the ball.
3. The golfer moves his upper
body faster than he moves the
golf club.
4. The golfer's swing isn't a
straight line. He lacks control
because of his grip.
5. The golfer's grip is wrong.
6. The golfer has placed his
ball too far forward when teeing
off.
7. The golfer may be taking the
club too far back on his swing.
8. The golfer's shoulder in
relation to the rest of his body
may be wrong when he swings
down.
How Can You Correct a Slice?
Golf pros and golf instructors
make more money on helping
clients correct a slice than on
any other single facet of
instruction. Basically, in no
particular order, are the things
they have their students
concentrate on.
1. Slice occurs when the golfer
turns his left hand too far to
the left. A good way to check
your grip is to make sure the
"Vee" between knuckle and thumb
on both hands points towards
your right ear.
2. Slices can often be cured
before you ever hit the ball!
Make sure the ball is in line
with your stance. If it is ahead
of your stance you will slice
the ball. Look to make sure you
are not aiming too far left. To
do this, lay a club on the
ground parallel to your target
line. Make certain your feet,
knees, hips and shoulders are
parallel to that club.
3. Don't take the club too far
back. When swinging back make
sure you do not twist the club.
To check this, look at the top
of your backswing. The shaft
should be over your shoulder not
over your head.
4. Take note of where your
shoulder in during the
downswing. Keep your arms close
to your body and your shoulder
tucked in and down.
5. When you hit the ball the
club face should be hitting the
ball flat or square on.
6. If your clubface is not
hitting the ball square, check
your grip. No matter which grip
you are using, you should be
able to look down at your hands
just before teeing off and see
at least two knuckles on your
left hand.
If you have developed a good
grip and a good backswing, nine
chances out of ten you will have
corrected that "big old curve".
Your golf ball is your best
teacher. Watch its trajectory
and it will tell you what you
are doing wrong. Like
everything else that is worth
perfecting the perfect swing,
stance and grip are worth the
time you put into them. If you
can get a friend to videotape
your swing so that you can
analyze how far back you are
taking your swing, what it looks
like as you swing forward, where
your wrists are, where your
shoulders and arms are and how
the club face makes contact with
the ball, you can learn much
that will help you correct your
golf swing to correct for a
slice. Also pay attention to the
ball?s trajectory. Remember, the
ball has much to teach you.
Here is a brief checklist to
help you avoid the golf slice:
Ask yourself:
Are you standing too far from
the ball?
Is your stance wide enough? It
should be as wide as your
shoulders.
Is your clubface too open?
Is your grip strong enough to
keep your hands from twisting
too far around the grip?
Are your feet, hips, and/or
shoulders aiming too far left?
Are your arms and shoulders
moving away from your body
during your swing?
What does your swing path look
like?
To check these things out, swing
the club slowly thinking about
the questions on your check
list. Better yet, go over the
checklist questions one by one
as you watch yourself on a video
taken by a friend. Remember, the
best teacher is your golf ball.
Look and learn. Analysis and
practice are what you need to
correct that "big old curve".
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