How to Stop Slicing the Golf Ball

Because at impact your clubface is open (pointing right of your swing path, for a right-hander), which puts left-to-right sidespin on the ball and makes it curve out to the right. This usually stems from two things: a weak grip (hands rotated too far left on the club) that leaves the face open, and an out-to-in swing path that cuts across the ball. Fixing the slice means squaring the clubface (often via a stronger grip) and correcting the path to swing more from the inside.

Strengthen your grip by rotating both hands slightly to the right (away from the target) on the club. Set it so that at address you can see two, or even three, knuckles of your lead (top) hand, and the Vs formed by thumb and forefinger point toward your trailing shoulder. A weak grip (hands too far left) holds the face open and causes slices; a stronger grip makes it much easier to square or close the face at impact. Check it before every shot, since the grip tends to creep back.

It is a swing where the club travels from outside the target line and cuts across to the inside through impact, often from an "over the top" move where the upper body lunges the club outward at the start of the downswing. Combined with an open clubface, this out-to-in path is what produces the classic slice. The fix is to feel an "in-to-out" path instead, swinging from inside the line and out toward the right of the target, so the club approaches the ball from the inside rather than cutting across it.

Often, yes. Swinging as hard as you can tends to make the upper body lunge and throw the club "over the top," outside the target line, which creates the out-to-in cutting path that produces a slice, and the rushed motion also makes it harder to square the face. Easing off to a smoother, more controlled swing (around 80 percent effort) lets your body sequence properly and square the clubface. Many beginners straighten their ball flight simply by slowing down and swinging within themselves.

It varies, but the grip fix can help almost immediately, while retraining your swing path takes more practice because you are changing an ingrained motion. Expect the new stronger grip and in-to-out feel to seem strange at first and to need repetition before they become automatic. Working with a coach or filming your swing speeds it up a lot, since a slice has clear causes that are easier to correct when you can see them. Stick with the grip, path, and tempo fixes and it improves steadily.