Stop SlicingThe golf swing slice occurs when the golf ball starts out to the left but then dramatically swings to the right of the target. So, if this is your golf swing problem then obviously you will want to know how to stop slicing. After all, the golf swing slice is one of the most frustrating swing faults that hamper the enjoyment of so many golfers.

Thankfully, you can stop slicing fairly easily; all you need to do is to identify the cause of the slice and fix the problem. In another article, How to Fix a Slice, I explained the different causes of a slice in the grip, setup, and address position. In this article, I will explain how to stop slicing by looking for problems or faults during the golf swing.

So, if you are gripping the club correctly and your setup and address position is fine, then we need to take a look at what you may possibly be doing wrong in the golf swing itself. Some of these stop slicing tips are a little bit more involved than the basic grip and setup faults as they involve the golf swing mechanics. But don’t worry; I won’t get too technical on you!

Golf Swing Speed

The golf swing speed is one of the most difficult aspects to get right when it comes to trying to stop slicing. Most golfers understand that a faster swing speed or club-head speed will result in more distance. However, you want straight distance not crooked distance; it is pointless being able to hit your drives 300 yards if you are always slicing the ball far to the right into trouble.

Although it is true that by increasing the speed of your golf swing you will reduce the amount of slice (clockwise spin) that you pass on to the ball, but it is not a quick fix to stop slicing. Working on speeding up your club-head speed takes time and effort; you need to work on your level of flexibility and your golf specific muscles as well as keeping the sequence and the tempo of the swing together.

If you try to blindly speed up your swing by using brute force, the result will be that your hands will get in front of everything else and your club-face will be open at impact. Obviously, an open club-face will cause you to slice the ball. Instead, you could try focusing on slowing down your movements to see if that helps you stop slicing.

Golf Swing Tempo

To stop slicing, your golf swing tempo is also important. From the start of your backswing to your finish, your swing should be smooth, relaxed, and more importantly, fluid. Many golfers try to hit the golf ball as hard as they can and to also hit at the golf ball instead of swinging through the ball. These faults can all result in a slice.

Don’t jerk the club at the top of the backswing or “pull on the handle” to start the downswing, instead start the downswing by unfolding the right arm and moving the left hip towards the target and just swing everything together in a fluid motion. Remember though, the body compliments the arms that swing the club and not the other way around – it is a combination of the hands, arms and golf club swinging in union with the lower body moving out of the way and the upper body turning back towards the target.

To Stop Slicing Keep Your Head Down

I am sure that you have heard this many times, keep your head down or keep your eyes on the ball, but it is important that it is ingrained in your mind if you want to stop slicing. You must keep your head down until well after impact. Many golfers have a tendency to look up at the moment of impact which causes all sorts of swing problems. It is possible that you are not even aware that you are lifting your head up at impact, so ask your golf partner if you are indeed doing it.

Also, it could be that your right shoulder advances too much at impact, which will contact with your chin, causing you to automatically lift your head out of the way. On the downswing, the right shoulder should follow the arms which will permit the golf club to stay on the correct path and your right shoulder and head should be slightly behind the golf ball.

Other Golf Swing Faults That Can Cause Slicing

Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that can go wrong during the golf swing, especially if you use the traditional swing. For example; you need to make sure that your hips are making a smooth and full turn as the downswing progresses and also at impact and during the follow through.

Many slicers make the wrong assumption that an “outside-in” swing path will make them stop slicing as they believe that the ball will move to the left, like a draw. In fact, just the opposite is true; the action on the golf ball will cause a clockwise spin which will result in a slice.

From the downswing to impact and follow through, a lack of weight shift from your right to left side will also make you slice the ball. Another problem is that many golfers that slice the ball quit on their swing as soon as impact is made. Their finish is high and they never fully rotate around and transfer their weight to the left.

Finally, many golfers who slice the ball do so because of what is know as a reverse pivot or a tilt. With the reverse pivot, everything about the swing happens in reverse. The weight is transferred onto the left leg on the backswing instead of the right; the head and the top of the spine move towards the target which forces the lower spine to the right; the right hip slides to the right instead of turning out of the way; on the downswing, the weight is moved backwards instead of forwards; the head and the top of the spine move away from the target which forces the hips to slide forward instead of rotating around the spine.

Apart from causing weak, high shots or slices, the reverse pivot is severely damaging to the lower spine causing lower back pain and even crushed vertebrae.

Two Golf Swing Styles That Can Help You Stop Slicing

As you can see, if you want to stop slicing and the fault lies somewhere within your golf swing, the problem can be finding the exact cause of your slice. In this case, I would highly recommend that you think about changing the foundation of your golf swing by learning a simple golf swing. That is why I changed to The Simple Golf Swing by David Nevogt; apart from being a simple swing to learn and perform, it is also easier on the lower back.

If you want to learn a full swing though, then I recommend that you check out Bobby Eldridge‘s swing method. He has an e-book that teaches The Full Swing that is filled with detailed descriptions in step-by-step format with accompanying photos. Even better is the fact that he is including his Full Swing DVD which retails for double the price of the e-book and is Purepoint Golf’s best selling product.

By learning either of these two swing styles you will have a solid, repeatable golf swing that will not only force you to stop slicing, it will actually lower your scores, increase your distance, and provide you with a more accurate and consistent golf swing.

How to Fix a Slice

About

Mick has played golf for almost 40 years and has written golf tips articles for the last 5 years. He became a very proficient golfer after switching to the Purepoint Golf swing system – either the Simple Golf Swing System by David Nevogt or the Full Golf Swing by Bobby Eldridge are both easy to learn, consistent, and repeatable golf swings .

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