When it comes to slicing the golf ball, practically every golfer has gone through the agony of it. Now, there are lots of reasons why golfers tend to slice the ball. To stop slicing the ball, you need to work out what the problem is that’s causing you to slice your shots. To figure the problem out, you need to look at three areas of your game including your stance, grip, and swing.
Let's start off by checking your grip. It shouldn’t be too strong of a grip, or too weak. The weaker the grip the more tendency you have to slice, because of the more open club face on impact and follow through. The stronger the grip of the club is, the more chance you have of the club face being closed at impact, which can cause a hook. The correct grip pressure should be 5 or 6 on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is a very hard grip and 1 is a very weak grip. Now, just remember, you need to grip at a tension level of about 5 or 6 to have the correct grip tension.
If you are still tending to slice the ball a lot, it could in fact be your golf stance. A good basis for a golf stance involves your feet which should be shoulder width apart. Your shoulders should also be in line with the target, your front foot should be slightly pointing outwards and your trailing foot pointing straight to the target. The ball should be on the inside of the stance, about a club heads width away from the front foot and level with your left or right eye depending on whether you’re a lefty or a righty. Now, head down to the driving range and practice hitting a few balls with this correct stance and grip to see how you go.
Another thing you can alter to try and get rid of your tendency to slice is to fix that swing of yours. In your backswing, the bottom of the shaft and the blub face should both be past and over the shoulder. The angle of your clubface on the backswing can also tend to cause a slice. While you want your club face to be in the perfect position on impact, you should not try and make alterations in your backswing or downswing to accommodate it. The natural movement of the torso and shoulders will create an open club face.
The backswing is the most likely culprit to cause a slice, however, the downswing should not be left to chance as this has to be correct also. It has to start with your hips and a good follow through is essential.
After you’ve altered your stance, grip, or swing, it may seem a little awkward to you, but don’t go back to the way you were before. It might not feel natural at first to use your new alterations, but be advised that this will become to feel natural in time.Remember, stick with it even if it doesn’t feel natural to you, if you go back to the way you were you’re going to begin slicing the ball again.
If you're learning how to play golf or you're just looking to play better golf, you should look at one of the many golf swing teaching aids available, or you can look at some of the beginner golf lessons at golfingvalley.com