Driver and Slice

[Sam]

1. Why is it that the majority of people who have a problem with a driver tend towards a slice?
2. If that is generally true, what is the cause?
3. Is there a remedy other than 'forcing' an in to out plane?
4. I tend to have my slices in distinct phases (couple of games slicing than none for a while) but when in slicing mode, why is it the case that my 3 wood is straight (-ish)?

 

[andiritchie]

Probally because to try and hit it hard when you slice though if you catch the ball on the heel even with a good swing plain it will still go to the right.

Rememdy would be when you get to the top of your swing try and pause for a second with your top half,while your lower half turns open to get better timing

 

[USER1999]

Most golfers hit left to right, the driver has the least loft and exagerates this, so most golfers slice their drivers.

 

[RGuk]

1. Why is it that the majority of people who have a problem with a driver tend towards a slice?
2. If that is generally true, what is the cause?
3. Is there a remedy other than 'forcing' an in to out plane?
4. I tend to have my slices in distinct phases (couple of games slicing than none for a while) but when in slicing mode, why is it the case that my 3 wood is straight (-ish)?

Oohh....open the floodgates!

You should get lots of helpful replies but I'm going to sum it up with this....

Most golfers hit "across" the ball (i.e. the path of the club is not traveling straight down the target line) at some point or another. The most common path is from out to in and therefore there are only 3 outcomes.....1) a pull (goes straight left) 2) a fade of some sort (ball lands roughly on target but has started left) or 3) an out and out SLICE!

You don't need an in to out path to hit it straight, but a straight path is the most consistent way to hit straight balls, otherwise you are always relying on the face angle of the club to get the ball to land on target. The straighter the path, the less you get penalised for a few degrees open or closed.

A "pull" path and not getting the face square are the most typical problems golfers face, the less loft and longer the shaft the harder it is to get everything in balance!!!

That's what I reckon anyway...

 

[HomerJSimpson]

A lotof problems use to come from hitting a driver with too little loft which caused increased spin rates and exaggerated any side spin. A ball struck with left to right sping woith a low lofted driver would spin more and slice. It was recommended (I think TW even mentioned this somewhere) that the AVERAGE club golfer should look at a driver with no less than 11 degrees of loft to help them.

The problem has been eased in recent years as manufacturers have produced drivers and balls that produce far less side sping. However a lot of normal golfers swing way too fast and overswing which can cause problems such as reverse pivoting, lateral body movement and casting from the top. Any of these may cause a steep or out to in path and lead to fades and slices.

 

[ademac]

why is it the case that my 3 wood is straight (-ish)?

A 3 wood has more loft than a driver and therefore gives you more backspin. Backspin counteracts sidespin and it's the sidespin that causes those awful banana shots! Lose the sidespin lose the banana shots!
I think that's about right anyway!

 

[kingshankly]

the problem some slicers have is when teeing up the know there gonna slice it so aim more left to keep it in play which can leave there plane even more out to in resulting in a worse slice

 

[ademac]

that was/is true for me. A mate of mine pointed out just how open my stance was and recommended bringing my left foot back what seemed a long way. I said that with my slice and where I was now aiming it would go miles right, anyway I trusted him and would you believe the ball went straight! I was just over-compensating and making things a lot worse!