Slicing your driver?

[Slime]

I've been a slicer off the tee for a long, long time.
Sometimes it's manageable, sometimes I'll lose up to 5 balls a round from the tee ............................... that's 10 shots!
I made a slight adjustment the other day and the difference was astonishing.
Presumably, slicing as badly as I often do, it's my club head path going left of my target line as a right handed golfer.
I'd spent a lot of time making sure my feet were not open ........................ and then it dawned on me, although it should have dawned on me much earlier!
All I've done, when at address, is close my shoulders slightly, they may even be a touch closed to my foot line, if that makes sense.
This, I'm sure, ensures that I start my takeaway on the inside and, as long as I don't over swing, (I'm only employing a ¾ swing), my swing arrives back at the ball slightly from the inside or possibly square to the target line!
It was a eureka moment and on Thursday I was striping most of my drives straight down the middle, the only time I missed the fairway was with a pull, but the ball was not far off the fairway and still very playable.
I'm just posting this in case any other slicers out there can maybe use this to help their own game.
If so, best of luck.

 

[patricks148]

only trouble is sometime these sort tweaks cause more problems than they solve.

have you thought of getting lessons to solve the problem?

 

[Maninblack4612]

It amazes me that many quite experienced golfers do not understand the mechanics of hooks & slices & how grip & alignment can affect the way the ball behaves. The relationship between swing path & face angle determine the shape of your shot. The pulls are a sign that there's not too much wrong, the face is square to the swing path, which is just a touch out to in. Easily corrected by squaring up the shoulders a bit more or avoiding an over the top movement at the start of the downswing.

If your swing repeats with the same fault most of the time, the kind of correction you have made is the right way to go. For us mere mortals, who don't have hours & hours to practise, the less changes you need to make to your natural swing the better. Changes to the address position are also easier to implement than ones done while the club is moving.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Good that the OP has found something that is working but I speak from bitter experience that these eureka moments are only a brief respite and when the next fault occurs it's usually more damaging than the previous one. I would also advocate a lesson to get the path/face relationship sorted

 

[Maninblack4612]

Good that the OP has found something that is working but I speak from bitter experience that these eureka moments are only a brief respite and when the next fault occurs it's usually more damaging than the previous one. I would also advocate a lesson to get the path/face relationship sorted

Unless he's actually hit the nail on the head & sorted himself out. If you understand your own swing this is possible.

 

[Slime]

Unless he's actually hit the nail on the head & sorted himself out. If you understand your own swing this is possible.

Based on my last round I have, however, I'm old enough and ugly enough to realise that I'll have to wait a while longer before I know for sure.

 

[Mrs Wiggles]

Like most golfers I struggled a bit with slicing. I tried moving my right foot back (worked for a while), pulling my right shoulder back (worked for a while), then I tweaked my grip and never looked back.

 

[Slime]

Like most golfers I struggled a bit with slicing. I tried moving my right foot back (worked for a while), pulling my right shoulder back (worked for a while), then I tweaked my grip and never looked back.

Ah, I tweaked my grip a few weeks back, which helped a bit ........................... but not quite enough on it's own.
Maybe the should be thing was the last piece of the jigsaw.
Well, let's hope so!

 

[bobmac]

The ball slices to the right (right handers) because of the swing path out to in and clubface open.
The more out to in the more it will slice and the more open the face is the farther right it will start.

Tweaking the grip may help squaring the face up at impact but while it will help, it's only half the fix.
The harder bit is squaring up the swing path

 

[anotherdouble]

The ball slices to the right (right handers) because of the swing path out to in and clubface open.
The more out to in the more it will slice and the more open the face is the farther right it will start.

Tweaking the grip may help squaring the face up at impact but while it will help, it's only half the fix.
The harder bit is squaring up the swing path

And boy don’t I know it

 

[Swinglowandslow]

I suspect my sometimes slice, particularly on the driver, is because the face is open at impact. I was at a simulator the other day and I used a 7 iron that was laying about and which seemed to have a bendy shaft. I am a 76 yr old senior and so thought it would suit my swing. However I found my slice "improved worse", as my old dad used to say.
So, having the right shaft seems very important?
Am I right in thinking that despite having a slow swing speed, I could still have a too bendy shaft? ( keep it clean!)

 

[bobmac]

I suspect my sometimes slice, particularly on the driver, is because the face is open at impact. I was at a simulator the other day and I used a 7 iron that was laying about and which seemed to have a bendy shaft. I am a 76 yr old senior and so thought it would suit my swing. However I found my slice "improved worse", as my old dad used to say.
So, having the right shaft seems very important?
Am I right in thinking that despite having a slow swing speed, I could still have a too bendy shaft? ( keep it clean!)

If the shaft was too bendy for you, I'd expect the ball to go left more

 

[Canary Kid]

I used to slice my driver badly and only partially improved it by using an adjustable driver with a closed face and weights in the heel. Then last Xmas, my wife bought me some lessons ... after just one lesson, bingo! Dead straight with a neutral driver. It was all in my swing. I would recommend lessons to anyone now.

 

[Oddsocks]

only trouble is sometime these sort tweaks cause more problems than they solve.

have you thought of getting lessons to solve the problem?

To the OP... THIS 100%

I made a tweak in 2014, ruined my game for the last 4 years. HC was 7 at the time and I had won 3 majors in that year including the HC section of the club champs and finished 3/4th in the order of merit.

1 tweak and four years later I’m around 30 -40 yards shorter depending on club, HC now flirts between 13 & 14 and if it wasn’t for the fact I enjoy the company of the people I play with, id have jacked it in this season.

Get that tweak checked.

 

[anotherdouble]

I know you have had your problems Baz and I suppose it’s too far gone just to un tweak it now. Sincerely hope there is some light at the end of the tunnel

 

[Oddsocks]

I know you have had your problems Baz and I suppose it’s too far gone just to un tweak it now. Sincerely hope there is some light at the end of the tunnel

Cheers mate, I fighting it just because I’m stubborn. The problem I have is 3 months bedding in a tweak which effectively one one fault to correct the other. The issue is now other chinks have worked their way in where in short the swing has more faults that May’s Brexit plan. Until work backs off a bit it is what it is.

 

[anotherdouble]

Good luck with it mate. Work is a pain to the golfer

 

[SGC001]

I suspect my sometimes slice, particularly on the driver, is because the face is open at impact. I was at a simulator the other day and I used a 7 iron that was laying about and which seemed to have a bendy shaft. I am a 76 yr old senior and so thought it would suit my swing. However I found my slice "improved worse", as my old dad used to say.
So, having the right shaft seems very important?
Am I right in thinking that despite having a slow swing speed, I could still have a too bendy shaft? ( keep it clean!)

Can depend on a few things.

Softer shaft would tend to go left more, but if higher torque (softer twisting flex) that often overides it with modern huge clubheads getting left open.

Most lightweight senior shafts would tend to be high torque as to get lightweight and low torque costs $ and to be fair higher torque generally matches with softer flex and slower swing speeds.

Swing speeds a guide that gets u in the ball park, but you'd need to factor in how you transition too.

Also depending on your release pattern a less offset head could go more right.

Other factors do come into it.

 

[Sats]

I'd rather have a slice than an inconsistent ball shape.

 

[Slime]

I'd rather have a slice than an inconsistent ball shape.

Ooh er, wait until you get old, nature plays some terrible tricks!