Cure the Slice - by Geoff Redgrave, Director of Golf and Instruction

Most golfers fight the dreaded slice shot, that “banana ball” as many refer to it, that turns this great game of golf into hours of torture and torment.  This article will shed some light on some of the causes as well as some of the fixes that will turn that shrimp into a high TV draw!

Ailments of the slice are really quite simple – the clubface at impact is open (picture 1).  If this sounds familiar, start by checking your left hand grip.  Any time the left hand grip is too much in the palm, the clubface will be open at impact.  Fix this easy fault by placing the club more in the fingers of the left hand. 

Another common opener of the clubface is how the golfer pivots during the golf swing.  Any player that reverse pivots or finishes with the weight on their back foot will have trouble squaring the clubface through impact.  This improper movement inhibits rotation, a key ingredient in squaring the clubface.  Right handed players will move weight from the right hip to the left hip in the swing and vise versa for the left handed player. 

If this is problematic in your swing, cure it by imitating the great Gary Player.  Mr. Player will actually step forward on many of his full shots – evidence that his weight has moved toward the target instead of away.  Another great drill is to find a hill and make practice swings down the hill.  Gravity and the slope will force you to move your weight toward the target side.

A third practice drill is to start with the right heel off the ground and make full swings.  The momentum of the swing will automatically move the golfer in the correct direction.  Once you have mastered this drill, make additional swings starting with the right heel off the ground and once the club has begun to swing back, place the heel back on the ground.  Through impact, allow the right heel to come off the ground again.  This will perfect the pivot which will assist in squaring up the club face.

A final cause of the slice is poor shoulder alignment.  When the shoulders start in an open position, the club is directed on an outside to inside path.  This improper path creates a critical loss of space in the downswing making it very difficult to square the clubface.  Squaring the shoulders at address will shallow out the path of the club thus creating a more inside to outside movement of the golf club.  This path enables the clubface to square up naturally through impact.

Use these simple tips and take the ‘banana ball’ out of your game!