We started out with observing some of Tony’s shots to see what was going on, and quickly noticed that he was swinging very over the plane and to the left of target. This coupled with his open club face at impact was causing the fades and slices that he was trying to get rid of.

We could also see that Tony had a lot of reverse spine angle at the top of his backswing, and that this was a compensatory action due to his lack of rotation. So we decided to do some tests to check the level of rotation that Tony could achieve. It was through this process that we realised Tony’s lack of rotation was in part due to a mental reason, more so than a physical one.

Tony thought that he needed to reduce his movement in the swing in order to swing correctly. We had a great conversation about movement within the golf swing, and how a lot of times it isn’t about stopping movement in general, it’s about stopping the wrong kinds of movement.

It’s times like this where we like to emphasise how important it is to make sure you understand your swing, and why you do everything that you do. Because you never know, you could be in a position like Tony where you realise you were doing something incorrectly. Not because you can’t do it, but because your understanding of what you want to achieve isn’t 100%.

So how did we fix Tony’s reverse spine angle and lack of rotation? We got him to practice getting himself into the top of the backswing position, whilst allowing his lead knee to move in slightly and his head to move as his lead shoulder moves to under his chin. To help with this we got him to flare his trail foot out slightly to allow for more rotation into that trail-side hip.

The key to this lesson was Tony’s understanding of rotation in the golf swing. And as you can see by the photo below, it made the world of difference.

We also went through a couple easy changes he could make to improve his ball striking, the best thing about these tips are they can apply to almost anyone’s game. So be sure to check out the video below to see those.

And if you think this blog has been useful then you definitely need to check out our brand new “Pure Your Irons” coaching plan, it covers 5 aspects of the swing that are going to completely transform your iron play. Be sure to fill out the form below to get access to the first week completely FREE.

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In this application when we refer to pivot, we are referring to the amount of shoulder and hip turn in the backswing, and it’s a super important element in creating ball flight. When you think about a slice, it’s likely that your mind goes to that over-the-top swing path that is so common for slicers of the ball.

Unfortunately we tend to find that they do this due to a lack of pivot in the backswing, meaning that their body is actually in the way of the hands and club on the downswing. Therefore they have to swing across themselves to avoid this.

Also, a lack of pivot creates a short, more inhibited backswing and again this is a cause of the over-plane slicer swings that we see so regularly. So what can you do to stop this?

Here is a great pivot practice motion that all players can do in their warm-ups and practice!

• Set up with a club laid on the floor just inside your trail foot.
• Pretend to address the ball, whilst holding another club across our shoulders with your arms crossed over.
• Swing to the top of your backswing, and check where the butt of the club that is across your shoulders is aiming- it should be pointing directly down at the other club that is laid across the floor.

Stay in this position for a couple of seconds, and then go back to the ball at address. Repeat this a few times in between hitting balls during practice.

We think this is such a great drill, as you don’t require anyone else to be with you (professional or playing partner) to tell you whether you got your body into the correct position, as you have a really clear visual cue to tell you whether or not you pivoted correctly.

As you can see from the image below, we’ve used this drill in our lessons with Jason and you can see a huge improvement in his backswing from the beginning to the end of the lesson.

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Horizontal Swings

Not enough rotation in the swing is something that we see regularly which helps contribute to that dreaded slice. A swing that is mostly arms, that picks the club up and then drops in back down again is very likely to produce a steep, above plane swing and this is something you definitely want to avoid.

In order to do this, we recommend using the ‘horizontal swings’ drill. This is designed to get you rotating more during the backswing and the downswing, shallowing out the swing plane and helping you to deliver the club back to the ball on plane.

To do this, set up with the club straight out in front of you, with the club head hinged at the wrists so it sits about chest high (this will help to promote the correct wrist position at address). Then practice swing the golf club around the body, focusing of getting a good amount of rotation on both the backswing and the downswing.

These are also known as ‘baseball swings’, and the motion of swinging around the body will also help to prevent that steep swing which then leads to less swing rotation. Once you have the feeling of these horizontal swings, they can then be transferred down into proper golf swings, standing at the correct posture.

High Tee Drill

This is another incredible drill, for helping to shallow out the downswing and encourage the club to swing on an in-to-out swing path. This is necessary for correcting a slice, as a slice is created by an open club face and an out-to-in swing path.

Set-up with the ball teed as high as you would for a driver. The aim is to then pick the ball off the top of the tee, making solid contact with the centre of the ball.

The reason this drill works, is that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to do this with a steep out- to-in swing path. As the club is moving down during contact, and with the tee being so high this would impede a good strike. Therefore you have to shallow the club, and get it moving from in-to-out in order to successfully strike the ball.

Using both of these drills in conjunction with one another will do wonders for correcting a destructive slice.

Now, do you want to fix other areas of your game?

Then make sure you check it out HERE

We promise you’re not going to want to miss this!

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It’s a common problem, but one that people really seem to struggle to correct, so today we’re breaking down some top tips to help you straighten those drives and hit the greens in reg. Aren’t we nice!

3 Knuckle Grip

So, you need to look at what both hands are doing, and if you are someone who slices the ball and has a weak left hand then strengthening that up is something you really want to do. Having 3 knuckles, even maybe 4 visible on your left hand at the top of the grip is going to change the club face in relation to the ball, and get you closing the club face at impact.

This change is super easy and requires no swing thoughts, which we think is really advantageous as there is less to think about when you’re actually swinging.

When it comes to the right hand, we typically find that slicers have it over the club. What we really want to do is grip the club from the underside with the right hand as this will have a massive effect on closing the club face at impact.

Make a note of this one guys, as we usually find the trail hand to cause most of the problems when it comes to slicing!

Club Face Checkpoint

Okay, so this next drill is a belter and definitely a must-do for every slicer at the range!

Set up an alignment stick behind the ball that is just slightly flatter than your spine angle at address, and this is going to be you checkpoint on the backswing to make sure you have a neutral club face position. As you can see, we want the club to run parallel to the alignment stick.

Usually, slicers tend to open their club face during the backswing and this makes it a lot harder to return it back to the ball square, as a lot more manipulation is required during the downswing to move it back to neutral.

This drill is great, because you can video yourself from behind and can clearly see if you are performing the drill correctly!

Club Face Rotation

Now this last tip might sound a bit counter-intuitive, but hear us out! Focusing on the clubs position post swing provides a great indication as to where the club face was during impact. Some incredible drivers of the ball, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson for example, have the toe of the club passed over the heel aggressively through the golf ball.

Now for someone who slices, we find that their club face points down the target line for too long after impact. So to combat this we recommend a great drilled ‘Laser Butt’ (don’t laugh!).

So what we want you to do is swing back and swing through and feel the rotation through the golf ball. But also feel as though you get the butt of the club up and facing towards the target when the golf club is parallel to the ground.

For someone who slices the ball you will see that the butt of the club ends up point left of the intended target.

It’s definitely good to over-exaggerate these drills too whilst you’re practicing, to help you get the feel for the right movement!

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Golfers are constantly trying to fix a slice for numerous reasons.  The “Open Club Face” is an ongoing battle for the majority of golfers but the key is having tools to help you square it. Consistently delivering a square club face at IMPACT will not only make the ball go straighter but also much further.

We often talk about how what you do after IMPACT influences what you do before, so sometimes working on a “FEELING” through the ball can really make a difference to creating the desired ball flight or strike.

One common “POSITION” through the ball we see for “SLICERS” is one that has poor rotation of the club face, leaving the lead hand more on top of the trail, often resulting in the Chicken Wing swing fault.

Fixing The Open Club Face

Encouraging a better rotation of the hands and arms post IMPACT could make all the difference to helping you produce a more consistent shot.  One drill that has worked for our students is a very simple one, “Shake hands with the target”.  

 Stand in your golf posture without a golf club and hang your trail arm down in front. Allowing a weight shift and rotation of the body simply position your hand as if you were shaking hands with the target. You will notice that your palm is facing behind you and this will help with the closure of the face at IMPACT. If you are someone who misses the target to the right (if you are right handed) then it may feel natural to have the palm facing more at the sky, which we don’t want!

This is a great feeling to take to a shot and you will see post IMPACT now that you have rotated the hands and arms much better, fixing your Chicken Wing and straightening your ball flight. Click here for more ways to fix your Chicken Wing.

If you’re still struggling with your slice watch our full videos series “Turn Your Slice Into A Draw“.  Click the link below.

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The reason we look at controlling the club face is because your face will influence your club path so if you fix you face you can fix your path.  We get the majority of the students we coach to focus on the face first, and then change the path of their swing. 

1. The Grip. 

How you hold the golf club is key. For somebody who tends to produce this curve to the right and has an open face when they strike, we need to look at the grip. Your left hand may be a little too round to the left, so start to think about bringing it round to the right, even if you go past a “textbook” 2-knuckle grip. 

Look at what both hands are doing. If you have a weak left hand where you can’t see any knuckles, you can play with making your grip a little stronger.

Move your left hand around the club so you can see three, even four knuckles. 

Consider your right hand. We often see when somebody struggles with a slice, their right hand can be too far over to the left. In this instance, we want to bring it more underneath the club.  

This will have a huge affect on closing the club face. Keep the club face square but adjust the grip. 

Straight away, these tweaks will change the relationship of the club face with the path without you having to worry about swing faults. If you can make small changes without thinking too much, just by doing a simple grip change, it’ll be a massive help. The right hand seems to be the one that causes more problems when talking about a slice, but why not experiment with both? Instead of trying to close the face straight away, adjust your grip and keep it strong. 

2. Club face checkpoint. 

Another way to fix your slice is to create a club face checkpoint using an alignment stick. 

Put the alignment stick in the ground so it matches your spine angle at setup to use it as a checkpoint for your club face as shown above. 
So, to achieve a square face, the leading edge should be matching the alignment stick. 
For someone who slices the ball, the problem often occurs early in the backswing where they over-rotate the club head. That causes the leading edge to end up nowhere near the angle it needs to be (as above).

If you can get off to a good start and keep the club face slightly more neutral, it makes things a lot easier and means you won’t have to manipulate the club face in the down swing. You can exaggerate this drill as little or as much as you need to depending on how you’re progressing.

3. Club face rotation.

This is something that happens after you hit the shot.

Some of the best drivers in the world, in terms of when they’re using the driver, have a lot of club face rotation post-impact. Players such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have the toe of the club passed over the heel aggressively through the golf ball.

To help you improve your post-impact rotation, we have a great drill called laser butt.

Through your swing, you’re trying to get the butt of the club to point down to the target when the club is parallel to the ground. For somebody who leaves the club open, the butt of the club will be pointing more left.

We want to rotate the club face through the golf ball and get the club parallel to the ground. By working on what you’re doing post-impact, it changes what you do pre-impact. By rotating the club face through the ball, you’ll be at that parallel “laser butt” point, and then go into your normal finish.

If you’re still struggling with your slice, we have our Slice To Draw coaching plan which can help you start hitting your best shots in just 4 weeks. You could also check out these 3 ways to stop your slice forever. 

If you have any more questions on this please get in touch with us!

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