Don’t let your chronic slice drive you crazy; do something about it

I think somebody long ago applied the word “slice” to golf upon noticing that a slicer’s golf club moves across the ball much like a knife cuts or slices across a roast, from outside in. When you do that with a golf club your clubface then imparts a clockwise spin to the ball (for righties) resulting in an often dramatic right to right bending shot that vaguely resembles a foul ball into the right field bleachers. The slice – sometimes called a banana ball, a shrimp, a pitchout or powerfade – has been the bane of golfers since they sent featheries sailing into the gorse centuries ago.

I estimate that golf teachers, golf club companies, golf gadget makers and golf magazines have spent more time, money and effort trying to find a solutions for habitual slicers than any other facet of golf. Putting is second.

Maybe it’s due to the fact that 80 percent of recreational golfers slice the ball. It puzzles me how the dreaded slice has become regarded as a disease and a curse which requires the afflicted to seek a “cure.” If anything, club throwing, temper tantrums, shanking, sandbagging, dawdling, stupid wardrobes, and driving a golf cart under the influence would classify more accurately as behaviors needing a cure. Still, most golfers who play with an awful slice go on for years feeling miserable and yet do nothing about it.

Almost all slicers tend to swing with an “over-the-top” move, instead of dropping the club down from an inside path to the ball. Hitting from the top causes the club to return to the ball from the outside in, and usually with the clubface open. The slice is further worsened by doing what is called “casting” (as you would use a fishing rod), or simply flipping the club down with the hands before making a weight shift. Accompanying these two defective moves, we see a “chicken wing” right elbow with hunched shoulders moving horizontally not vertically. Correcting these swing flaws may take a little time but don’t get discouraged; it can be done.

It doesn’t matter much how unconventional your backswing may be; what really matters is how the club head is returned to the ball at impact. We have seen so many champion golfers who start their swing way outside but then bring the club back for perfect impact. Lee Trevino and Jim Furyk are good examples of that very idea. Slicers usually take their club back too far and too high, making it difficult to get it on the proper plane for an inside path. If you are over 50 and lacking flexibility, shorten your swing and keep your trail arm close to your side. You can generate adequate club speed with a three-quarter swing.

You can buy a lot of expensive anti-slice training aids, but here’s a free and effective one. Get a block of Styrofoam (6 inches by 8 inches) and place it outside your ball. A large head cover will also do. If you’re coming over the top and outside in your club will hit the foam. Placing alignment rods so you bring the club inside will also work. Beware of expensive golf products, including DVDs, that promise an instant cure to your slice.

As the late curmudgeon H. L. Mencken once said, “for every complex problem there is a solution that is simple, neat and wrong.”

If you are an habitual slicer think of the law of inertia which says “a body in motion remains in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.” In your case the “outside force” is a golf teacher. You need somebody with a keen eye for the golf swing and a good sense of communication to give you feedback and training. Intuitively you must realize there is cause-and-effect going on here.

There might be several dozen causes for your slice. It could be a weak grip, bad posture, poor set-up, Zorro-fast swing, arms-only swing, wrong clubs, reverse (backward) pivot or other faults. Have your swing teacher analyze your swing mechanics to identify the flaws.  And if you refuse to take lessons and continue to slice, get your brain analyzed.