Yes, your golf ball going right is a common issue for many golfers. It is often caused by an open clubface at impact or an out-to-in swing path.
Are you tired of seeing your tee shot drift far to the right? Does that frustrating ball flight curve right golf shots every time you swing? You are not alone. A slice is one of the most common golf faults. It robs you of distance and accuracy. This guide will explore the golf slice causes and give you clear, simple ways to fix a golf slice. We aim to help you stop that dreaded curve and hit straighter shots.
Deciphering Why Do Golf Balls Curve Right
A slice occurs when the golf ball curves sharply from left to right for a right-handed golfer (or right to left for a left-handed golfer). This unwanted curve happens because of two main things working together at impact:
- The clubface is open relative to the target line.
- The swing path moves outside the target line toward the inside (out-to-in path).
The ball starts slightly left of the target (or straight) and the open clubface imparts right spin, causing the curve. Knowing these two factors is the first step in finding a rightward golf shot correction.
The Root Causes of a Golf Slice
Pinpointing the exact reason for your slice takes some detective work. There are many causes of a golf slice, but they usually trace back to setup or swing mechanics.
Setup Issues Leading to a Slice
How you stand over the ball matters a lot. Poor setup can force your body into a bad swing path later on.
Grip Faults
A weak grip is a prime suspect for a slice.
- Weak Grip: If your left hand (for righties) is turned too far to the right (you see two or fewer knuckles), your hands struggle to release through impact. This keeps the clubface open.
- Strong Grip (Sometimes): While a weak grip causes slices, sometimes an overly strong grip can cause pulls or hooks. However, if you are slicing, check that your grip isn’t too weak.
Stance and Ball Position
Your body alignment sets the stage for your swing path.
- Alignment Open to Target: If your feet, hips, and shoulders point to the right of your target, you naturally swing along that line (out-to-in).
- Ball Too Far Forward: Placing the ball too far up in your stance can make it hard to hit the ball squarely, often leading to manipulation to “save” the shot, which causes a slice.
Swing Mechanics That Promote Slicing
Most slices are born during the swing itself, particularly on the downswing.
The Out-to-In Swing Path
This is the biggest culprit. An out-to-in path means the clubhead approaches the ball from outside the target line and cuts across it toward the outside.
- Over-the-Top Move: Many amateur golfers lift up slightly on the downswing instead of rotating down and in. This “over the top” move forces the club outside the intended line. This is a major golf swing fault causing slice.
Open Clubface at Impact
Even with a perfect swing path, an open face guarantees a slice.
- Failing to Release the Wrists: Golfers often fear hitting it fat (hitting the ground first). To avoid this, they hold off the natural turning (release) of their wrists through impact. This keeps the toe of the club pointing high and the face open.
Poor Weight Transfer
If you do not shift your weight properly to your lead side (left side for righties) in the downswing, your body stalls. This forces your arms to take over, often resulting in an outside swing path.
Slice vs. Hook in Golf: Distinguishing the Shots
It is crucial to know the difference between a slice vs hook in golf to apply the right fix.
| Feature | Slice (Bad for Righties) | Hook (Bad for Righties) |
|---|---|---|
| Ball Flight Curve | Curves sharply from left to right. | Curves sharply from right to left. |
| Clubface at Impact | Open to the target line. | Closed to the target line. |
| Swing Path | Out-to-in (cutting across the ball). | In-to-out (swinging toward the right). |
| Primary Cause | Open face combined with an outside path. | Closed face combined with an inside path. |
If your ball goes left, you are likely dealing with a hook or a pull. If it goes right, it is almost certainly a slice.
Effective Methods to Fix a Golf Slice
Now that we know why a golf ball goes right, let’s focus on actionable steps to how to stop a golf ball going right. The goal is to shallow the downswing and square the clubface at impact.
Correcting Setup Fundamentals
Start by fixing what you do before you even start swinging.
Strengthening Your Grip
To encourage the clubface to close, you need a more neutral or slightly strong grip.
- Check the Left Hand (Right-Handed Golfer): When you place your left hand on the club, you should be able to see two or three knuckles easily when you look down at your left hand at address.
- Rotate the Right Hand: Ensure the ‘V’ formed by your right thumb and index finger points toward your right shoulder, not outside your right ear.
This slight reinforcement promotes better rotation through impact, helping the face square up.
Adjusting Alignment
If you aim right, you will swing right, leading to a slice.
- Aim Your Body: Set up so your feet, hips, and shoulders are parallel to your target line, or even slightly closed (aimed slightly right of the target).
- Aim Your Clubface: Crucially, the clubface must still point directly at your intended target spot on the ground. If your body is aimed correctly but the face is open, you will still slice.
Adjusting the Swing Path: Getting In-to-Out
The most critical element in a slice fix is changing that out-to-in path to a more desirable in-to-out path. This requires feeling like you are swinging more around your body than at the ball.
Feeling the Shallow Downswing
To get the club “in the slot,” we must encourage the club to drop down behind us after the transition.
The Weight Shift Feel
A proper weight shift initiates the downswing correctly.
- Start the Move: As you transition from the top of the backswing, focus on pushing your left hip slightly toward the target. This shifts pressure to your front foot.
- Avoid Hanging Back: Do not let your weight stay on your back foot. Hanging back prevents your arms from dropping naturally into the right position.
The “Drop” Drill Concept
If you are coming “over the top,” the club is too far outside at the start of the downswing.
- Drill Analogy: Imagine you have a tray of drinks balanced on your left forearm (lead arm). On the downswing, you want to keep that tray level and drop it slightly behind you before releasing your hands. This keeps the club from flying outward.
Clubface Control at Impact
Even with a great path, an open face ruins the shot. We must encourage the hands and wrists to turn over naturally.
The Release Mechanism
The release is the turning over of the forearms through impact. Slicers often “steer” the ball by holding off this natural turn.
- Feeling the Turn: In your follow-through, your left palm (for righties) should end up facing the sky or your left ear, and your right palm should face the ground. If your left palm is facing the target after impact, you held the face open.
- Impact Impression: At the moment of impact, feel like you are shaking hands with an imaginary person slightly to your right (for righties). This promotes forearm rotation.
Essential Golf Slice Fix Drill: Creating In-to-Out Motion
To internalize these feelings, practice specific movements without hitting the ball hard. This helps reprogram your muscle memory.
The Towel Drill
This drill isolates the relationship between your arms and body rotation, promoting an in-to-out path.
- Setup: Place a small, rolled-up towel directly under your right armpit (for right-handed golfers).
- The Swing: Take half swings, focusing on keeping the towel tucked in against your body throughout the backswing and the initial downswing.
- The Goal: If you swing “over the top” or let your arms fly outward, the towel will fall out immediately. Keeping it in forces your arms to drop on a proper inside track, naturally leading to a shallower approach and promoting closure of the clubface.
The Gate Drill
This drill helps refine the swing path direction relative to the ball.
- Setup: Place two headcovers or alignment sticks on the ground.
- Positioning: Place one stick just outside the ball, angled slightly away from you (to the right for a righty). Place the second stick just inside the ball, angled slightly toward you (to the left). These sticks create a “gate.”
- The Goal: You must swing the club between these two markers toward the target. If you swing too far out-to-in, you will hit the outside stick. If you swing too far in-to-out (hooking), you might hit the inside stick. This drill forces you to find the sweet spot of an in-to-out path directed at the target.
Advanced Adjustments for Persistent Slicers
If the basic fixes are not working, deeper issues related to the overall swing plane might be the root cause.
Hitting the Ball on the Way Up (Shallowing the Angle of Attack)
Slicers often have a steep angle of attack. They hit down too hard and too sharply across the ball. Fixing this requires shallowing the shaft.
- The Transition Feel: At the very top of your backswing, feel like your hands move down slightly before your hips start rotating fully. This drop moves the club shaft flatter (more shallow) into the hitting zone.
- Impact Observation: If you are slicing, your club is likely steep (more vertical) at impact. A successful fix involves hitting the ball slightly on the upswing with the driver, or at least a more neutral angle with irons.
The Role of Shoulder Rotation
In an effort to generate speed, many slicers spin their upper body out too early. This movement pulls the arms high and outside.
- Keep Shoulders Closed Longer: Try to keep your chest facing toward the right side of the target (for a righty) deep into the downswing. Allow your lower body to initiate the move, but keep your chest “behind the ball” longer.
- Delayed Upper Body: This delayed upper body rotation ensures the arms have time to drop into the slot before releasing power. This is key to preventing the out-to-in move that causes the slice.
Making Practice Effective: How to Stop a Golf Ball Going Right
Practice must be deliberate. Simply hitting hundreds of balls hoping the slice disappears is inefficient. Focus on feeling the change, not just seeing the result immediately.
Drills Prioritizing Feel Over Result
When working on your swing mechanics, do not worry about distance for the first few buckets of balls. Focus solely on the feeling of the correct motion.
| Drill Focus Area | Drill Name | Primary Feeling to Achieve |
|---|---|---|
| Path Correction | Towel Drill | Keeping the arm connected to the body. |
| Face Control | Impact Bag/Slam | Feeling the low point of the swing and firm wrist closure. |
| Tempo/Transition | Step Drill | Initiating the downswing with the lower body shift first. |
Tempo and Rhythm
A fast, jerky transition from the backswing to the downswing almost always leads to an over-the-top move and a slice.
- Slow Down the Transition: Think of the transition as a brief pause or a ‘whoosh’ sound when the club starts descending. The tempo should be smooth, not rushed. A slower transition allows time for the body sequence (hips first, then torso, then arms) to unfold correctly.
Video Analysis
If possible, film your swing from two angles: face-on (down the line) and down the line (behind you).
- Down the Line View: This view clearly shows your swing path. Are you swinging from outside the target line inward? If yes, you have an out-to-in path, which demands correction to fix a golf slice.
- Face-On View: This view shows your transition and impact position. Is your head staying centered? Are your arms flying away from your body?
Comprehending the Spin Factors
The slice is fundamentally a result of side spin. The degree of the slice—how badly the ball flight curve right golf shots—depends on the severity of the open face and the steepness of the path.
Path vs. Face Angle Relationship
For a right-handed golfer:
- If the Path is 5 degrees outside-in, and the Face is 2 degrees open to the path, you will get a moderate slice.
- If the Path is 10 degrees outside-in, and the Face is 5 degrees open to the path, you will get a severe slice.
The goal is to make the face angle less open relative to the path, or ideally, slightly closed to the path to encourage a draw (a slight left curve).
Maintaining Your Fixes: Avoiding the Relapse
Once you start hitting straighter shots, the temptation is to return to old habits because the slice felt more powerful or familiar. Consistency is key when trying to fix a golf slice.
Focus on Impact Position
Instead of worrying about the whole swing, focus intensely on the impact position during every practice shot.
- Lead Arm Straight (Relatively): The lead arm should be relatively straight, resisting the urge to bend or collapse inwards.
- Hips Open: Your hips should be noticeably open toward the target line post-impact. This indicates good rotation and weight transfer, which supports an in-to-out swing path.
- Clubface Mirrored: Ensure the face of the club is squared or slightly closed relative to your swing arc.
Dealing with Different Clubs
The mechanics causing a slice are often amplified with the driver because of the longer shaft and lower loft.
- Driver Fix: For the driver, ensure your ball position is slightly forward. This naturally encourages an ascending blow, which should be paired with an in-to-out path. A severe slice with the driver often means the “over the top” move is hitting the ball too steeply on the downswing.
- Iron Fix: With irons, focus more on a crisp, square contact point rather than trying to swing excessively hard.
By systematically addressing setup, transition, and release, you can effectively conquer the slice and enjoy more satisfying, straight shots down the fairway.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Slicing
What is the quickest way to fix a golf slice?
The quickest way to see immediate improvement is to adjust your grip. Strengthening your grip (turning it slightly more to the right for a right-handed golfer) encourages the clubface to square up at impact, which often reduces the severity of the slice immediately.
Does an open stance cause a slice?
Yes, an open stance (aiming your feet and body to the right of the target) can contribute significantly to a slice. When your body is aimed right, it encourages your swing path to move from outside the target line toward the inside (out-to-in path), which is a primary cause of a golf slice.
Can I fix my slice just by swinging slower?
Slowing down your tempo, especially during the transition from the backswing to the downswing, can help immensely. Rushing the transition often leads to the “over the top” move. By slowing down, you give your body time to shift weight correctly and drop the club onto the proper inside path, making it easier to stop the ball from going right.
Is a slice always caused by an open clubface?
No. While an open clubface is necessary for a slice, the swing path dictates the severity. A severe slice requires both an open clubface and an out-to-in swing path. You could hit the ball with a square face but still slice it if your path is extremely outside-in.
What should my hands feel like through impact to avoid a slice?
To avoid a slice, your hands should feel like they are actively rotating or “releasing” through impact. For a right-handed golfer, this means the back of your left hand should be rotating down so that your left palm faces the sky shortly after impact, indicating the clubface has squared up or slightly closed.