Kyle Voska Golf

Want to stop that slice? Close your shoulders….

STOP THAT SLICE!

Do you fight the slice like most golfers?  Would you like to stop it?  I’m sure the answer is yes.  The slice (ball flight that curves from the left to right for right-handed golfers) could be caused by many things.  Today, I’m going to explain how squaring up your shoulders at address can help you to cure that annoying slice.

The slice, simply, is caused by an open club face at impact.  Any time the club face is open at impact (pointing to the right), the ball will curve left to right.  Sounds simple, right?  Well, it is actually.  Hitting a slice is easy.  Stopping it can be difficult.  The club face must be relatively square to the target line at impact to stop the slice.

One of the major causes of the slice is an improper setup with your shoulders.  When you setup, ideally, your toe lines will be parallel to your target line, like a little railroad track.  Equally important, your shoulders should be parallel to your toe line.  From my experience, most slicers’ shoulders are open at address (aiming left).  The problem with that is two-fold.  One, your arms will generally swing along your shoulders since their attached.  This will cause your arms to swing left too soon.  The club then pulls across the target line with an open club face.  Two, this pulling across move magnifies the slice because your compounding an open club face with a pulled-left swing.

THE FIX

Here comes the good news!  The fix is pretty simple, but you need a friend to help:  1)  take your normal setup, 2)  have a friend place a club along your toes, 3)  then, have your friend hold another club facing you along your shoulders, and 4)  while your friend holds his place (tell them to stay still), step back about 10 feet behind the ball.  Check to see if the shafts along your shoulders and toes are parallel.  If so, great.  If not, I’m guessing your shoulders are aiming left.  Rarely, are they aiming too much to the right.

If your shoulders were aiming left, practice seeing more of your left shoulder at address from your left eye.  You may have to move your ball position back an inch or two in your stance to help you do this.  It will feel odd at first, but eventually it’ll become natural.  I bet you’ll feel like you’re going to hit the ball way right.  But, believe it or not, this is good.  To stop the slice, you need to feel like you’re swinging to the right.

THE RESULT

This is just one step towards stopping that ugly slice.  But, it’s an important one.  When your shoulders are square it gives you the freedom to make a full shoulder turn.  This, in turn, allows you to come back to the ball more from the inside (this is good).  When you come back to the ball from the inside you will be able to start the ball closer to your target line.

In a nutshell, open shoulders = shallow/little shoulder turn on your backswing = arms swinging left too soon = big slice = no fun!

I would highly recommend checking your shoulder alignment soon and often.  This is something that can easily be taken for granted, but it’s something PGA Tour players check every day.

Good luck!

January 8, 2010 - Posted by Kyle Voska | Slicers Corner | Golf, Golf Tips, slice, slice cure, slice fix, sports, stop slice, swing tip