Why You Keep Slicing Your Golf Ball and How to Stop It

A slice is one of the most common ball flights in golf, and one of the easiest to define when you focus on what actually matters: impact. For a right-handed golfer, a slice is a shot that starts to the left and curves to the right of your target. At its core, this happens when the club is traveling on an out-to-in path with a clubface that is open relative to that path.

There are countless swing faults that can lead to these conditions, but if we strip it down to the brass tacks, the formula is simple: if your ball is curving right, your clubface is too open and/or your path is too far left. The solution? Deliver the club more from the inside (in-to-out) with a face that is more closed relative to that path.

At GOLFTEC, we emphasize measurement over guesswork. We focus on changing the numbers that control ball flight. Here are two clear action points to help you start eliminating your slice:

1. Control the Clubface in the Backswing

A great place to start is earlier in the swing than most people think. If your clubface is excessively open in the backswing, it will likely lead to it being open at impact.

Feel like the clubface is pointed more toward the ground for longer during your takeaway and backswing. This helps promote a more closed (or square) face later in the swing. You can verify this using GOLFTEC’s video technology. This is an important step, because what you feel and what you do are often very different.

2. Improve Your Swing Path (In-to-Out)

To reduce out-to-in path, you need to train the club to approach the ball more from the inside.

A simple and effective drill is to place a headcover just outside the ball, slightly behind it. Your goal is to swing without hitting the headcover, which encourages a more in-to-out path. Then, validate the change using your club path data in SkyTrak. If the numbers are improving (in this case, if your club path is moving to the right), you know you’re on the right track.

When you combine a more closed clubface with an in-to-out path, your ball flight will start to curve from right to left, which is the exact opposite of a slice. That’s when you know you’re not guessing anymore, you’re fixing the problem at its source.

For more information on how to fix a slice, book yourself a Swing Evaluation and get started on your journey to playing better golf.

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