Banana balls are always a bummer, especially for amateur golfers.
We know you’ve been wondering about tips and tricks to help you rehash your gameplay.
Don’t brood! You’ve found this gem for a reason.
In this article, we’ll teach you easy steps to fix your slice FOREVER! You will be transformed from golf-grinder to pro in no time!
How to Fix Your Slice in Golf in 7 Easy Steps
To fix a slice is a big frustration, especially for amateur golfers.
Who would want to send off banana balls in the air, right?
But, no matter if they do hundreds of putting and chipping drills, they can’t seem to find a remedy for their slicing problem.
Lucky for you, you won’t need to worry about that anymore.
These 7 easy steps are going to be amazing quick fixes to set that nasty slice right:
Step 1: Avoid Aiming Left
We know you think that aiming left would fix a slice.
If you’re a right-handed golfer, hitting in the opposite direction would seem like a quick fix to keep the ball from curving towards the right side.
But, we’re afraid to tell you that you’re only making things worse.
Aiming left would only cause the ball to go on a downward cycle.
It would be best if you resolved this bad swinging habit right away before constantly making golf slices on the golf course.
Instead of aiming toward the farther left side, aim for the right side of the tee box, and hit the ball straight.
This way, you’ll have more room to keep the golf ball from curving toward the right.
It gives you more fairway to hit shots leading to the left and eventually leads the ball to pass through the correct path.
Step 2: Position the Golf Ball Properly
Another culprit for a golf slice is an over-the-top motion on the downswing.
To improve your swing path, you must fix your set-up, including the position of your golf ball.
Sometimes, there’s a tendency that the ball position is far too forward than the player’s stance.
In this case, it’s difficult for the player to hit the ball first from the inside.
It also results in an outside-in swing path because the golfer can’t release the club and hit shots properly.
You might want to adjust the ball position near the front heel, slightly inside the left when using a driver.
But if you’re using irons, you should place the ball a little forward near the middle of the irons.
By fixing the ball position, you will notice that you can easily swing and get an immediate impact with the ball.
Step 3: Take Note of the Divots
Divots are the pieces of turf that are cut out from the ground after playing a stroke.
Divots can serve as an indication of your swing path. This can tell a lot about why you’re hitting shots that result in a banana ball.
For an iron shot, the divot could point towards the left side of your target. This signifies the right-to-left swing of your club.
The divot can be your marker on how you should improve your golf swing habits.
It can also indicate how much you’ve improved after considering the tips and tricks we taught you in this article.
Step 4: Always Fix Your Grip
Most banana balls are byproducts of a weak grip.
If you tend to position your hand underneath the club, you will most likely cause a golf slice.
Hence, you have to improve that poor grip to play better golf. A strong and proper grip can also aid you in acing a good swing path.
A good grip will give you a nice hold and control over your golf shots.
You can twist your left hand CLOCKWISE to determine if you have an appropriate grip. Ideally, you should see THREE of its knuckles.
PRO TIP: The STRONGER your grip, the RIGHT AMOUNT of grip pressure you’ll get.
These are essential in keeping your club face in the most accurate position possible and gaining control of your club path.
To help you improve your grip, you can use a grip trainer. As you constantly practice, your new grip will appear MORE NATURAL.
Step 5: Keep Your Elbow Tucked When Doing a Backswing
A downswing coming from the outside of the ideal swing path can also result in the golf slice you dearly hate.
Sometimes, golf players have a habit of swinging their right elbow away from their body when doing a backswing.
In turn, the club is pulled across the proper swing path as it’s forcefully thrown away at a much higher angle.
As a result, you lose control of the ball, and it will go at a farther distance than intended.
To fix a slice caused by this manner, you are left with one major solution: fix your backswing.
It will help if you remember to tuck your right elbow close to your body at all times.
This will help you swing straight towards the line of the ball.
You might consider holding a towel between your right elbow and body when you practice swings. This forces you to hold the towel in place.
This might feel strange at first, but it’s definitely worth the try!
Step 6: Transfer Your Weight
Another golfing crime most golfers commit is not transferring their weight when doing swings.
Amateurs sometimes put all their weight on the back foot as they perform a backswing and eventually leave it there through the downswing.
Putting weight on the back foot will result in an open club face. This, in turn, causes an out-of-line swing path.
The proper way to do it is to transfer weight at the back foot as you swing back. Then you return the weight to your front foot as you approach a downswing and hit the ball.
A good practice drill is to put an object that can slightly touch your left thigh next to your foot.
As you swing back, you feel your thigh drift away from the object. But, as you create a downswing, ensure that you come into contact with the object again.
Step 7: Release the Curb Before Impact
When you swing your golf club, you tend to rotate your right hand, wrist and forearm over your left if you’re a right-handed player.
This is a natural mechanism of a golfer’s body. However, the problem comes after the timing of releasing the club.
Sometimes, amateurs strike the ball with an open club face as they delay the release of their golf clubs. It results in a left-to-right spin and lashes out banana balls all over the golf course.
Improving your release can be difficult. There’s only a little amount of time between a proper release for a straight drive and a delayed release for a slice.
But, if you aim for constant golf shots, you should practice releasing your club right.
One way to practice this is to get an old club and imitate your natural golf swing.
As you feel your right hand and forearm rotate over your left hand, release the club. If it goes way above or over your left shoulder, you released it a little late.
Keep practicing until you get the perfect timing in releasing your golf club. Staying on the optimal swing speed will also aid in acing your timing.
Video instruction: The Complete Fix for Your Slice
What Is a Golf Slice?
A golf slice is a shot that curves away from the player’s dominant hand.
The ball swings and curves from left to right for a right-handed golfer. The ball curves in the opposite direction for a left-handed player.
There are 2 types of a golf slice:
- Classic slice – this golf slice causes your ball to start swinging from the left-most part of your intended target and extremely curves towards the right side.
- Push slice – the push slice, on the other hand, happens when your ball starts at the right of your intended starting line and swings excessively to the right-most part of your target.
Why Do Slice My Drivers And Not My Irons?
There are two main reasons why you hit a slice with your drivers more than your irons:
- Spin: A driver tends to create a side spin than a backspin. This is because drivers have less loft. Clubs that have more loft help in negating sidespins.
- Club length: Drivers might be one of the longest clubs you can find in your golf bag. Compared to a 37-inch iron, an average driver is at 45.5 inches. The longer the club is, the harder it is for the golfer to square it at impact.
What Causes You to Slice in Golf?
Several reasons cause the dreaded slice many golfers wish to avoid.
But among the pool of reasons that result in a banana ball, the main culprit is an open clubface at impact.
Most often, these reasons are the ones that you should avoid doing to fix a slice.
1. Swing Path
The most common cause of a banana ball is an open club face that leads the golf ball into an out-in path.
Given that an open club causes an out-of-line swing path, the player should focus on adjusting their swing plane and the angle of their club.
Most golfers try to change their swing path without adjusting their golf club’s angle.
Hence, they wonder why the slice is still a consistent problem.
The way you keep the club face open can determine how much curve there will be in a ball flight.
If you want to achieve a SOLID FADE, you have to maintain a 3-degree angle on your club face that is open to the swing path.
Setting more than a 6-degree angle will already result in a WEAK SLICE.
Such a swing path can lead to a steep swing and weak golf shots.
2. Weak Grip
The player’s grip also contributes to a slice. A faint grip can make result in an out-in swing. But a strong grip can cause a left-to-right ball flight.
Most right-handed players tend to have a weak left-hand grip.
It affects the club path by promoting a too-inside club face, resulting in a steep, over-the-top downswing.
Consequently, this issue affects the way a golfer transfers weight. As they approach an over-the-top swing motion, more weight is applied at the back than the lead foot.
Hence, it is ideal for players to have a NEUTRAL GRIP over the club. This way, you can gain more control over the golf ball, and the ball flies straighter.
As you neutralize your grip, you should also look after your left wrist. It is responsible for controlling the club and golf swing.
An extended left wrist leads to an open club face. Hence, keeping your left wrist bowed is important to keep the club face closed.
3. Improper Alignment
In playing good golf, having proper alignment is necessary.
Always remember to align with the ball, and hit it straight and at an appropriate angle.
You might feel that aiming towards the left will help you reduce the curve of the golf ball and lead it to the right swing path.
However, aiming left will only make things even worse and will never fix a slice.
4. Upper Body Movement
How the upper body coordinates with the lower extremities is vital in avoiding a slice.
Ideally, the lower body should move first in a golf swing than the upper body.
However, golf players who tend to slice their golf balls consciously or unconsciously move their upper body first. This is true, especially on a driver swing.
5. Bad Posture
BAD POSTURE is equal to BAD GAMEPLAY.
Hence, to fix your slice, you also have to fix your posture. Amateur players sometimes use too much knee flex and do not hinge from their hips.
Such a posture can promote an out-in club path and lead to a dreadful slice.
The following points can help you mend your bad posture when playing golf:
- Hold your club with both hands, and press it toward the top of your hips.
- Hinge from your hips as you bend forward.
- Slightly bend your knees, especially when there’s tension on the hamstrings.
- You should keep your weight between your heel and feet.
- Hit the ball by swinging from the lower body and up to the upper extremities.
- Keep your elbow intact to stay in sync with your body turn.
Why Is a Slice a Bad Golf Shot?
For many reasons, a slice is a bad golf shot, and many golfers avoid this.
But, above all reasons, a slice is weak and uncontrollable, and a glancing blow mainly causes it.
With a slice, you will lose distance. You will also get shots that are either too high or too low. Either way, you can’t control a slice.
As a result, you will score poorly in the game.
The worst part is, you’ll have to buy more golf balls! A slice will most likely drive away your golf ball among the trees or the water.
Conclusion
Banana balls can make you go bananas in the driving range.
As much as possible, you want to avoid doing slices. This will also help you improve your gameplay and aid you in thriving in the golf industry.
But, you will only ace it if you improve your old swing habits as if you’re aiming for a baseball swing.
Follow these tips and tricks religiously to stop slicing golf balls and find yourself to start hitting straight on the golf course.
