Fix your Slice

Text: Grant Hepburn. Article from the May 2013 issue of Compleat Golfer Magazine.

The dreaded slice remains one of golf’s most common problems, affecting an estimated 80 percent of golfers. PGA professional Grant Hepburn offers three drills to turn your slice into a draw.

For a lot of players, the wretched slice begins with a poor set-up, either through a bad grip or improper alignment. Yet even those players who set up correctly are not immune to the vicious left-to-right shape (for right-handers).

Many times, a player looks good at address, only for his hands to let him down during the swing. If the player uses his body to square the clubface (without releasing his hands), a common result is that they swing over the top with a high right shoulder, producing an out-to-in swing path and the outcome, more often than not, is a pull-hook or the dreaded slice.

In other words, even if the player has managed to square the clubface at impact (to the target, that is), the face is open relative to his swing path, thereby imparting left-to-right sidespin.

The following drills are aimed at helping you learn the feeling of the correct movement of the hands and path of the clubhead. By swinging more from the inside and getting the feeling of releasing the club, these drills will help you rid yourself of the nasty slice – for good.

The correct release of the golf club sees the toe of the club passing the heel through impact. This may sound a bit odd, but if you look at the sequence below, you will see what I mean.

Inside the line tee drill

Bearing this in mind, the following drill is very helpful for getting the feel of the correct swing path and the release of the club – where the toe overtakes the heel of the club. I’ve set up square to the target – as indicated by the club at my feet – but I’ve placed some tees in the line of an in-to-out swing path. In other words, the tee behind the ball is closer to me than the one in front of the ball.

The idea is to swing down the line made by the tees and the ball. In order to do this, you will need to swing the club into the ball on a definite inside path, which will pass through the ball and then over the other tee past the ball, thus giving the correct in-to-out path. This swing path, combined with a closing face, is what encourages a draw. Practise hitting the ball with a half swing this way and you’ll fix that slice in no time.

Right leg back drill

As we’ve already established, an inside swing path is vital for a draw. For this drill, I’ve pulled my right leg back at address and taken a three-quarter swing. Pulling the leg back prevents the hips from spinning open too early. With the right leg back, the right hip has to be quieter at the start of the downswing and this encourages an in-to-out swing path. This drill helps the player to feel the proper hip movement and get used to the feeling of the correct inside swing path. Very often, players spin their hips open at the start of the downswing, causing the club to be thrown to the outside. This set-up position stops that happening.

When doing this drill, it is again important to remember that the toe must pass the heel.

“Swing from the inside is much easier when the right shoulder and hip swing beneath the left shoulder and hip.”

Split hand drill

Swinging from the inside is much easier to do when the right shoulder and hip swing beneath the left shoulder and hip.

For this drill, simply split your hands on the grip of the club and take some three-quarter swings. By splitting the hands on the club, the right side is forced into a lower position at address and during the swing, which encourages and teaches the player to get his right side under his left.

The key here is to try to get he forearms to touch after impact, as shown in the fourth picture. If you can achieve this, it means you have managed to get the toe of the club to pass the heel, which in turn will encourage a draw – and should help to iron out that nasty slice of yours.

Meet the Pro

Grant Hepburn has been a regular face in Compleat Golfer for a decade. His CV includes time spent working on the European and US Tours, a partnership with Robert Baker in Logical Golf, and an impressive list of top amateur and pro golfers. Grant runs the Southern African Golf Institute and is based at the Institute’s Cape Town Academy at The River Club, where he oversees a small, dedicated crew of fully qualified PGA pros. He is also technical director of the South African Golf Development Board and project manager for the Olympic Golf Programme.

Check out his website www.granthepbum.com and follow him on Twitter @granthepburn.