Hannah Gregg Demonstrates The Slice Drill
By Ryan Gager
Join professional golfer Hannah Gregg and GOLFTEC’s Nick Clearwater as they breakdown the anatomy of a slice in this edition of Fix My Fault. It’s shot shape many golfers know all too well. But how does it happen? When the club path travels out-to-in, as the club face makes contact with the ball, it creates sidespin causing the ball to curve. In Nick’s demonstration, his swing path was 8.5 to the left of the target with square face, causing a big slice to the right. By contrast, if you have trouble with the ball going the other way, this article will help you stop the hook shot.
Comparing Positions On The Downswing
Nick shows a side by side of his slice swing compared to Collin Morikawa, who is considered one of the best iron players on Tour.
Right away we notice when the shaft is parallel to the ground, Nick has the club head out away from his hands and body, a clear indication of an out-to-in swing path. On the right, Morikawa has the club head inside of his hands, which promotes the in-to-out swing path, which eliminates a slice.
Even before they get into these positions, you can see from the video that Nick’s downswing is more upright and the shaft passes through where his neck is, versus Morikawa, whose shaft passes through the middle of his arm.
These are both key indicators of swings that produce slices and definitely areas where our Coaches make improvements with our Students every day.
The Drill To Cure The Slice
A really good way to stop slicing is to use and obstacle. Nick grabs an empty golf ball box to put down on the ground just outside of Hannah’s swing path.
In Nick’s out-to-in swing example, his club head would have crashed into the box before making contact with the ball. You might be thinking, “I’m really supposed to miss that?” The answer is yes.
It might take some time and your golf ball box might get beat up (make sure it’s empty), but this will train you to keep the club on an in-to-out path.
The second part of the drill is on the backswing. When you take the club back, keep your hands and the butt end of the club close to your body.
As always with these drills, it will take some time and practice to get the feel for it. If you notice all of your shots curving away from you, try this drill at home or on the range. For more help with your slicing problem, be sure to stop in to your local GOLFTEC today to set up a Swing Evaluation. A certified GOLFTEC Coach will analyze your swing and recommend a game plan custom built for you to help you play better golf and reach your goals.
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