If you are at the range right now, don't worry, it will all be over soon. This is the last guide you need to stop slicing once and for all.
We will first explain what happens in the golf swing that results in a slice and then discuss the fix.
What Causes a Slice?
While other guides might list 10-20 different reasons why you are slicing, few will actually do the vital step of explaining the physics of the ball and club face that create the slice in the first place. This is critical to understanding how to fix it. Once you understand it, stopping it will be EASY. Let's begin.
There are ONLY 2 REASONS the golf ball will slice with a driver.
The club face is open (pointing right for a right-handed golfer)
The swing path is going left (also called "over the top" or "across" the golf ball)
When the golf club swipes across the golf ball to the left with an open face pointing right, it also causes the ball to spin hard to the right.
Think about a soccer ball. Even if you don't play soccer, if you wanted to kick the soccer ball and make it curve to the right, how would you do it? You would probably kick across the ball to the left, so it would spin that way. That is precisely what's happening with a slice.
How can I fix it?
This concept of swing plane to club face ratio is all you need to understand aiming once and for all. Now that we understand this let's talk about how you can fix this.
Closing Your Club Face
The first step to fixing this is closing your club face. Keep in mind that it's going to feel very foreign at first.
The feeling you want to get is that you are twisting the club face down or pointing it down throughout the backswing. As you bring your club back, try and make the face point back towards your friends watching you swing (the opposite way you are trying to hit). And make sure you keep that shut feeling through the downswing.
It might feel like you almost have to twist your left hand or wrists down to make it face that way. This is a good thing because now you are learning to manipulate the club on your own.
Fixing Your Swing Path
The second and final step to fixing this is swinging out and up to the right. To do this, you may feel like you are dropping the club head in the backswing so you can swing more up and under and out in front of you instead of chopping across the golf ball.
Another way to think about this is to generally think of having a "flatter" golf swing path that's more horizontal to the ground instead of vertical and steep.
It might even resemble the feeling of a bowling ball swing from the perspective of coming from the inside and underneath through the ball.
In general, it should resemble a bit more of this pattern:
However, it might FEEL like this at first (and that's a good thing):
The goal of this change is actually to start hitting the ball in a way that makes it spin to the left or start to draw/hook. If you can make that happen, then congratulations. All you have to do is scale this back a bit to start hitting the ball straight instead.
What NOT to do
Amateur golfers often rush into trying many different tricks to solve their issues magically. Countless articles will give you simple tips like "have a stronger grip," "tuck your right elbow," and "switch your ball position," and you will cure your slice forever!
While these tips are not necessarily bad things to implement for certain golfers, you must understand the reason why they are being suggested in the first place. That reason is to help you manipulate the club face and swing path ratio!! The sooner you learn the physics of the ball and swing, the less daunting golf will be.
So take it slow on the range, and practice these feelings in slow motion first, taking some half-swing shots as well. It is 100% going to feel weird at first, but that's exciting. It means you are progressing and gaining more ownership over your swing.
How to Stop Slicing Driver - Summary
Playing good golf is hard. Many golfers look for quick tips to fix their swing immediately after searching "how to stop slicing driver" on Google. While it is true that you can change your swing in a single range session, it's essential to know what the change is doing.
For slicers, creating a square clubface at impact with the correct path will reduce the amount of spin to the right and fix a slice quickly. The golf slice is arguably the most common issue in golf, and the sooner you understand it, the sooner you can fix it and get back to having fun on the golf course.