Squaring my club at impact?

Question

I'm still having trouble with my slice and i'm not coming inside on the ball so i'm guessing my clubface isn't square at impact. i have a very strong grip. am i supposed to be trying to turn my right hand over on my downswing to make square impact? it feels awkward and unnatural when i try to do it, but i really want to get rid of this slice.

Answer 1

There are lots of things that cause a slice not just an open face.  Have you looked at your swing path on video?  If you have the classic over the top move it will not matter if you square the club face because the movement of the club will cause the slice as well.

Try the inside approach you can pick them up at Target now for about $30.  That golf gadget will force you to be level thru the hitting area and therefore straighter.

Answer 2

the problem probably has less to do with your equipment's place then it does with you. When you swing let loose of the club. you should only be holding onto it so it doesn't fly out of your hands, not strangling it.

Make sure your relaxed and make sure your arms hit the ball first.

What i mean by that is swing with your arms before shifting your weight with your knees. When i first started i'd backswing and and before the club had even hit the ball, my knees were facing the target.  This is a hard habit to break. Trust me. Go to your local driving range and get a large bucket, or like 100 balls and practice hitting( start with your 7 iron for now) the ball very slowly, focusing on your arms going first. The ball doesn't even have to go five yards, your not focusing on distance. Once you have it down speed it up a little bit until you are taking full swings and the ball is going straight.  

Also quietly hum when you swing at the range. just one note and as you swing it should change.

example:

hmmmmmmmmm

Bad example:

hmmmmMMMMmmmMMMMMmMMMMMMuhHMMMM

This will be akward at first but honestly, nobody is paying that much attention to you. THey may look at you funny or make comments to their friends but, you can laugh as they are humming because you just sent one 275 yards perfectly straight with your sand wedge(that may be a stretch but you get the idea: The best revenge is good results.)

If this doesn't help don't worry. Sign up for private lessons with the PGA pro at your local country club. They'll fix it.

Don't buy a how to book, those don't help.

And if you are worried about the cost of all this suck it up because this is golf. Everything is overpriced and a gimmick. Get over it.

Answer 3

If you already have a strong grip, you may be a victim of the dreaded 'reverse pivot'.  Make sure your weight shift is towards the target at impact and continues towards the target on your follow thru.   If you are hanging back on your right side, the clubface will be open at impact no matter what your hands are doing...

Answer 4

Maybe you're not swinging on plane.

If your take away is too steep, your swing path will be from the outside in, and spin will cause you to slice.

Flatten your swing.  Keep your right elbow in (against your body) and make your back swing more flat.  Picture your club swinging on a single plan.

Answer 5

When you grab the club like you are going to hit look at your hands. You'll notice that your thumbs and index figers make an upside down V. if your right handed  make sure both V's are pointed to your right shoulder. This is called a power grip and can reduce your slice.If your a lefty make sure both V's are pointed to your left shoulder.

Answer 6

I have the same issue.  Try bringing the club more inside on your back swing and swing down the line.  Remember to try and swing more inside/out.  It sounds like you have an outside/in swing.  Even try stepping through the shot(Happy Gilmore, no kidding).  Also, try moving the ball further up in your stance(not much though).  I can't promise results, but it may help..

Answer 7

Its so important to make sure your feet are correctly aligned, your toes should be parallel to the target line, or slightly to the right (if you are right-handed).  Think also of swinging inside to out, and finish with your hands high.

Are you tall?  If so your swing plane should be more vertical.

Answer 8

Well being a PGA professional, i suggest if cost is an issue, ask your club pro if you could take his impact bag out to the range for a bit, impact bags will teach you the feel of being square at impact and develop that muscle memory and tone those rarely used muscles. Pretty simple just swing into the bag for an hour hit a dozen balls and continue this process until you eliminate the slice. If you feel it may be more involved swing issues , then yes you need a lesson. And yes video/swingpath technology would be of great help to show you what is the cause. Again if you cant afford a lesson, most Assistant pros with any playing/teaching ability can likely help you for half the cost. Id also get a pair of alignment sticks to make sure you are lining up correctly, or go to the hardware store and get 2 wood dowels to use as aligment sticks,cost ya about a dollar. Good luck and keep swinging.

Answer 9

a lot of people talk about outside/in swing paths and bringing the club back on the inside etc etc.  All good advice but often times people don't really understand how to accomplish what is suggested.  I had a teaching pro explain to me in very simple terms how to understand what everybody is talking about.  At set up think of a clock with 12 being directly down the centre of your target line.  If you have an outside/in swing your divit is probably going to be pointed at around 10 o'clock (for a rightie)  Striking the ball at this angle with an open club face will create side spin on the ball causing a slice.  The greater the outside/in swing path is the more likely you are to s***w up your golf shot.  An 11 o'clock divit would probably result in more of a fade and the closer your divit is to 12 o'clock the straighter your ball will go.  Once you get past 12 o'clock and start moving your divit towards one o'clock the ball will begin to turn over to the left resulting in a draw/hook.  My pro tells me that the ideal divit should point towards approximately one o'clock.  To accomplish this he says to think about the clock again and focus on trying to hit the ball towards one o'clock.  It takes a fair bit of practice, especially if you've been slicing the ball for years but eventually you'll get it.  I've noticed with my own game that when I'm able to put a draw on the ball (some rounds I can, others I can't but that's golf) the ball does travel a little further.  I don't really know the physics or reason for it but it seems to be true.  I hope this helps.  Tick, tock.

Answer 10

Easy to do.  Go to the Range and experiment with grip, ball position and open/closed club face.  Try to hook the ball until you can hook it at will.  Back off until it goes straight.  Even practice fading the ball at will, and alternate fade, hook, straight until you know the mechanics and the feeling for each type of shot.  All better players will work the ball to fit the desired shot.   Good luck.