How to Break 80: On Course Tips for Curing a Slice

If you want to break 80 in golf, you have to have a good drive which will put you into position to reach the green in regulation on the par 4's and par 5's.  That means avoiding the bane of all amateur golfers: the dreaded slice.  You really shouldn't be making any adjustments to your golf swing in the middle of a round.  Tinkering with the swing should be kept on the practice range.  But, there are some adjustments that you can make while on the course that can minimize the impact of your swing allowing you to get through the round with a minimal amount of damage to your score.

I don't want to take a lot of time going into the reasons that a slice can occur.  You can visit the link that I have included since it does a good job of explaining the causes of the slice.  Instead, I would like to offer 5 on course adjustments that I have personally found to be most effective in curing my slice without trying to alter my swing.  Usually, after the first few swings of the day, I know what kind of day it is going to be.  Then, I can make the appropriate adjustments based upon what I feel is causing my slice that day.

My biggest problem is that I played baseball and softball for many years prior to playing golf. I have a tendency to want to keep my hands high by my right ear and hold the bat forward (like George Foster from the 1970's). The result is that I am prone to swinging from outside the swing path to the inside across the face of the ball resulting in a lot of side spin.

• To cure the outside to inside swing, I have found that taking my back foot and stepping back about 3-4 inches will allow for more horizontal rotation around my body and allow me to approach the ball from the inside. Essentially, I have taken my typical swing and rotated it relative to the ball by about 5-10 degrees bringing it back to the inside of the swing path.

I also received a great tip from my brother-in-law which I use when the slice is less severe but still annoying.  I use this most often since I have improved and need to use tip #1 rarely anymore.  This tip will also promote an in to out swing path but relies on tricking the brain.

• Simply tip your head away from the ball.  To get a more dramatic effect, you can also rotate it toward the back foot.  The principal is very similar to the first tip but instead of adjusting your feet, you are adjusting your head and especially your eyes.  The mind really wants to hit the ball at a specific point.  If that point results in the wrong swing path, then the ball will slice.  Simply adjust your eyes relative to the ball, and you can still hit the way you normally would but the result will be less slice.

Another reason the ball may slice is that the club face is pointing that way when contact is made.  If the club face is angled to the right (which for a right-handed golfer is considered open), the ball will naturally travel that direction.  Combine an open club face at impact with an outside to inside swing path, and the resulting slice will be nasty and severe.  If I think my club face is open, there are 2 fixes that I will use.

• First, I make sure that my grip is strong.  This refers to the positioning of my hands relative to the shaft of the club and club face.  If I grip the club, and it seems like the club face is pointing slightly to the right, I want to rotate the club in my hands to close the face.  This "strengthens" the grip.  You can also cheat a little if you don't feel like your hands are rotating enough on the downswing by strengthening your grip just a little.
• Also, I will sometimes (especially with my irons) close the club face (point it slightly to the left of target) when addressing the ball.  This helps remind me to get the club face around into a square position and not leave it open when hitting the ball.  I have found that this really helps with my iron shots but not so much with the driver.

The last thing that I try to remember on the course is that excessive forearm tension will prevent adequate rotation of the forearms and wrists preventing the club face from being square at impact. 

• If I am having some trouble with the slice while playing a round, I have to remind myself to relax my grip.  Don't be confused by the use of the term strong in the previous section.  That has to do with the positioning of the hands relative to the shaft and club face.  This has to do with the muscle tension in the hands and forearms.

These are the 5 best tips that I have found that can help have an immediate impact on my game while playing.  If I am consistently having trouble in one particular area, then I need to make further adjustments and practice on the driving range, but trying to do too much on the course will only lead to frustration.