Slicing is a two-prong problem. It stems from a path that’s too out-to-in (as in, too far left of the target) and a clubface that’s open to the path it’s traveling on. You can work on both separately, but here’s a way to fix the two in a single practice swing.
Get into your normal address position with driver using your everyday grip. Take the club back like always but, instead of swinging down to the ball as usual (i.e., with an open face and a path that trends too far left), smoothly lower your arms and jam the clubhead softly into the turf about a foot behind your trail foot (see below).
Don’t bash the ground; simply use your arms to guide the clubhead to the spot I’ve reached below. Make sure the bottom edge of your clubface is parallel with the sod, or, if you have major slice problems, check that the toe of your driver hits the ground first. Do it once, do it twice — the feeling you get in your arms when you execute the drill correctly (make sure you add a little weight shift as you swing down) will get your path on the right track and your clubface in position for an anti-slice, super-square strike. Truth told, I’ve seen this rehearsal negate a player’s slice in one try. The goal: an inside delivery — not an outside one.
Dale Abraham is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and is the director of instruction at Bighorn GC in Palm Desert, Calif., and Cape Arunel GC in Kennebunkport, Maine.
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