Fix Your Driver Slice
From Mark Blackburn On August 08, 2022
If you suffer from a slice (a shot that starts left for a right-handed golfer and curves wildly to the right) you probably have an intuitive sense of what is causing it. The slice... is caused by sidespin that is put on the golf ball. This sidespin is created when the club face cuts across the ball rather than meeting the ball squarely at impact. And this cutting-across action stems from two things – a steep, out-to-in club path into the ball and a club face orientation that is open to that path through impact (facing right of the direction of the path for a right-handed golfer). The result is a banana-shaped flight that curves excessively and flies higher and shorter than usual.
To fix a slice, traditional wisdom says you need to change your steep, over-the-top path on the downswing. So how do you do that? There are many approaches to that problem, but in this video Titleist staff member Mark Blackburn addresses an issue you probably haven't considered. Did you know that club path and the orientation of your club face are governed largely by your wrists?
If your lead wrist is cupped as you transition from backswing to downswing, it's incredibly difficult to shallow the club shaft and attack the ball from an inside path. Instead, as you move down, the club shaft steepens and the momentum of the club pulls your downswing path out away from your body (over-the-top). From here, the only hope you have of hitting the ball is to lose your posture, stand up and swing across the ball to the left. And voila, an uncontrollable slice.
Rather than fight against physics during transition, try Mark's solution. By using his split-hand drill and ingraining the feeling of flexing (bowing) the lead wrist and extending (cupping) the trail wrist, the club head will stay behind your hands on the way down. The club shaft will lay down rather than pitch up and you'll be able to attack the ball from an inside-to-out path. Your slice will straighten out and as you continue to work at it, you'll even start hitting some draws.
To fix a slice, traditional wisdom says you need to change your steep, over-the-top path on the downswing. So how do you do that? There are many approaches to that problem, but in this video Titleist staff member Mark Blackburn addresses an issue you probably haven't considered. Did you know that club path and the orientation of your club face are governed largely by your wrists?
If your lead wrist is cupped as you transition from backswing to downswing, it's incredibly difficult to shallow the club shaft and attack the ball from an inside path. Instead, as you move down, the club shaft steepens and the momentum of the club pulls your downswing path out away from your body (over-the-top). From here, the only hope you have of hitting the ball is to lose your posture, stand up and swing across the ball to the left. And voila, an uncontrollable slice.
Rather than fight against physics during transition, try Mark's solution. By using his split-hand drill and ingraining the feeling of flexing (bowing) the lead wrist and extending (cupping) the trail wrist, the club head will stay behind your hands on the way down. The club shaft will lay down rather than pitch up and you'll be able to attack the ball from an inside-to-out path. Your slice will straighten out and as you continue to work at it, you'll even start hitting some draws.
If you suffer from a slice (a shot that starts left for a
...
right-handed golfer and curves wildly to the right) you probably have an intuitive sense of what is causing it. The slice is caused by sidespin that is put on the golf ball. This sidespin is created when the club face cuts across the ball rather than meeting the ball squarely at impact. And this cutting-across action stems from two things – a steep, out-to-in club path into the ball and a club face orientation that is open to that path through impact (facing right of the direction of the path for a right-handed golfer). The result is a banana-shaped flight that curves excessively and flies higher and shorter than usual.
To fix a slice, traditional wisdom says you need to change your steep, over-the-top path on the downswing. So how do you do that? There are many approaches to that problem, but in this video Titleist staff member Mark Blackburn addresses an issue you probably haven't considered. Did you know that club path and the orientation of your club face are governed largely by your wrists?
If your lead wrist is cupped as you transition from backswing to downswing, it's incredibly difficult to shallow the club shaft and attack the ball from an inside path. Instead, as you move down, the club shaft steepens and the momentum of the club pulls your downswing path out away from your body (over-the-top). From here, the only hope you have of hitting the ball is to lose your posture, stand up and swing across the ball to the left. And voila, an uncontrollable slice.
Rather than fight against physics during transition, try Mark's solution. By using his split-hand drill and ingraining the feeling of flexing (bowing) the lead wrist and extending (cupping) the trail wrist, the club head will stay behind your hands on the way down. The club shaft will lay down rather than pitch up and you'll be able to attack the ball from an inside-to-out path. Your slice will straighten out and as you continue to work at it, you'll even start hitting some draws.
To fix a slice, traditional wisdom says you need to change your steep, over-the-top path on the downswing. So how do you do that? There are many approaches to that problem, but in this video Titleist staff member Mark Blackburn addresses an issue you probably haven't considered. Did you know that club path and the orientation of your club face are governed largely by your wrists?
If your lead wrist is cupped as you transition from backswing to downswing, it's incredibly difficult to shallow the club shaft and attack the ball from an inside path. Instead, as you move down, the club shaft steepens and the momentum of the club pulls your downswing path out away from your body (over-the-top). From here, the only hope you have of hitting the ball is to lose your posture, stand up and swing across the ball to the left. And voila, an uncontrollable slice.
Rather than fight against physics during transition, try Mark's solution. By using his split-hand drill and ingraining the feeling of flexing (bowing) the lead wrist and extending (cupping) the trail wrist, the club head will stay behind your hands on the way down. The club shaft will lay down rather than pitch up and you'll be able to attack the ball from an inside-to-out path. Your slice will straighten out and as you continue to work at it, you'll even start hitting some draws.
374
Videos
Filter:
- Alex Buckner
- Brad Faxon
- Dan Whittaker
- Dr. Mo Pickens
- Matt Leach
- Matthew Johns
- Sophie Walker
- Cameron McCormick
- James Sieckmann
- Mark Blackburn
- Michael Breed
- Trillium Rose
- Jonathan Yarwood
- Dave Phillips
- Brandon Stooksbury
- Justin Parsons
- Layne Savoie
- Dr. Rob Neal
- Dr. Greg Rose
- Skip Guss
- Jason Baile
- John Kostis
- Jennifer Hudson
- Ryan Hager
- Corey Lundberg
- Tom Patri
- Driver
- Fairway
- Hybrid
- Utility Iron
- Iron
- Wedge
- Putter
- Fundamentals
- Shot Shaping
- Anti-hook
- Anti-slice
- Alignment
- Tight Lie
- Long Rough
- Bunker Play
- Consistency
- Distance Control
- Trajectory
How to Select the Right Club for Your Tee Shots
From Justin Parsons On November 25, 2024
In this video, Titleist staff member Justin Parsons shares some of his keys to...
Line Up Your Putts with Brad Faxon
From Brad Faxon On November 13, 2024
Titleist staff member Brad Faxon discusses his keys for lining up putts and how...
Learning vs. Performing in Golf
From Dr. Greg Rose On November 13, 2024
One of the most important things you can do to improve your golf game is to...
Pelvic Punch Drill for Distance Wedges
From James Sieckmann On November 13, 2024
Distance wedges (shots that carry anywhere from 35-120 yards) represent a huge...
The Importance of the Takeaway in Your Golf Swing
From Jason Baile On November 12, 2024
As you move the golf club away from the golf ball, the first couple of feet are...
Five Drills for a World Class Short Game
From James Sieckmann On November 05, 2024
To improve your short game, Titleist staff member James Sieckmann stresses that...
No results
Titleist Tips: Make the Most of Your Golf Practice Time
One of the coolest things about the game of golf is the fact that we play the same game as the pros. Most of us will never take batting practice in...
Morgan Hoffmann: #ProvingIt
On Dec. 4, 2017, Morgan Hoffmann penned an article for The Players' Tribune, an online media platform that provides first-person content written by...
The Titleist Story
The Titleist brand started with a vision - and an x-ray. The Titleist success story began one Sunday in 1930, when Phil Young, a dedicated amateur...