If you’re an amateur golfer, you’re most definitely an elite member of the slicers club. You’ve probably heard all the tips on how to fix a slice with a driver – don’t aim left or right, fix your grip, transfer your weight, pay attention to your divots, and focus on your release.
While these are great tips, you still need to implement them to ensure you have all the main elements of your swing up to par. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to fix a slicer with a driver.
What Causes a Slice and How to Fix It
The most common cause of a slice is an improper swing path. This means that during the downswing, your club is outside of the line of the ball. As a result, the swing ends up further away from you than it should be. To hit the ball without a slice, you have to swing the club from inside the line.
Amateur golfers slice the ball frequently, leaving them frustrated and experimenting with different ways to fix a slice such as a harder swing, closing the clubface, and aiming more to the left or right. If this sounds like you, you’ve probably watched hours of footage of professionals hitting long with controlled draws and wonder how they did it.
Fortunately, there are simple steps you can follow to fix a slice with a driver, but before we get into them. Here’s what you will need:
- Drivers
- A driving range
- Tees
- Golf balls
- Small golf towel
Learn How to Fix a Slice with Your Driver in 5 Steps
Below are the steps you can follow to fix a slice with a driver. If you’re a lefty, simply flip the directions and use the same steps:
Step 1: Use the Proper Equipment
On many occasions, a slice is not the golfer’s fault. Wouldn’t this be great if that was the case for all golfers? Golf is a tough sport, and your equipment plays an important role in your swing. This is why doing research is worth the effort to make sure you have the proper equipment to work with your swing.
Here are a few things to consider when selecting the proper equipment;
- Avoid using old, passed-down equipment. Golf has come a long way in terms of technology and using 10 or more years old equipment won’t help fix slices.
- If you’re struggling with a slice, choose at least 10.5 degrees of loft.
- The extra loft makes it easier to hit the fairway.
- Use drivers with more offset will help fix the slice.
- Choose the correct flex on your driver according to the distance.
- Consider using adjustable drivers due to their ability to set the clubface slightly closed, so your golf ball doesn’t head right or left constantly.
- An expensive club isn’t going to fix your slice.
Step 2: Fix Your Grip
A golfer’s grip is a tricky thing that most novice golfers ignore. You need to work on your grip fundamentals for a better swing. Practicing your grip is not as fun as hitting 200+ yards, but it’s essential if you want to fix a slice. Neglecting the grip in this sport will make it more difficult and frustrating. Here are a few tips to improve your grip;
- For righties, grip the club with the left hand first, and make sure itsits in the fingers. For lefties, it’s the reverse.
- When holding the club, you should be able to see two knuckles while looking down.
- The position of your top hand on the club determines the quality of the swing and ensures that the bottom hand follows.
Step 3: Check Your Stance
Ask any pro, and they’ll tell you that they constantly check their setup before swinging. Here are a few things you should know to improve your stance or setup;
- A proper ball position helps you hit the ball on the upswing.
- Righties should have the ball positioned on the inside of their left foot.
- Hitting a driver on downswing causes a slice.
- Always setup with the clubface square. Manually manipulating the setup won’t help you straighten the slice. It could cause pulling to the left or right.
- A proper ball position helps your shoulders to tilt at a correct angle to fix the slice.
Step 4: Correct Your Swing Path
Most golfers slice when their swing path becomes more outside-in than inside out. Ball flight is difficult when you slice it, and it will leave you with a very weak shot, or the ball might end up in the rough. The best drill to fix your swing is the “towel under the arm” drill.
You should start your warm-up with this drill. After some time, you’ll notice your backswing getting stronger, and the club you use won’t matter anymore. So, whether you use irons, hybrids, or drivers, you will know how to swing properly. Here’s what you should do;
- Simply place a towel under your arm in the armpit area on your backswing.
- Keep the towel in place as you swing back and also when transitioning from backswing to downswing.
Step 5: Align Your Club Face
One mistake most slicers make is slowing down their golf swing to ensure they hit the shot. This action takes out the power from the hit, and the slice also affects the trajectory and distance of the shot. Instead, you should work on the release and swing the club efficiently without slowing down. Here are some tips;
- Check your grip.
- Make sure your setup is correct.
- Use the proper equipment.
- Practice hitting shot to make sure your clubface is square.
Our Final Thoughts
We hope our article on how to fix a slice with a driver helps improve your game. With a proper setup, correct hand position, and square clubface, you can become a pro in no time. We also recommend you invest in the latest golf equipment to improve your game further.
Before you leave, here’s an additional tip – Have a friend or instructor make a video of your swing so you can watch and compare your performance and improve. Also, an offset driver, like the one below, may be an easier fix… for the short term anyway.
