How To Not Slice A Golf Ball
If you’re a passionate golfer or an avid follower of the sport, you’ve probably heard players complain about their problem with their golf swing particularly their ’slicing’ problem. It is probably the most prevalent swinging issue that all golfers regardless of golfing tenure, will have to go through.
The most common error of amateur golfers is that they prematurely open their shoulder on the downswing path. This causes the slice by the club hitting the ball with an open clubface.
And if the flight of your ball travels to the right inadvertently, this is what is normally called a ‘push slice’. More often than not this occurs when the body outpaces the club head.
In order to prevent this, you can try hitting the ball standing on one leg during your practice sessions. The goal of this exercise is to help you maintain your balance and find your center of gravity. While standing on your left foot, for right-handed players, and then practice your swings. This maybe an awkward position at first, and it will take some time in getting used to. But once you get the hang of hit, it should greatly improve you balance and prevent the ‘push slice’ effect on your swing.
You can practice day in and day out and spend tremendous amounts time on the course or the driving range but if you’re not in the right frame of mind, you probably will not get too far in the sport, much less see an improvement in your swing.
More than anything else, Golf is a mental game. Although you are playing against other individuals, it is the course that ultimately offers the challenge. Unlike in other sports, your opponents will not block or deter your aim or your progress in anyway. However, the course itself will cause you to plan your strategy. It is the determining factor in how you take your shot and where you aim the ball.
This is the reason why Golfers often say that as a player you are up against the course and not the people on the tour.
Having said this, the right frame of mind is a crucial aspect in curing a slicing problem and improves your overall game.
Some players who are aware of their slicing problem take a different approach to the issue. Instead of tackling the problem head on, what they do is compensate for the slice by either aiming the ball more to the left or to the right, depending on where their slice orients. This is what is called as a ‘work around’ and not a direct solution to the existing problem.
Yes, this approach may cause the ball to still end up in the fairway but it defeats the purpose of the game. The game is about skill and discipline rather than cunning.
And if you think about it, compensating for the effects of the slice by aiming further to either side is not practical if you consider the distance traveled by the ball in its curved flight. The ball would have covered a farther distance in a straight line given the same amount of effort applied to a swing for an adjusted and compensated shot.
Although this practice is not illegal, it is frowned upon in certain playing circles. It takes away the personal satisfaction you get once you know that you have overcome adversity through sheer hard work and perseverance rather than finding an easy way out. The end definitely will not justify the case in this scenario.
If this is the approach you wish to take then Golf is not the sport for you. Again Golf is more of a mental challenge and no matter how cunning or resourceful you are at finding your way out of a challenge, if the methods you use defeat the integrity of the game, then you would have lost even if you won the match.