Rooting out odious slices

By Kim Jeong-kyoo

Slice problems irritate most weekend golfers. If you are struggling with slices, you are not alone. Most amateur golfers experience chronic slices or pulls. Without slices, your golf game will give you much more pleasure.

There is no magic club that will purge your game of slices. But to make those banana balls disappear, you need to grip the club properly and set up correctly. Of course, you need to swing the club on the proper path and plane.

Here are key must-perform moves at each stage of your swing geared to rooting out nasty slices. They will help you even enjoy hitting beautiful draws.

Gripping the club ― part one of two

Fixing your slice problem needs to start with the proper club grip. The grip controls your clubface, and your clubface controls the flight of the ball. And the flight of the ball flight influences your swing. If you make errors when you grip the club, you will suffer the ramifications when you swing the club.

Before you decide how to grip the club, you need to learn how your arms and hands are hanging from your shoulders. Stand in front of a full-size mirror and check how many knuckles of your left hand you can see.

If you can see one knuckle on the back of your left hand, grip the club so two knuckles are visible. Let the “V” formed between your left thumb and forefinger point halfway between your right ear and the tip of your right shoulder. Or let your V point slightly more toward your right ear. That allows you to square or close your clubface a touch when you hit the ball. This will eventually allow you to send the ball straight or curve it from right to left just a fraction.

Similarly, when you can see two knuckles, let the V point midway between your right ear and the tip of your right shoulder. Or let the V point slightly more toward your right shoulder.

If more than three knuckles are visible, grip the club so the V points toward the tip of your right shoulder. If you think this grip is too strong, you are wrong. For you, this is a neutral or only a touch strong grip that will effectively help you purge slices from your game.

Unquestionably, depending on your shot shape, you can adjust the grip. Typically, turning your hands counterclockwise on the grip promotes slices; rotating your hands clockwise encourages hooks.

Don’t forget to grip the club mostly with the last three fingers of your left hand. This helps you hinge and unhinge your wrists freely and fully. This eventually allows you to square your clubface and speed up your club to the full. You will unleash your power fully into the shot, hitting long and straight.

To grip the club properly with your right hand, start by wrapping your fingers around the club handle. You need to grip the club chiefly in your fingers.

Gripping it in your right palm prevents you from snapping your right hand through the shot. This faulty grip will inhibit you hitting the ball squarely and limit your swing speed. With the club handle in your palm, there is no striking the ball like cracking a whip.

When you throw a ball or skip a stone, you don’t hold it in your palm. You grip it in your fingers. You need to do the same when you grip a golf club.

In principle, you need to let the palm of your right hand face your left palm. But, just like your left-hand grip, you need to adjust your right-hand grip depending on the shot shape.

You need to avoid letting the V formed between your right thumb and forefinger point too far left. Make sure the V does not point wrongly between your left ear and the tip of your left shoulder. Letting the V point toward your left ear prevents you from rotating your forearms and club on the downswing. That will leave your clubface open, creating horrible slices.

To square or slightly close the clubface when you hit, you need to let your right-hand V point toward your right shoulder. Or just make sure the V between your thumb and forefinger matches the V created between your left thumb and forefinger.

Also, to have better control of the club, grip it after pushing your right thumb firmly against your right forefinger. This helps you grip the club securely in your right hand.