For the last few days, we’ve been talking about the dreaded slice. Yesterday, I focused on the “over the top” move, that often leads to a slice (and possibly a pull-hook). While that might be a big reason that golfers slice the ball, it’s not the only possibility.

Remember that a slice is caused by an open club face at impact. Having a faulty swing path, as with an over the top swing, is a definite factor. However, it’s possible to deliver the club head to the ball on a proper path during the down swing and still slice the ball.

In that case, one of the biggest culprits is the grip. When I say grip in this context, I’m talking about how you hold the club in your hands as well as the tightness with which you hold it.

Weak Grip

When referring to the way you hold the club in your hands, the grip is typically categorized as weak, neutral, or strong. I could do a whole post on the grip, but I’ll just say for now that when you hold the club in your hands, the V’s that are formed by your forefingers and thumbs are the main indicator of whether the grip is weak, neutral, or strong. In a neutral grip, the V’s should point at your right shoulder (for a right handed player). In a weak grip, the hands are rotated more left on the handle and the V’s point more toward the chin. In contrast, in a strong grip, the hands are rotated on the handle of the club more to the right and the V’s point to the right of a neutral position.

The Golf Drill Guru has an article about the grip with photos of weak, neutral, and strong grip positions.

Now, you’re probably wondering how a weak grip could cause a slice. Well, as you approach impact, your hands will tend to want to achieve a neutral position. With a weak grip, when the hands try to get neutral, the club face actually opens some. That means, even if your swing path is correct, you can still slice the ball if your grip is weak enough. Along the same lines, if your grip is too strong, the hands will want to return to the neutral position, possibly causing you to hook the ball.

Improper Release

As you approach impact during the swing, a proper release is critical. By that, I mean that the left forearm is rotating through the downswing and impact and into the follow through. Have a look at a photographic swing sequence in your favorite golf publication and you can see what I mean. On the downswing, the back of the left hand faces the sky. At impact, the hands are in a neutral position with the back of the left hand facing the target. During the follow through, the back of the left hand faces more toward the ground.

To strike the ball well, you need to release the club properly. When you have proper fundamentals, the release is mostly automatic. It’s just the natural progression of proper action in your hips, torso, shoulders, etc.

Unfortunately, many players don’t release the club properly through impact. They “hold on” to the club and restrict it from returning to a neutral position. When they reach impact, the club face is open, and they slice the ball.

One of the big causes for improper release is the “death grip”. The golf swing is like any other machine in that to work properly, all of the moving parts must be free of tension. Sometimes players feel like they must grip the club very tightly. This causes a tremendous amount of tension in the hands, arms, and shoulders. This tension inhibits the release of the club and causes the player to slice.

Sometimes, an improper release can come as a result of compensation for other flaws. I’ve said before that the human mind and body are wonderful things. Our subconscious is smarter than we might realize. When we want to hit the ball straight, sometimes our body will find ways to make it happen.

Take for example someone who has flaws which cause him to hook the ball. Eventually, with enough practice, he will subconsciously learn that if he restricts his release (not necessarily as a result of tension), that he will be able to deliver the club face to the ball squarely, allowing him to hit it straight.

That’s fine until he begins to correct the problems that caused him to hook the ball in the first place. Now, he has grooved an improper release that will not allow the club face to be square at impact, and the result is a slice. This could be the result of conscious swing changes or just subtle changes that occur naturally over time. Either way, he went from hitting “good” shots to slicing the ball and is probably frustrated and trying to figure out what went wrong.

The Gear Effect

This is something you probably haven’t given much thought about. The gear effect simply describes how spin is imparted to the ball when it is struck off-center and the club head rotates around it’s center of gravity. There’s a nice discussion of gear effect over at About.com, if you’d like to know the nuts and bolts.

What’s important to understand is that, in general, striking the ball toward the heel of the club will impart spin on the ball that will tend to make it fade or slice. To see if that’s your problem, simply get some impact tape (or use masking tape), hit some shots, and be sure that you’re not hitting the ball off-center.

Equipment

One other factor I want to touch on briefly is equipment. These days, equipment specs are becoming increasingly more important. There are so many different ways that clubs can be customized that it’s enough to give you a headache just thinking about it.

Swing speed is something you should be aware of. If you have a high swing speed, you’ll want to use clubs with stiffer shafts. Otherwise you could have problems getting the club face square at impact. This is an over-simplified look at the whole situation, so if you’re suspicious of your equipment, get a professional club fitting. The fitter will be able to match all the specs like shaft flex, swing weight, moment of inertia, face depth, lie angle, etc., to your swing.

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We’ve covered several of the causes for slices over the last couple of days. But what you really want to know is how to stop slicing. Well, be patient. Part of the understanding the cure is understanding the problem. If you understand why you slice the ball, you’re half way home. Then you can work on fixing it. Once you get to that point, if the slice rears it’s ugly head again, you’ll be ready to knock it right back where it came from.

If you’re really having trouble pointing to the cause of your own slice, schedule a lesson with your local PGA teaching professional. He/She will be able to recognize the problem quickly, and help you get back on track.

Tomorrow, I’m going to go over some of my favorite drills and training aids that will help you get rid of your slice.

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Further Reading:

Combat Your Slice (Life in the Rough)
Banish Your Slice (Life in the Rough)
Causes of an Over the Top Swing (Life in the Rough)
Some Other Factors That Can Lead to a Slice (Life in the Rough)
The Gear Effect (About.com)
The Grip (The Golf Drill Guru)

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