How to Fix a Slice: 5 Simple Drills
The slice — a shot that curves hard to the right for a right-handed golfer — is the most common miss in amateur golf. It costs you distance, accuracy and usually a few balls per round. The good news: it's almost always caused by the same two things, and both are fixable with simple drills.
Why you slice it
A slice happens when the clubface is open relative to the direction the club is travelling at impact. In plain language: the face looks right of where the swing is pointing, so the ball starts left (or straight) and then curves right.
For most amateurs this comes from two habits. First, an 'over the top' downswing, where the shoulders throw the club outside the target line. Second, a weak grip or a cupped lead wrist at the top, which leaves the face open. You don't need to memorise angles — you need drills that give you the feeling of the opposite.
Drill 1: The split-hands drill
Grip the club normally, then slide your trail hand several inches down the shaft so your hands are separated. Make slow, small swings. This makes it almost impossible to throw the club over the top — you'll feel the club drop behind you on the way down, which is exactly the feeling that kills a slice.
- 1.Separate your hands a few inches down the grip.
- 2.Hit small pitch shots at 40% speed.
- 3.Feel the trail arm working 'under' the lead arm on the way down.
- 4.After 10 balls, put your hands back together and try to keep the feeling.
Drill 2: Headcover under the trail arm
Tuck a headcover (or small towel) under your trail armpit and hit balls without dropping it. This keeps your trail arm connected to your body, which stops the arms from flying out and cutting across the ball.
If you slice badly, this drill will feel strange at first — that's the point. Ten balls a day with the headcover in place will change your delivery within a couple of weeks.
Drill 3: Rotate the grip, not the hands
Take your normal grip, then rotate your hands clockwise on the handle — you should see two or three knuckles on your lead hand at address. This is called a 'stronger' grip, and it gives the face a head start on squaring up.
Don't rebuild your whole grip in one session. Rotate it slightly, hit a small bucket, and let your hands adapt over a week.
Drill 4 & 5: Close the gate, then verify
Drill 4: place a tee in the ground just outside the ball and one just inside, a few inches ahead of it. Swing so the club 'closes the gate' — passing inside the outside tee after impact. That path lets the face square instead of staying open.
Drill 5 is verification: film one swing face-on and run it through Caddigo's free analyzer. Your shot shape should drift from 'big slice' toward 'slight fade' as the drills take hold — that's how you know it's working.
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