Golf Guide: Golf Swing Slice

Golf is one of the most popular individual games in the world. Played by a lot of people who love competing with themselves, we often find a lot of newbies thronging the golf courses across the world, trying out this game. But when the swing goes awry, does the game start really getting under their skin.

The game of golf is a lot about sharpening your own skills and achieving perfection. Hence, slice correction is one of the things a lot of golfers have on their 'to do' lists.

For those not introduced to it, the slice is what happens when the golf ball, once hit, goes towards the right or towards the left, instead of going straight.

The problem with the slice is, you're trying to hit the ball in one direction and it goes in another, which is pretty silly, because you're only driving the ball further away from the hole. Hence, this would make you feel that there is a immediate need to correct this fairly costly flaw in your game.

Review your stance. Let's go back to the basics here. While taking the shot, your feet should be a shoulder-length distance apart. You should be comfortable with your height and the grip of your club. Your shoulders should not be tensed. Keep them just loose enough to be able to deal with the ball assertively in the right direction.

Review your grip. Are you holding the club too tight? You'll have to loosen your grip on the club and hold it easily. Assuming you hold the golf club to your right hand side, the grip should have your left hand on the club, and your right hand over the left hand. Once again, don't hold the club too tightly.

When you take the shot, it is pretty clear that your backhand is what gives the power to your shot. Hence, the movement of the backhand needs to be inch perfect. The forehand also has its role in giving direction to the shot. So the whole motion needs to be aligned to perfection.

Now, the mistake which we all make is that when we take the shot, we generally swing the club like a baseball bat. To make sure that the shot goes straight in the direction in which you want it to go, stand closer to the ball, lift the club straight up, and bring it down without any deviation.

Do not try to hit the ball too hard, because too often that is the culprit behind the slice. Make sure that the swing is a sweeping motion and that the follow through is straight in the direction of where you want the ball to go.

But correcting the swing slice is not simply about correcting the movement and getting it right. It is also something which demands patience, practice, and persistence.