How to Stop Slicing the Ball in Golf

The slice is the most common shot in amateur golf — and the most frustrating. You aim down the middle, swing hard, and watch the ball curve hard right (for right-handed players) before landing in the rough, the trees, or someone else's fairway entirely.

The good news: a slice is almost always caused by one of two things, and both are fixable.

What Causes a Slice?

A slice happens when the clubface is open relative to the swing path at impact. The ball starts left of your target (or straight), then curves sharply right. The further open the face, the more severe the curve.

Two factors cause this:

1. An over-the-top swing path — the club moves from outside the target line to inside through impact, creating left-to-right sidespin
2. An open clubface at impact — the face points right of where the club is travelling, adding more spin

Most slicers have both problems. The grip and swing path issues feed each other.

Fix 1: Check Your Grip

A weak grip (hands rotated too far towards the target) makes it almost impossible to square the face at impact. It's the single most common cause of a persistent slice.

What to do:

• At address, look down at your left hand (for right-handed players). You should see two to three knuckles — not one
• The V formed by your thumb and forefinger should point towards your right shoulder
• If you can only see one knuckle, rotate your hands clockwise on the grip (slightly right on the handle)

This feels wrong at first. Do it anyway. A grip change takes 2–4 weeks of range work to feel natural.

Fix 2: Fix Your Swing Path

An over-the-top move starts in the downswing when the shoulders spin outward before the arms drop. This throws the club outside the target line and produces the steep, cutting contact that creates sidespin.

Drill: Headcover gate Place a headcover about 6 inches outside the ball on your target line and 3 inches behind it. Your goal is to swing down and through without clipping it. This forces the club to approach from the inside, which is exactly what you need.

Drill: Trail foot back Drop your trail foot (right foot for right-handed players) back 6–8 inches from your normal stance. This closes your hips at address and naturally encourages an inside-out swing path. Hit 20 balls in this adjusted stance — the feeling is what you're after.

Fix 3: Slow Down

It sounds counterintuitive, but swinging harder usually makes a slice worse. Speed amplifies whatever is wrong with your mechanics. At 60% tempo, you have more control, the body syncs better, and the face has more time to square up.

Spend a session at the range hitting at two-thirds of your normal effort. Focus entirely on the path and face feeling, not the distance. The distance will come back once the mechanics improve.

Fix 4: Tee the Ball Higher for Drives

Teed-up drivers encourage an upward strike, which reduces the loft effectively and smooths out sidespin. Low tees encourage the steep, cutting action that makes slices worse.

Tee the ball so the equator of the ball sits level with the top edge of the driver face. Most slicers tee it too low.

When to Get a Lesson

If you've worked through these fixes and the slice persists, a lesson with a PGA professional is the most efficient option. A coach can identify which part of the sequence is breaking down and correct it at source — usually in a single session.

Trying to self-diagnose a persistent slice from YouTube videos is possible, but it's slow. A proper diagnosis and a targeted fix is faster and sticks better.

Browse golf lesson vouchers or use our Gift Finder to find the right lesson type.

See also: how to improve your golf swing, common golf mistakes, how to grip a golf club.