Surprising cure for a slice?

[andrue]

I've developed a slice with my driver and longer hybrids not a serious one but worse than my default fade. The ball appears to start off straight but after it reaches the zenith of its arc begins to curve more and more to the right.

 

So I spent some time trying to resolve it tonight and discovered a strange cure. I tried and tried to get the club going in to out but despite looking like it was I was still getting the slice. I got some good height but time again the ball fell off to the right.

 

Then I decided to try varying ball position and was surprised to discover that if I put the ball more forward (opposite my toes instead of inside my heel) the slice became a fade. Quite a gentle fade. I imagine it must be giving me more time to close the club face but I would've expected to develop a straight pull instead. Can anyone explain what could be going on here?

[BeerPerHole]

I have fought the same kind of problem. What I understand is that it is a path problem. In your case, maybe moving the ball forward changed the path. If it changed the face angle (often would be the case with that solution) the ball would start off the face more to the left. Maybe it caused you to shift your center toward the target more on your downswing(?)

[andrue]

I have fought the same kind of problem. What I understand is that it is a path problem. In your case, maybe moving the ball forward changed the path. If it changed the face angle (often would be the case with that solution) the ball would start off the face more to the left. Maybe it caused you to shift your center toward the target more on your downswing(?)

So in effect you're suggesting that not only have I given myself more time to close the face but I have actually moved my path forward as well, simply because I have to to hit the ball.

 

I did feel like I was having to throw myself forward to get to the ball so it must have had some effect on my swing path. Hmmm. That sounds quite promising. A possible fix rather than a temporary patch. Time will tell I suppose.

[Hilts1969]

I've developed a slice with my driver and longer hybrids not a serious one but worse than my default fade. The ball appears to start off straight but after it reaches the zenith of its arc begins to curve more and more to the right.

 

So I spent some time trying to resolve it tonight and discovered a strange cure. I tried and tried to get the club going in to out but despite looking like it was I was still getting the slice. I got some good height but time again the ball fell off to the right.

 

Then I decided to try varying ball position and was surprised to discover that if I put the ball more forward (opposite my toes instead of inside my heel) the slice became a fade. Quite a gentle fade. I imagine it must be giving me more time to close the club face but I would've expected to develop a straight pull instead. Can anyone explain what could be going on here?

 

This is the old argument about what to change first face or path, If your shots started straight at the target and that is where you were aiming it indicates the face was square to the target but the path was out to in. I also tend to move the ball forward only if the ball starts right.

 

You have to be quite confident of your alignments and know what type of slice you have without track man.You could be swinging out to in with an open face and now it’s slightly less open. You need to mention where your aiming and where the ball is starting.

 

In some ways the target is irrelevant when trying to solve these problems.

[PowderedToastMan]

By moving the ball more forward, in most cases, it closes the face and makes the path more left (for right handed golfers). You also felt like you were lunging forward, which will also encourage a left path and steep move. You need quite a bit of secondary tilt and must keep the head behind the ball at impact to have a neutral path with such a forward ball position.

 

My guess is that if you didn’t lunge forward, you’d see that straight pull you thought you’d hit. I wouldn’t make huge changes though because it sounds like you normally hit a pretty straight ball with not much curve.

[andrue]

Played again Thursday night but I couldn't really get my driver or any of my longer clubs working so didn't learn much there. My wedges and mid-irons were very good though as was my short game. As for my normal drive the ball usually flies off pretty much toward the target where I'm aiming. Then at about the apex it begins to curve right. It's not often a disaster but it is a bit disappointing. Historically my ball flight has always been fairly low but over the last year I've worked on my irons and they now launch quite well. I've even cured the pull I was getting with them.

[Harleyweedwhacks]

I've developed a slice with my driver and longer hybrids not a serious one but worse than my default fade. The ball appears to start off straight but after it reaches the zenith of its arc begins to curve more and more to the right.

 

So I spent some time trying to resolve it tonight and discovered a strange cure. I tried and tried to get the club going in to out but despite looking like it was I was still getting the slice. I got some good height but time again the ball fell off to the right.

 

Then I decided to try varying ball position and was surprised to discover that if I put the ball more forward (opposite my toes instead of inside my heel) the slice became a fade. Quite a gentle fade. I imagine it must be giving me more time to close the club face but I would've expected to develop a straight pull instead. Can anyone explain what could be going on here?

 

It's not strange at all. I used to have around 85-90 mph clubhead speed back when I was 17, and I sliced the hell out of everything. The ball wouldn't go past 150 yards. It wasn't really a slice, it was a massive push-fade that started right and curved further right. I ended up one day placing the ball more forward in my stance, instead of being placed off my heel it was off my toes (as you did) and the ball went dead straight and gained 50 yards. After a while of hitting the ball straight, I went back to the heel ball position, and got punished. Push slices again.

 

It's mostly a narrow stance that causes the ball off the heel to cause a push fade, because it's actually back of where it should be. With a wider stance, the ball position off the heel would be fine. I find ball position should be determined by the upper body, not the lower. Place the ball off your forward shoulder with driver, this is correct for most.