Slicing only the driver or off of the tee

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Question: Does anyone else slice only their driver, or only when using a tee?

 

I have found that the modern drivers are pretty much unplayable for me. No matter what I do, I cannot seem to stop the slice. 75-85% of the time, I hit them with a slice. Same for 3 wood off the tee. This applies to moderns and classics.

 

I have tried a lot of fixes. Sometimes I can hit them straight at home, but that is lost by the time I get to the course. I am thinking that having the ball elevated might have something to do with it, but I am not sure. I'd like to fix this on my own.

 

Don't think I slice anything else. Might hit a push now and then. I've been working on an inside / out swing, and my only swing thought (usually) is to hit it over the short stop's head. Sometimes it works, most times it does not. Classic 2 - 4 woods give me better misses. Just once I would like to play nine holes from the left side of the world.

 

Any ideas? Driving iron? Don't use a tee? Hit a 3W off the deck? Hybrid?

[sgsst18]

Not sure if you are playing these clubs at the factory standard lengths? Perhaps try taking an inch or so off the length. Play them at max 44.5 inches. It should be easier to get around.

[TimV]

Make sure you are swinging clear through the ball into a full follow through. Some guys slice because they basically stop their swing at contact. Unfortunately slicing can be caused by a lot of different things. Try backing up or moving a little closer to the ball and check the effect. I emphasize that any change must be incremental though so you actually know what the change effects.

[jslane57]

There was an interesting comment on the Driver vs. 3-wood thread about the higher moi of the drivers, the harder it is to get the driver to square up. Makes perfect sense. You may have a combination of things going on. Shorter shaft may help. Mini driver or strong 3 may help. AOA may help. Playing a slice (fade?) with the driver my help. That's what I do:) If I want to hit a draw, it's the strong 3 for me...

[zzyzxx33]

When I try and swing/hit my driver to hard it goes Right of Right! I work on controlling my driver swing by taking a full swing but only try and hit the ball 100 yards.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

I'll measure the driver when I get home. I wonder if there is something about putting the ball on a tee that mentally gets me all out of position, swings for the fences, and all screwed up. As opposed to hitting a fairway wood / iron, which is much more controlled.

 

Thought I might try to tee it very very low and hit a 5 wood off the tee for a while to see if I slice that.

[raggal62]

Of all the clubs in the bag, the driver has the most potential to impart sidespin to the ball. One reason is that it has the least amount of loft. Combine that with it's longer length and you can see why many golfers have control issues. The shorter the club, the more loft it has, and thus less sidespin and more backspin occurs. Easier to control.

 

Without seeing your swing it's just guesswork, but I would venture to say that your natural ball flight is left to right, and you just put more of that spin on your driver due to the reasons above.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Of all the clubs in the bag, the driver has the most potential to impart sidespin to the ball. One reason is that it has the least amount of loft. Combine that with it's longer length and you can see why many golfers have control issues. The shorter the club, the more loft it has, and thus less sidespin and more backspin occurs. Easier to control.

 

Without seeing your swing it's just guesswork, but I would venture to say that your natural ball flight is left to right, and you just put more of that spin on your driver due to the reasons above.

True. My natural ball flight is left to right. In order to hit it straight, I have to close my stance and feel like I am really coming over the top of the ball with my right side / hand. I try to roll my right hand over with an abbreviated follow thru. And stand up facing the target on the finish.

 

That's what I am trying to do, at least. I try to maintain a smooth tempo (waltz) and think Ernie Els when I swing. However......

 

The longest drive of the day yesterday was one where I was swinging very hard, and out of balance on the follow thru. Almost fell over. But it was straight and long, about 40% longer than normal for me. Not good, I know.

 

It's just a bit frustrating. I should try to play for a while with just my three and four wood plus irons. When I get the moderns in my hands, the light weight just gets the better of me, I think.

 

Actually, I would be better off teeing off with my pitching wedge and hitting irons to my 4 wood distance. Playing the hole backwards, if you will... Or 5 Iron, then 4 wood, then short iron or wedge. Good grief...

[raggal62]

There are many golfers out there in your shoes.

 

Something that has helped a lot of banana ball hitters are high lofted, offset drivers. The offset helps in terms of squaring up the face at impact, and the higher loft angle helps cut down on the sidespin. Not to say that you can buy the straight ball, but it may be a fun experiment.

[defender2803]

80-90% of golfers slice...it is inherent. Best thing to do is have someone video you from behind and next to you facing your front to find out how you are driving. Drivers and woods are the hardest clubs to hit...just because we are human.

 

Reasons you slice:

club path

grip

stance

hips

back swing

follow through

elbow position

wrist position

head position

foot position

ball position

 

Incorrect reasons you slice:

The club

 

There is a swing videos forum on here that gives advice on swings...good place to start. My best advice is take a lesson from a reputable golf instructor.

 

Things I have fixed from just watching videos of myself...

back swing, hands at impact, follow through...I now slice 1 out of 5 when before I was right turning so bad I could turn my body left 90 degrees off the tee and hit the fairway every time. I have always hit irons and hybrids straight as an arrow but not the driver or woods.

 

Not to slap anyone but there is no driver on the planet that will fix a slice. It is always the indian and not the arrow.

Watch this series:

And this one:

 

I am no golf pro but I have helped many friends by just watching videos of them and giving them general suggestions. You really need a golf instructor to find the flaws and fix them. Find one that doesn't try to change your swing but to fix it.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

@defender2803: I understand what you are saying, and I agree. However, what am I missing. If 80 - 90% of all golfers slice, wouldn't the slice be evident on the hybrids, fw woods, and irons as well?

 

Someone told me that the driver should be viewed as a specialty club. If I take that view, and if all of the above factors go into the slice, then I am probably better off just going with the club - using my existing swing - that gives me the best chance at a relatively straight shot with the most distance off of the tee ground, and not even bothering trying to figure out why just the ball hit off of a tee slices. Just figure out which club I hit the best, and go from there and enjoy my game.

 

Right? That seems a whole lot less frustrating to me.

[Z1ggy16]

I'm very lucky that I've taken lessons and heeded the advice of many here, and no longer hit a slice. I will still hit a push, but the banana is no more.

[mocokid]

I'd give my left n#t to hit a true SOLID slice left to right, take it from a LT hooker, a strong slice is better, How do I come over the top??

[defender2803]

@defender2803: I understand what you are saying, and I agree. However, what am I missing. If 80 - 90% of all golfers slice, wouldn't the slice be evident on the hybrids, fw woods, and irons as well?

 

Someone told me that the driver should be viewed as a specialty club. If I take that view, and if all of the above factors go into the slice, then I am probably better off just going with the club - using my existing swing - that gives me the best chance at a relatively straight shot with the most distance off of the tee ground, and not even bothering trying to figure out why just the ball hit off of a tee slices. Just figure out which club I hit the best, and go from there and enjoy my game.

 

Right? That seems a whole lot less frustrating to me.

80-90% slice the driver...sorry should have pointed that out. I am in that group that hits everything fine but woods and driver are boomerangs.

 

I used to tee off with a 2i or a 2h and that was fine. However now I can hit driver (some what) successfully and am gaining extra yardage all the time. Yes the game was enjoyable before but now it is even better now. To me it is about doing better each time and improving. I still have off days and slice but that is part of any sport. Never give up on what you can learn and what you can achieve. You don't have to be a Palmer but I bet he would tell you to keep trying to improve yourself.

 

Last guy I helped was baseball swinging the driver and the face was almost pointing skyward as he knelt in and pulled his elbows...he finished with his arms side by side and slicing to the woods. Showed him the video of himself and it took a few swings but he started releasing his hands and BANG...dead straight. He was a pretty young kid and started full swinging out to 270. What he is doing right now I don't know but the joy in his face when he started sending them to the fences was enough for me.

 

I always sliced driver and could hit the 2i 160-180 consistently straight so I used that. Now I hit driver 200-250 and 60-80% straight. And that was just me fixing what I could see and about 10000 balls at the range. Remember the definition of insanity and you will know why golf is truly frustrating.

[birly-shirly]

I'll measure the driver when I get home. I wonder if there is something about putting the ball on a tee that mentally gets me all out of position, swings for the fences, and all screwed up. As opposed to hitting a fairway wood / iron, which is much more controlled.

 

Thought I might try to tee it very very low and hit a 5 wood off the tee for a while to see if I slice that.

 

Almost every design feature available has been built in to your driver to exacerbate any tendency in your technique to curve the ball one way or another.

 

Add to that, I do believe that some clubs will have a curve bias one way or the other. I tend to curve the ball right to left, but there have been some drivers that stubbornly go right on me - so I don't think that considering a change of club is total self-delusion.

 

I don't think putting the ball up on a tee will make you slice though. If anything, I think most people find that teeing the ball lower encourages a fade and a higher tee encourages more of a draw action, or at least less of a slice. Playing the ball too far forward in your stance could cause a slice.

[Juice__25]

I use to be the same. I would draw everything except the driver. Huge banana slice. Defender is right, you have to nail down the reason your slicing.

 

It could be the same issue I had. I didn't have a good weight shift with my longer club. My body was instinctively hanging back on my back leg with my hands way behind the ball. My body thought this will help get the ball in the air. This will cause my face to severely open up causing a high banana slice. This might be why your best drive was when you were out of balance. You still didn't necessarily have a proper weight shift but being out of balance gave your hands time to catch up to the ball.

[baloo]

Doug - I'll have to teach you the ways of the snap hook next time we play lol... Been battling it for years

[Salazar]

@defender2803: I understand what you are saying, and I agree. However, what am I missing. If 80 - 90% of all golfers slice, wouldn't the slice be evident on the hybrids, fw woods, and irons as well?

 

Someone told me that the driver should be viewed as a specialty club. If I take that view, and if all of the above factors go into the slice, then I am probably better off just going with the club - using my existing swing - that gives me the best chance at a relatively straight shot with the most distance off of the tee ground, and not even bothering trying to figure out why just the ball hit off of a tee slices. Just figure out which club I hit the best, and go from there and enjoy my game.

 

Right? That seems a whole lot less frustrating to me.

 

I have been working on a very similar problem. After seeing instructors and recording my swing it was evident that I was actually still getting very steep/ over the top with an open face with the irons too. The reason I was still able to hit a draw with them was because I was able to to manipulate the club just well enough close the club face before impact. It's a lot harder to time that correctly with a driver and 3 wood, thus my issues with slices off the tee.

 

I obviously can't say whether you share the same problem or not, but since working on things instructors have pointed out to me, and recognizing that it was in issue throughout the entire bag, it has gotten a lot better, and feels so good to be able to not have to aim OB left to keep the ball in play. And my iron/wedge play has gotten more consistent as well.

 

Yeah you can bag the driver, try to play for the slice/ fade on the course, etc. like I have done quite a bit but those are just band aids that won't fix the problem.

[Wriggles]

I had a horrible slice most of my golf life. As I've grown older, swing speed has decreased, but the banana ball has gone away, for the most part. Slow the swing down, and the slice will go away. It's golfing nature to try to kill the ball with the driver. No one gets distance obsessed with the other clubs, so a smooth swing prevails, and no slice.

 

My slice was so bad, when I was in my 20's and 30's, I'd get depressed when old guys (like me now) outdrove me. Now, I'm outdriving some young guys.

 

Kill Kill Kill the ball does not work.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Thanks for all of the replies.

 

Last night I took "Frankenstein" out to the practice tee. It's a Tour Edge Bazooka Black with a stock regular flex shaft. Setting up in a reverse K I was able to hit it fairly straight to with a slight fade, which is what I am trying to accomplish.

 

And later last night and this morning, I was re-reading Arnold Palmer's book - "My Game and Yours". Thinking through what I have been doing, and what he recommends, led me to the conclusion that I was making several mistakes simultaneously.

1. Going back too far on my backswing - reaching for too much turn - over extending, which leads to:
   
2. breakdown of the left arm
   
3. loosening of the grip
   
4. moving the head
   
5. slice
   

So, trying to gain more distance by intentionally reaching back too far (beyond my 57 yr old arthritic capabilities) (only because it has been so warm and I have felt fairly good & pain free), intentionally keeping my grip too loose, and intentionally bending my elbow (just straight at impact) has resulted in an uncontrolled swing, an incorrect grip throughout the swing, an unsteady head, and a slice.

 

I started out the year with a more compact swing, as Arnie recommends, focusing on my grip, slow takeaway, 3/4 swing, smooth tempo, staying in balance, keeping my head in place thru impact, and a stand-up follow through. Somewhere along the line I lost that focus.

 

Next time out I am planning to take a minimalist set up to the three wood and working on that 150 yd shot off the tee.

Swing keys: Check grip, low and slow one piece takeaway, control swing, steady head, smooth and balanced. Obviously I will not be thinking about all this on the tee shot, just as I warm up and practice before the round. We'll see how it goes.

 

Trying to get back to where I was at the beginning of the season. I think I just over reached and let the swing get out of control.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Kill Kill Kill the ball does not work.

 

Added your words of wisdom to my profile, hopefully prompting me to remember them. Very True. Thanks!

 

Now that would be funny for a swing thought: "Kill - Kill - Kill" LOL

[TimV]

Kill Kill Kill the ball does not work.

 

Added your words of wisdom to my profile, hopefully prompting me to remember them. Very True. Thanks!

 

Now that would be funny for a swing thought: "Kill - Kill - Kill" LOL

 

Buddy, That IS the swing thought of most of the guys under 35 I've played with!

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Kill Kill Kill the ball does not work.

 

Added your words of wisdom to my profile, hopefully prompting me to remember them. Very True. Thanks!

 

Now that would be funny for a swing thought: "Kill - Kill - Kill" LOL

 

Buddy, That IS the swing thought of most of the guys under 35 I've played with!

 

The swings I admire most are the players, men and women, who look like they aren't really trying at all. Their swing is just so fluid and graceful, powerful without looking like they are straining at it. I saw a new kid on TV the other day like that. I wish I could remember his name. It just looked so effortless and beautiful, and the results were good.

[Porker]

I have also been learning a lot from watching and reading swing videos on the wrx. Since I have been working on a flatter swing, my swing path has been more inside out. It's not that consistent and some interesting hook shots have surfaced but I'm excited about the future.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Progress again last night. Picked up a small Dunlop Metal wood (X-PT, 17-4 Stainless) yesterday at the thrift store and took it out for a spin to the practice tee. Focused on keeping my head steady, strong grip, & a compact 80% swing. Tee set at 1". Ball brand varied. Ball flight was an acceptable fade, near normal distance for me.

 

I define a "fade" by a relatively straight shot that curves gently from left to right, and ends up near to or a bit right of the target, and when it hits the ground it bounces and rolls essentially along the same curved path.

 

I define a "slice" as a shot that starts curving on an aggressive left to right path, and is significantly shorter than normal, ending up under the trees on the right, in the right rough, or over in the next fairway or two. The slice cuts off about 40 - 60% of my distance.

 

So no slice with two different drivers. That is progress. As I was hitting balls, I tried to put just a little more mustard on a couple and could see the effect in a more pronounced fade. That was good feedback.

[Wriggles]

Kill Kill Kill the ball does not work.

 

Added your words of wisdom to my profile, hopefully prompting me to remember them. Very True. Thanks!

 

Now that would be funny for a swing thought: "Kill - Kill - Kill" LOL

 

You do me great honor.

 

Much appreciated!

[kobe882]

Let me say that I never give advice to playing partners and dont consider myself qualified to give swing advice unless someone asks for it. I think I know just enough about my own golf swing to be dangerous.

 

Having said that, the way I learned to not hit a slice was to learn how to hit a draw. Not that you have to play a draw, but if you know how to hit one, you understand the swing enough to understand what is going on.

Whatever it takes for you to hit a draw, probably a combination of grip, setup, swing path, and really releasing the club.

 

A lot of times what you think you are doing and what you feel you are doing are not actually what is really happening. Lots of guys who slice have a huge out to in path even though im sure to them it feels not as severe.

 

Try and watch playing partners who have a dominant shot shape and try and figure out why the ball curves the way it does.

 

Hope at least maybe something i put here helps you, good luck.

[scomac2002]

Let me say that I never give advice to playing partners and dont consider myself qualified to give swing advice unless someone asks for it. I think I know just enough about my own golf swing to be dangerous.

 

That's exactly how I feel. I can hit a beautiful draw with a variety of clubs. The sad part about that is that I'm not sure how I do it, but when my swing is off, I block everything to the right. That's supposed to mean that I'm not releasing the club, but I wonder if it just means that I'm hitting a bit too inside out. I can't say I hate the high draw because that's the game I play! :tongue:

[oldschoolrocker]

Might I suggest Monte's "Drive for Dough" video. Check it out. Can really get you out of your head with swing thoughts and such and get you into freeing yourself up by using pre-swing intentions.

[Ol_Pardner]

First, grip the club and check to see if the alignment features (lines on victory and other grips, and/or reminder rib) tend to open the club face even minimally from the square position (doesn't take many degrees).

A second "quick fix" is to add 1 swingweight equivalent in lead tape biased towards the toe. Causes a gradual closing of the club face on the downswing.