by James Ruhnke

Created on: April 30, 2008

The solution to slicing is quite simple. The reason you slice is probably the most common of all reasons. You come at the ball from outside the target line and your club face is open to the actual path of your swing. What you have done is the same thing a baseball pitcher has done to throw a curve ball. You have imparted a sideways spin on your ball.

Now, you must realize that the amount that you swing outside in and the amount your club face is open is much, much more than you can believe! I used to slice myself and found a way to see exactly how bad my fault was. I took a piece of scrap carpet and spray painted it with a quick drying paint. As soon as the paint was tacky I put down a practice ball and took a swing with a 7 iron. Then I simply looked at the sole of the club and observed the direction of the lines left on the club by the paint on the carpet. I was horrified by what I saw. The club had come into the ball with a face that was open 40 degrees! No wonder I couldn't get any distance or direction!

This open face and outside swing path is caused by something which is very easy to understand for any human golfer. You want to hit the ball far. So, it makes sense to swing very hard to make the ball go very far, right? WRONG! What the desire to swing hard causes is for you to go about hitting the ball with the same type of swing that you would use to throw an anvil. But, an anvil is not made to be thrown and a golf ball IS made in a certain way in order to go very far. You simply have to hit it in a way that compresses the ball and at the same time makes the ball spin backwards and not sideways. Backspin in absolutely essential in making the ball fly far and straight.

The best way to compress the ball and to make it spin backwards is to apply the face of the club to the back of the ball with the club face square and your swing path on the intended target line. NOW...to the good part.

To swing in the manner that makes the ball do the right things all you need do is make positive sure that your left arm NEVER, EVER comes away from your left chest. Take a club in your left hand and put your left bicep in contact with the left side of your chest. You don't have to jam it in there with any force. Just put it next to your chest nice and easy. Now, using only your left arm, take the club back only as far as it will go without the bicep leaving the spot it was on your chest when you started. You should immediately be aware that this backswing is a lot shorter

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