What causes a pull-slice?

(RH GOLFER): When hitting woods, I hit the ball one of three ways: either I pull it hard and straight or the path starts as a slight draw that slices back, but ends up on target (or I mis-hit, and either sky in the box or wormburn). The really frustrating part is that ALL my irons are straight (even the mis-hit, poor trajectory ones), but my woods all curve. Irons are steel shaft, woods are regular flex graphite.

Any thoughts?

Hi LowPost42,

You hit the nail on the head with you last sentance. The difference in your shafts will make a HUGE difference when it comes to fades/hooks/draws and slices. If you are pulling the ball, that's different. A pull is happening because you are turning your arms and upper body too fast (probably because of the weigh difference in the clubs - graphite is considerably less in weight). Slow your swing down and that should cure that problem. If you are skying your ball, you have it teed up too high. The centre (equator) of the ball should be just below the top edge of your driver. Keep us updated on your progress!!!!

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

Hi. I just wanted to post a short reply to your question about a pull-slice. Although I agree with the previous response to some degree, the stiffness of your shafts will matter more than the make of them alone. I play with stiff steel shafts for my irons and proforce gold shafts (also stiff) for my woods. While there is a difference in weight, the shaft alone is not typically the sole cause of of a pull or a slice (or hook/push for that matter). The problem generally lies in swing technique. A pull and slice are from the same family...both are caused by an out-to-in motion of the clubhead as it approaches the ball from impact. A pull results from hitting the ball on an out-to-in path with a closed clubface and typically travels quite far to the left (for a right hander). A slice occurs when the clubface travelling on the out-to-in path is open at impact, imparting side spin on the golf ball and causing it to travel to the right. It is important to see what "kind" of slice you are hitting (e.g. does it look like a big fade where it starts to the left of the target and goes right, or does it start on or right of the target line and fly further off line). Knowing this will help you identify your faults in the swing.
Another issue to note about pulling/slicing is that the lower the loft on your clubs, the more pronounced the slicing action will be...that is, the more sidespin you will impart on the ball. Thus, many people have a much more pronounced slice when hitting the woods than the irons. This may be the case for you. Something else you mentioned that I want to address is the "worm-burners" and "sky" shots you are hitting from the tee. Take a look at your ball height on the tee when you tee it up. You should be able to see about 1/2 of the ball above the top of the club when using a driver off the tee. If you keep your spine-angle constant throughout the swing, and make a nice "sweeping" swing with the woods, you should be able to eliminate these type of errors. A last note about slicing...make sure your alignment to the ball is correct. Many slicers are aligned to the left of the target at address in an attempt to compensate for a slice. This usually exagerates a slice and makes it worse, or, if you pull the shot, you are left with a long and very offline shot. So check your alignment with a club on the ground at your toes when practicing to see that you are parallel to the intended target line.
I struggled with the slice early on in my golfing days, so I will leave you with three drills for helping you cure the pull/slice. They all rely on training your body to swing more inside-out.
1. Training an in-to-out swing
With a 5 iron, take a normal address to the ball. Now,
with NO ONE around (i.e. in a big open field), place your feet
perpendictular to the target line (your back will be facing the
target). Place the ball in line with your left toe at a
comfortable distance, and hit some balls in this position. Do
This correctly, and you should cause an extreme hook on the
ball. Hit about 12 balls this way, then move to the next drill.

2. After doing drill 1, take a normal address to the ball (feet parallel
to the target line, use a club on the ground to check), and
move your right foot back so that the toe is even with the
heel of your left foot (for a right hander). With the ball a bit
back in your stance, hit about 12 balls. Again, you will be
imparting draw spin on the ball, but it shouldn't be as extreme
as in the first drill. This will also train your body to rotate and
post around your left leg.

3. After doing the first two drills, take a normal address to the ball,
with a club on the ground to check your alignment. Place your
golf bag (or another club) alongside the ball (farther from your
body than the ball). Place the ball about 1 to 1.5 in. from the
bag and hit about 12 shots trying not to hit the bag on the
downswing or follow through. This will help you train an inside-
contact-inside swing that will serve to put a slight draw on the
ball.

Finally, when you are done with these drills, hit some balls from a normal address position with a club along your toes for alignment, but nothing
else except a target to hit to. You should see your balls drawing, going
farther, and being more consistent. When you are done with the irons, move
to the woods, but I would advise you to not do drill 1 with the woods. The
others are ok though. It takes practice to eliminate these two faults, but if you are diligent, I think that this will help you out some...it did for me. Sorry about the length, just wanted to help.

harris_tx
handicap: 3

Thanks for the comments guys - it's time to start drilling.

harris_tx,

I know that the swing is a major cause of the slice, but LowPost said he hits all his irons straight and only his woods slice. I am exactly the same way. I can go from driver to driver to driver and hit one all fades, one driver only draws, one straight with my natural swing. I am not changing anything with my swing, it is the shaft that is the difference. If I want to play a draw or a fade, it is a lot easier if you have a club that you naturally hit straight.

Whitout being to technical the main cause of all slices:

Standing two close to the ball and this makes you take the club back on the inside and come back to the ball from the outside.

Cure.

Stand a little further away from the ball and take the club back exagerated on the outside and loop it at the top to the inside.

It works for me, try it


Ian.

If your take away is on the outside, your followthrough will be on the outside. Make sure your takeway is coming in as soon as your club starts back and you will follow the same line in on your throughswing.

Sorry Gord692,

If you take the club back on the inside you inevitably come back on the outside it always works opposite unless you have very very short swing then you generally stay inside all the time.

When I had lessons very recently I had to exagerate my takewaway outside and loop at the top to the inside.

It works for me, you just have to stick with it.


Ian.

Hi Ian,

Can we get a professional's opinion here? I want to hear a pro promote a loop at the top of the swing. Everyone knows Jim Furyk's swing is NOT what we should emulate. Watch most pros (i.e. Tiger Woods - who even has video clips on his website) and their backswing comes inside. Your downswing WILL follow your backswing. If you come outside on your backswing you will come outside on your downswing. You should NOT loop your swing - that's just asking for trouble.

Sure Gord lets see if any respond,

Just want to make it clear, When you are changing your swing from an out to in swing you need to exaggerate the outside takeaway and the loop to the inside to get the feeling what you are trying to achieve.

Exactly like Jim furyk only standing further away from the ball.


Hope this clarifies the explanation a little better.

Do you understand now?? it difficult to put into words

Ian.

I sorta follow guys, as I often (if I don't check it), have a steep inside takeaway, followed by an outside in swing. As long as I think about a low, long, slow takeaway, and 'keep my right elbow in my right pocket' on my downswing, my problems are solved. In fact, I hit a 225yd 5w from the first tee yesterday - straight as an arrow.