‘How do I fix a slice’ is one of the most frequent questions I get asked.

I have given hundreds of lessons over the years to every level of player – from the complete beginner to some of the best players on the European tour – and ‘how to fix a slice’ is by far the most common, and therefore is the most popular lesson I give!

A slice is a ball that curves hard to the right for the right-handed golfer. So if you tend to lose most of your long shots right, and miss your short shots left, hit too much of a divot or hit the ball off the top of your club, the following advice will help to fix the curve and put yards on your shots.

I often ask my students, even those that have played for a long time, ‘what causes you to slice?’ And almost without fail they tell me they swing “too steep” or they “come over the top” or “they swing from out to in”. However, I tell them that an ‘out-to-in’ swing never caused a slice and I demonstrate it by taking their club and swinging hard left and we watch the ball fly straight left of the target.

So if you want to fix a slice and hit the ball straighter you have to fix the club face and the arc. The first two tips will help you with your club face and then you can try the arc drills.

1. Strengthen Your Grip
You may think that this means to hold the handle tighter, but you would be wrong. I just want you to rotate both hands clockwise so that the creases formed between the thumbs and forefingers point to the right of your chin maybe all the way to your right shoulder. And try to keep the grip more in the fingers.

2. Don’t Open the Face

When you move the club away from the ball try not to rotate the face open too soon. When the shaft of the club reaches parallel to the ground, the face of the club should look at 10.30 on a clock face and not 12 o clock as some coaches may teach. I like the face to stay square to the arc and not fan open. You should also be aware of the club face mirroring the same position on the downswing.

3. Around – Not Straight Back

The shape of the golf swing should look like a tilted circle. For example, if you take the London Eye and tilted it forty five degrees then that is the image you should use in your golf swing. Golf is a side on game like rounder’s or baseball. I often get students to start to feel this by lifting the club so it is parallel to the ground, then swinging the club on an arc shape around their body (like a baseball player would). Trying to keep that image, I ask them to gradually bend forwards from their hips until they have settled into a good set-up position, with the club resting on the ground, then feel the club work around and up at the same time. The club needs to scribe the same arc on the down swing.

4. Low to High Drill

The first time I saw this drill used was by top coach Rick Smith who used to work with Phil Mickleson. Start the drill by dropping your right foot back 12 inch’s this will help to promote the hips to stay closed, then put the club head back level with your right heel about 4 feet behind the ball. From this position swing forward over the ball letting your forearms rotate to a nice high finish. This shallow to high shape is the opposite that most slicers make.

5. Use the Right Tools

If you’re not willing to change your technique then make sure your driver has enough loft, maybe 13 degrees or more, and a closed face or offset and a softer flex shaft with a lower kick. A combination of the above should help reduce the amount of side-spin on the ball so keep you in play more often.