Welcome to the 2005 golf season.  My goal with all my students is to teach them how to teach themselves.  With knowledge and correct application, everyone can improve greatly.

We begin our series with the most common problem I see - slicing the ball.

What makes the ball slice? Face angle: the angle the clubface strikes the ball and makes the ball curve. Generally this is combined with a swing path that goes in the opposite direction of the curve. Path goes left - ball curves right.  There are some drills and adjustments you should try to help correct the slice.

Grip 
A proper grip does three things:

One - It secures the club.  The club should not change positions in your hands for the entire swing

Two - It allows the arms and hands to hinge properly - leverage

Three - It squares the club through impact

Begin with a neutral grip - the grip should be finger-oriented, holding the club in the fingers more than the palm.

You should see two - two and a half knuckles of the left hand. Also look for the V formed by both thumbs and index fingers of both hands to go to the right shoulder.

Drills

1         To feel what should happen during the swing, place your left hand on the club and your right hand on top of your left. As you swing the club, you should feel the hands and arms freely rotate throughout the down swing.

2     Take swings with the idea of hitting the ball with the toe of the club.  This will aid in allowing the club to rotate aggressively and earlier in the down swing.

 3      Swing at shoulder height.  This baseball type swing will help you feel the very obvious rotation of the club head

4     Split your hands on the club.  As you swing, you will again feel the clubface rotating.

5          The path of the swing should deliver slightly from the inside of the target line.  Almost all slicers approach the ball with a path going from outside the target line. The easiest way to understand the path is as if you were throwing a ball forward - underarm.

The slicer's path travels "over-the-top" of the lower body, as if you were to throw a ball at the ground.

Drills:



Lay two clubs on the ground - one parallel to your target line and one to the right.  Try to mimic the path of the club pointing to the right.














With a club on the ground, place your club directly over it. Swing the club from the inside of the club to the outside of the club, promoting an in-to-out path.

The whole idea is to create a swing that travels from the inside of the target line to the outside of the target line, while the clubface squares or even closes prior to impact.  Try these drills. I'm sure they will help.  Stay tuned for more hints next month.

Peter Gerard