why can i hit golf ball straight on driving range and slice on the course?

by Magdalena Cassin 3 min read

Should you hit the golf ball straight or curved?

Golf is a game that is usually played by curving the ball in toward the target, which is why there is some debate as to whether or not you should even try to hit the ball straight . One of the most important things you can do in your golf game is to have a plan for each shot that you hit.

Why is it so difficult to hit a straight golf shot?

Already, it should be pretty easy to see why it is difficult to hit a straight golf shot. To hit the ball straight, you have to be swinging directly down your target line at the moment of impact, and the club face has to be perfect square to the target.

Why do I slice my golf ball?

There may be no greater power loss than a slice. The ball sometimes starts out ok and then makes this depressing curve, robbing you of all of your potential distance and power. You can fix that slice, but it starts with understanding what causes it in the first place… 1. Open club face The most common cause of a slice is an open club face.

Should you hit the same golf clubs on the range?

You hit the same club repetitively A typical warm up on the range would be to move steadily through your bag from short clubs to long clubs. While hitting the same club all the time can be just fine if you are working on a technique change, it does not resemble what happens on the course at all.

Why am I hitting well in the range but not on the course?

An example of this might be if your posture is not balanced and in good position, you may practice enough to slow your swing down to make some contact. By hitting ball after ball you can time these adjustments enough to hit really good shots on the range because of the repetition.

How do I stop slicing a golf ball while driving?

How To Fix Your Slice: 7 Simple Steps To Straight Golf ShotsDon't Aim Left.Position Your Golf Ball Properly in Your Setup.Take Note of Your Divots.Fix Your Grip.Keep Your Elbow Tucked During Your Backswing.Transfer Your Weight.Release the Club Prior to Impact.

Why am I slicing the ball with my driver?

A slice shot is caused by a poor grip and setup, an outside-to-in downswing path and an open clubface. An outside-to-in path occurs when the golfer reaches too far on the downside, bringing the club down to the right of the ball (outside), relative to the target line.

Does having the ball too far forward cause a slice?

Be careful not to play the ball too far forward, however, as this will only exacerbate that slice and lead to even more left-to-right curve. Once you establish ball position, make sure to get your body aligned correctly--in particular, your shoulders. They should be square, or parallel left, of your target line.

How do you fix a range slice?

7:138:185 simple ways to fix your golf slice (they work) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBut if you want to fix your slice you don't want to hit the heel you want to hit the middle. Or ifMoreBut if you want to fix your slice you don't want to hit the heel you want to hit the middle. Or if anything slightly more towards the toe.

Why do I slice with my driver but not my irons?

The main reason that a driver will slice, but not the irons, is the length of the club. With a golf driver being longer than a golf iron, it is much harder to square the club face and release the club at the proper time. Golfers of all ability levels struggle with this concept.

Can ball position cause a slice?

When you hit your driver your ball position should be more forward. Ball position that is too far back can cause a slice and/or a pop up. As your move your ball more forward it is also important that you allow your shoulders to tilt back and away from the target.

How do I stop my driver's grip from slicing?

3:3411:18Simple Grip Change to Stop Your Slice - & Hit Driver Straight - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipGet your elbow just gently just rotate it in into the pressure position. Then look from here keepingMoreGet your elbow just gently just rotate it in into the pressure position. Then look from here keeping this here. Then rotate your bottom hand towards the target look at this.

Does higher loft reduce slice?

A higher driver loft can help a slice because it will help to encourage a bit more forgiveness and backspin on the driver. These features of a higher lofted driver are going to help improve a slice and straighten out overall ball flight. A slice is often caused by a bit too much side spin being applied to a golf ball.

Does a strong grip cause a slice?

The ball will always leave the clubface, at a right angle to the clubface, regardless of the path the club is swung on unless there is enough time and force to alter what's known as the Venturi Effect. 2. A strong grip eliminates a slice.

What happens if ball is too far forward in stance?

Ball position; it's one of the oldest fundamentals in golf. If it's too far forward, it may be causing you to hit thin or fat shots and miss shots to the left. If it's too far back, you could be hitting tops, chunks, and missing the ball to the right.

Does a weak grip cause a slice?

You might have a so-called "weak grip," which means your thumbs are more at the top of the club. When you swing with this type of grip, your hands resist their natural tendency to return the clubface square at impact, and instead, they leave the clubface open which causes a slice.

Why do I slice my driver when I swing hard?

A common cause of a slice is that the golfer is swinging the club too fast. Swinging the club harder will not necessarily result in greater distance off the tee, but it does usually result in a slice. In a fast swing, the arms come through the ball before the body weight can be shifted into the swing.

How do I stop my sliced tee off?

1:027:27How To Fix A Slice With A Driver (So Simple!) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipPosition you can play golf with a weak grip. But not if we're trying to fix the slice pattern. IfMorePosition you can play golf with a weak grip. But not if we're trying to fix the slice pattern. If you have a weaker grip I need you to get those hands turned clockwise.

How does a golf ball slice?

In simple terms, the ball will slice if the clubface is open to the club’s path at impact. Which means that even if your clubface is pointed left of the target line (closed) at impact, if your club is travelling on a path that’s even further left your golf ball is going to curve to the right. image: GolfTec. And the more the clubface is open ...

How to hit a golf ball in slow motion?

Take the club back on an exaggerated outside path on the backswing, then loop it down to the inside at the start of the downswing. And do it in slow motion. You can hit balls, but make sure you’re swinging no-more than 40-50%. If the ball travels 30 yards that’s absolutely fine.

What is a slice in golf?

What Is A Golf Slice? A slice in golf is when the ball curves excessively to the right (right handed golfer) or to the left (left handed golfer). Note: For the rest of this guide I’m going to use right handed examples. If you’re left handed, then just reverse the instruction.

What does it mean when the ball is open shoulders?

And open shoulders means a club path to the left, which of course combined with an open clubface, leads to a slice.

How to stop shoulders from spinning out of the way?

Start your downswing with a small shift (hip bump) to the left before swinging your arms through. That will stop your shoulders from spinning out way over the swing plane, and help to neutralize your path. If you’re still out-to-in, then you should see more of a fade than a big ugly slice.

How to hit a golf ball with a headcover?

Place a headcover just behind and outside the golf ball. If you swing over the top and come out-to-in , you’ll hit the headcover. To hit the ball, you’ll have to come from the inside. There’s no other way to do it.

What is the square part of golf?

The square part is when you hit the ball. The first two fixes are bandaids to stop you slicing. But working on your path is actively trying to improve your golf swing (with the associated benefit of eliminating your slice). Rather than focusing on the how here, I’ve found it’s best to give your brain a task.

Tiger struggles with it

A friend of mine sent me this video a few weeks ago after Tiger Woods played at the Greenbrier Classic. I want to show it to all of you to give you some perspective.

How do you fix this?

I believe the way to relieve this tension is a combination of two things. You need to get out on the course more, and learn to be more comfortable with an actual round of golf. Too many golfers are just not used to being on the course, and their nerves get the best of them because they don’t have enough experience.

What is a golf slice?

The dreaded golf slice – a ball that can start any direction, but curves dramatically to the right (for a right-hander) – often into the trees or out of bounds. Amateurs try all sorts of things to fix their slice;

What is swing path?

Swing path refers to the direction the club is moving through impact (more right or left). All else being equal, a swing path that is more left will send the ball more right – a game of opposites.

Can you draw a slice with a left swing path?

Sure – you can’t draw the ball with a left swing path (barring some wild gear effect – see later), but you can manage it and turn a slice into a fade (like Hogan, Nicklaus etc) by having the face LESS OPEN to the path. An “out-of -control” slice is created by a combination of a left swing path AND a face that is too open (to the right of) that path.

Why do I keep slicing the golf ball?

There may be no greater power loss than a slice. The ball sometimes starts out ok and then makes this depressing curve, robbing you of all of your potential distance and power.

Why do I slice my golf club?

1. Open club face. The most common cause of a slice is an open club face. This open club face will give you contact that isn’t square and often feels like a “side swipe.”. The most common cause of an open club face is an incorrect grip as your hand position will directly reflect in the face. You can make this adjustment by turning one of both ...

What are the challenges of golf?

One of the great challenges when studying golf is knowing when information is correct for you. The foot positions that are great for the the tour players, might not be appropriate for anyone with flexibility limitations. A square back foot and a flared forward foot will affect the swing path and produce a slice for many golfers who have limitations.

What is the purpose of a square face golf club?

One of the great stabilizers of a square club face is to keep your underarms relatively close to your body throughout your golf swing. If on your backswing or your downswing your underarms move away from your body, it is very easy to open the face.

How to rotate back on a golf swing?

If you slice the ball try the opposite. Flare your back foot and square your forward foot. This will help increase your ability to rotate back and also slow your body rotation down on your forward swing, both helping with path and sequencing of body and arms. 1. Open club face 2. Thumbs too on-top of the grip 3.

What happens if you move your ball too far back?

Ball position that is too far back can cause a slice and/or a pop up. As your move your ball more forward it is also important that you allow your shoulders to tilt back and away from the target. Your lead shoulder should get higher and your back shoulder lower.

How does width affect golf swing?

If the lead arm stays too stiff for too long on your forward swing, this will not only hold the club face open and making the ball s lice, but also delays the release of the club face and the speed associated.

When you consider the difficult of hitting the ball straight in addition to the advantages that curves provide, should you be

When you consider the difficult of hitting the ball straight in addition to the advantages that curves provide, you should be able to move on from this topic without so much as a second thought. Forget about straight shots and embrace the challenge of curving the ball in toward your target on each and every swing.

Why do you put an extra club down on the ground?

If necessary, set an extra club down on the ground to help with alignment to make sure you are set up directly at that target before you swing. Since you are going to be attempting to hit the ball straight, it is important that you aim directly at the target you have picked out.

What are the three basic shots that will achieve the goal?

There are three basic shots that will achieve the goal: 1) A straight one; 2) One that starts left of center and curves to the right; and 3) One that starts right of center and curves left.

Where is the bunker on the green in golf?

The hole is cut on the left side of the green, only a few steps from the edge. That edge is guarded by a deep bunker, meaning your ball would only need to wind up a few yards to the left of the hole to find big trouble. Playing your third shot from that bunker would almost certainly result in a bogey (or worse).

Is it hard to hit a straight shot in golf?

Already, it should be pretty easy to see why it is difficult to hit a straight golf shot. To hit the ball straight, you have to be swinging directly down your target line at the moment of impact, and the club face has to be perfect square to the target.

Is 2 or 3 a good shot shape?

Chances are, either 2 or 3 is your natural shot shape. Golf is hard enough without trying to hit the ball dead straight. Doing so requires both a swing and a clubface that are precisely aligned with the target at impact, which is not only difficult to pull off, it's entirely unnecessary.

Is golf a hard game?

Golf is a hard game, and there is always going to be some degree of unpredictability to what takes place on the course. However, by playing an intentional curve, you can have a better idea of whether the ball is likely to miss to the right or left of the target you have selected.

How to hit golf balls?

1. Grip - you do not want your hands turning too much towards the target. We want to strengthen your grip, or turn it away from the target so you can see more knuckles (2:10 on the video to see how to do this). Change the grip, then hit golf balls. It might take some practice, but this is the first stage. 2.

Why do you have to let the golf ball release?

Reduce the pressure on the back of the golf ball - you need to let the club release because you are holding on way too much. When you apply too much pressure, the handle gets very high and you get underneath causing you to either block it to the right or flip it way left.

How to prevent hooks in golf?

1. Grip - so to prevent those hooks, we want to reverse the entire process for curing a slice. The right hand is likely too much under the club, so you need to move your hands towards the target. Rather than have maybe four knuckles on the lead hand showing, we want to see two or three.

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