How To Close Your Club Face And Stop Slicing

Are you struggling with accuracy and slicing the ball off the tee or on your iron shots? Many golfers mistakenly focus solely on adjusting their swing path, thinking that’s the main culprit behind their errant shots. But the key to improving your ball flight accuracy lies in controlling one very important variable: the club face. In this post, we’ll explore how your club face affects ball flight and share actionable steps to help you get the club face in the right position for a more consistent, powerful swing.

The Importance of Club Face Alignment

Your club path and club face angle are the two primary variables that influence the direction the ball starts traveling. While the path certainly matters, the club face has a more significant impact on accuracy. A common mistake is that players focus too much on coming from the inside to fix a slice, when in reality, they’re missing the bigger issue—the open club face.

If you’re slicing the ball, simply trying to swing from the inside may only provide a temporary fix. It’s like putting a Band-Aid on a wound without addressing the root cause. To truly improve your ball striking, you need to focus on controlling the club face position throughout the swing, especially in critical moments like takeaway, transition, and impact.

How the Club Face Affects Your Swing

To understand how to correct your club face and eliminate the slice, let’s break down the key checkpoints throughout the swing.

The Takeaway: Setting the Stage

In the early phase of the swing, particularly during the takeaway, it’s essential to ensure that your wrists, forearms, and hands are in proper alignment. A common mistake occurs when golfers allow their hands to roll over, causing the club face to open prematurely.

Here’s how to fix it:

• Start by feeling some extension in your trail wrist (your right wrist if you're a right-handed golfer) during the takeaway. This wrist extension helps set the correct angle.
  
  
• Pay attention to your forearms: your trail forearm should be slightly on top of the lead forearm at this stage, not underneath.
  
  
• As you rotate your body, try to keep your hands relaxed and avoid excessive manipulation of your arms or wrists.
  
  

This setup will help you reach a neutral position at the top of the swing, where your club face is aligned with your spine angle, setting you up for a solid strike.

Lead Arm Parallel: Building on Your Setup

As you continue your backswing, focus on maintaining the correct forearm orientation. From lead arm parallel to the ground, your right forearm should remain on top of the left, with minimal wrist rotation.

• Feel your right wrist hinge slightly backward (extension), while your upper body rotates. This motion helps keep the club face closed.
  
  
• At this point, your right forearm should still be above your left, not underneath.
  
  
• By avoiding excessive wrist manipulation, you maintain the club face angle, preventing it from opening prematurely.
  
  
  

The Transition: Avoiding an Open Face

Many golfers, when transitioning from the top of the backswing to the downswing, make a critical mistake: they over-manipulate the club face in an attempt to come from the inside. This results in the club face opening, often leading to high, weak shots or slices.

Here’s the correct approach:

• As you start your downswing, feel your right elbow extend and lower naturally, guiding your hands back toward the ball.
  
  
• Focus on the palm of your right hand (for right-handed golfers) facing toward the camera as you lower your hands. This will help keep the face in a strong, closed position.
  
  
• By staying in this strong wrist position through the downswing, you prevent the club face from rotating open and keep your ball flight on track.
  
  
  

Drills to Strengthen Your Club Face Control

1. The Palm Push Drill

Setup: Begin by addressing the ball in your usual position.

Execution: As you swing, exaggerate the feeling of pushing your right palm down and forward, as if trying to push away the club. This will encourage your right arm to stay on top of the left, preventing the club face from opening.

Tip: The sensation of pushing your palm down through the swing will help keep the face in a closed, controlled position and improve ball contact.

2. The Lead Arm Level Checkpoint

Setup: As you reach lead arm parallel in your backswing, check the alignment of your arms.

Execution: Make sure your right forearm stays slightly on top of your left forearm. The palm of your right hand should be facing the camera, not rotated away.

Tip: This drill encourages proper wrist extension and forearm rotation, which helps maintain a closed club face and avoids the over-rotation that causes a slice.

The Role of Grip in Club Face Control

A common problem for golfers who slice the ball is an improper grip. If your grip isn’t functional or neutral, it can cause your club face to open during the swing. This creates the need for excessive manipulation, which only makes the problem worse. If you're slicing consistently, it’s worth revisiting your grip to ensure that it’s aligned with your swing goals.

Once you’ve adjusted your grip and begun working on the checkpoints above, you’ll start to feel what it’s like to hit the ball with a more closed club face. From there, you can start working on controlling your swing path and fine-tuning your shots.

Conclusion

Improving your ball flight accuracy isn’t just about coming from the inside to fix a slice. It’s about managing your club face position throughout the swing—from takeaway to transition to impact. By focusing on wrist and forearm alignment, maintaining the correct club face angle, and using the drills mentioned above, you’ll be able to keep your face square to the ball and hit more accurate shots. Remember, the path to a better ball flight starts with mastering the club face.

With practice, you’ll notice a dramatic difference in your ball striking and overall accuracy on the course.