If You Slice The Ball You Need To Hear This!

Are you hearing a lot about "shallowing" your swing to fix your slice, but you're still struggling with inconsistent ball striking? It’s easy to get lost in the flood of golf tips on social media, especially when you hear phrases like “shallow the club” thrown around. But before you dive into fixing your swing based on this advice, it’s crucial to understand the reality behind shallowing and how it applies to your specific swing issues. In this post, we’ll explore the myth of shallowing the club and discuss the more effective ways to address a slice and improve your ball striking.

The Shallowness Myth: Not All Pros Do It

A common misconception in golf is that all professional golfers shallow their swings, but that’s not entirely true. In fact, many top players like Phil Mickelson, John Rahm, and Gary Woodland maintain a steeper swing path. This is especially the case when dealing with social media-driven golf advice, which tends to present blanket statements as universal truths. The reality is that while shallowing may help certain players, it isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, particularly for club players with specific issues like slicing.

Understanding the Open Face Slicer

To break it down, let’s focus on a common scenario: the open-face slicer. These golfers often struggle with a clubface that’s too open during the swing. Whether it’s due to grip, wrist angles, or body movement, their clubface can be wide open at the critical club shaft parallel position (P6). This results in the ball curving excessively to the right (for right-handed players), and it’s easy for these players to be told to shallow their swing in an attempt to correct the issue.

But what happens when these slicers shallow their swings without first addressing the face angle? Well, they’re often making things worse.

Why Shallowing Might Be a Problem for Slicers

Here’s the issue with the shallow-swing fix: When a golfer with an open clubface tries to shallow the shaft, it can make the face even more open. This exaggerates the problem, turning a mild slice into a massive one. Additionally, shallow swings tend to move the low point of the swing further back, which increases the chances of hitting fat shots. For golfers already struggling to hit the ground in front of the ball, shallowing only exacerbates this issue, leading to even more inconsistent contact.

Think of it this way: If you already tend to strike the ground behind the ball (leading to fat shots), adding a shallower angle means the club will hit the ground even earlier—compounding the problem.

The Right Way to Address Your Slice

If your ball is curving to the right (for right-handed golfers), it’s a sign that your clubface is open to the swing path at impact. To fix this, the first thing you need to do is get the clubface more in line with the path. If you focus on just altering your swing path without adjusting the face, you’ll likely end up with a worse slice.

Here’s how to approach it: Start by strengthening your grip to close the clubface. This will bring the face closer to the swing path, improving ball flight right away. You may even start hitting a pull or a slight draw, which is a better outcome than a big slice. However, this is just the first step.

Correcting Swing Path and Impact

Once the clubface is in a better position, you can start working on the swing path. For many slicers, the ball position is too far forward in their stance, allowing more time for the open face to square up. Moving the ball slightly back in the stance helps the clubface square up earlier in the swing and encourages a more effective path. This allows for better contact and cleaner shots.

It’s important to note that this process can take time. After adjusting the ball position and grip, you may still hit some left shots (pushed draws). That’s perfectly normal, and these shots will feel much better than the big, ugly slices you were hitting before.

Impact, Speed, and Control: The Real Fundamentals

At the core of every golf swing, there are three fundamental elements: impact, speed, and control. Among these, impact is the most important because it dictates both the speed and distance of your shots, as well as your ability to get the ball started on the right line. To fix your slice, the first step is getting your impact position right by ensuring you’re hitting the ball before the ground and consistently finding the sweet spot on the clubface.

In addition, it’s not just the low point’s location relative to the ball that matters. You also need to consider its depth and horizontal position. Proper depth and horizontal positioning of the low point will help you make solid contact with the ball and improve consistency.

The Final Fix: Getting the Right Face Angle

To summarize, if you're struggling with slicing, don't rush into a shallow swing. Start by addressing the face angle and the ball position. By bringing the face closer to the swing path and moving the ball slightly back in your stance, you’ll notice an immediate improvement in your ball flight. From there, you can begin working on shifting your swing path, making sure to prioritize control and impact.

Remember, don’t fall into the trap of thinking there's a quick fix or a magic bullet. Golf is about finding what works for you, and that's where working with a coach can really help. You wouldn’t diagnose yourself with a medical issue, so why try to self-diagnose your golf swing?

Conclusion: Focus on Face and Impact First

If you're struggling with an open clubface and a slice, the first step is not to shallow the club—it's to focus on closing the face and fixing the low point of your swing. Shallowing the club without addressing these issues could make your slice even worse. Once you have the face angle and low point under control, you'll have a more solid foundation for working on other aspects of your swing.

With the right approach, you’ll find that your shots become more consistent, with less curvature to the right. Stick with it, and remember that the journey to a better golf game takes time.