Fix a Slice and Hit a Golf Ball Straight Every Time
August 15, 2008
Fix a Slice and Hit a Golf Ball Straight Every Time
If you are constantly hooking or slicing your shots, you will want to know how to hit a golf ball straight. Clearly, every golfer desires a straight shot because it gives you maximum yardage of the tee. In addition, if you can hit a golf ball straight down the fairway, it makes your approach shot to the green that much easier.
Why is it that many golfers find it difficult to hit a golf ball straight? First it is necessary to comprehend what causes the ball to move from left to right (a slice) or from right to left (a hook). If you know how to fix a slice or hook, you can then practice how to hit a draw or a fade which are useful skills to know so that you can shape your shots around hazards or dog-legs.
In order to keep this article short, I will describe what causes the slice and how to cure a slice; for the hook, the description and cure are the opposite of a slice. When the golf ball has a significant tilt of the spin axis to the right or in a clockwise direction, a slice will occur. With a slice, the ball ends up to the right of where you are aiming and the phrase is used when the flight of the ball is acute or inadvertent. The less severe version of the slice is called a “fade.”
When you understand the basics of the golf swing you will know that you have to return to the original place at impact if you want to hit the ball squarely and straight. When the club face is open at the point of impact, a slice will occur and the ball will spin in a clockwise direction. Generally, the swing path is correct but the golf ball is not hit squarely at impact; this is normally caused by a “weak grip.”
The first thing to check is your grip when you find that you can’t hit a ball straight. The one cause that can shape the path of the balls flight is the strength of the grip - it doesn’t matter if you use an interlocking grip, an overlapping grip, or a ten finger grip. To fix a slice, experiment with moving your hands around on the grip, over to the right, into a more strong grip position.
If you want to cure a slice, then try changing some of the following factors: Don’t grip the club too tightly so that your muscles tense up in your wrists and forearms. If you can work on increasing your golf swing speed then not only will you increase your distance, you should be able to reduce the amount of side spin and therefore cut down on the chance of slicing the ball. Check the flex of the shaft that you currently use; if you are a powerful hitter of the ball then use an extra stiff or stiff flex; if you are a medium hitter of the ball then use a regular or firm flex; and if you can’t drive the ball more than 200 yards, then use a ladies or a senior flex.
The setup position is also important if you want to hit a golf ball straight. Keep everything square and parallel to the target. Your feet, hips, and shoulders should all be parallel to the target line. With a driver, place the ball opposite the instep of the left foot and don’t stand too close or too far away from the ball - the sole of the club should be grounded and not tilting forwards or backwards.
Remember all the basics of the golf swing; keep your eyes on the ball, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly flexed, spine straight and chin up. I won’t go into detail about the golf swing here, just take your club back straight and bring it down again on the same plane. Maintain the same swing speed throughout the backswing and the downswing - don’t try to over hit the ball.
There are two more swing faults that can stop you to hit a golf ball straight down the fairway - the push shot and the pull shot. Not like the slice, the push shot is when the ball flies of the club face to the right and the pull shot to the left. The push shot is a direct action of the golf swing that is caused by an in-to-out swing path and the pull shot is caused by an out-to-in swing path. Both the push and the pull are effects of an improper golf swing and not remembering the basics of the golf swing.
Mick Euan Tait has more free golf swing tips including how to hit a golf ball straight and fix a slice
Also, if you sign up for his newsletter you will receive a free Mini-Series taken from his book “The Ultimate Guide To Golf.”
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mick_Euan_Tait
http://EzineArticles.com/?Fix-a-Slice-and-Hit-a-Golf-Ball-Straight-Every-Time&id=1250810
