The Anatomy Of Slicing The Golf Ball

In order to slice a golf ball (impart a left to right ballthe get go. When the ball immediately begins left of
flight for a right handed golfer) you have to strikethe target line that tells you that your swing path has
the golf ball in a manner that will cause a clockwisecome from the outside to the inside.
rotation of the ball. The more dramatic the rotationNow, having done that with your swing, doesn't
the more dramatic or worse the golf slice.necessarily guarantee that you are going to slice the
For the context of this article, I will speak from agolf ball but you sure have made much easier for a
right handed golfer's swing and perspective.slice to occur. Now combine the outside to inside
When defining the golf slice there are a couple ofswing path with an open clubface at impact and you
basics characteristics to the ball flight. First, there isnow have a golf shot that starts left and has the
the slice that initially may start down the target linedouble whammy of a slicing swing path across the
then move off line in a left to right movement. Thisgolf ball, and an open club face. With these two laws
type of slice tells us that the swing path wasof physics going for you; you have just produced
traveling down the intended target line, but at impactone beautiful slice. One that only a proud parent could
the club face was left open and did not get back tolove! You know the one I'm talking about. The ball
a square position at impact. Usually this type of golfthat travels 300 yards total distance, but only about
slice doesn't produce as sever of left to right220 yards further down the course (if you can find it
movement of the golf ball since the swing path itselfall).
was not cutting across the ball in an outside to insideA golfer who is plagued with this type of golf slice is
manner. This type of slicing of the golf ball is moregoing to require quite a bit more work in order to
easily cured. And can usually be done so with a bit ofcorrect this because their basic swing is flawed and
work on the golfer's setup, alignment, and or grip.must be corrected. But, it's important to understand
The second type of golf slice is the one that plagueswhat it is in your golf swing and your golf swing
the vast majority of beginning and high handicapmechanics that makes the ball do what it does. Once
golfer's. This is the type of slice that produces theyou understand the 9 rules of ball flight you'll be more
'banana ball' type of flight and is very uncontrollableable to understand what it is in your swing that is
and frustrating.producing the flight of the ball you are seeing, and as
The attributes of this type of slice for the golfer aresuch you can more quickly address and adjust to
the ball will initially start left of the target lineensure success.
indicating that the swing path is incorrect right from