How to Fix a Slice: The Only 2 Things Golfers Need to Know

If you haven’t figured out how to fix your slice, I’m gonna make this really easy for you:

Your slice is happening for only one of two reasons.

Figure out which reason it is, and you can get rid of the slice once and for all.

That’s what we’re doing here today. You’re going to learn the two possible causes of a slice and how to determine which one is plaguing your game. You’ll also discover a quick solution no matter which error is to blame.

Let’s get into it.

BONUS: Get Todd Kolb's FREE Slice Fix Cheat Sheet!

How to Fix a Slice: Key Takeaways

Here’s the short version of everything we’re about to cover:

The first possible cause of a slice is accidentally rotating the clubface open in the takeaway.
You can resolve an open clubface by making sure you see as many knuckles on your lead hand in the takeaway as you do at impact and by feeling the butt end of the club move away from the target in the takeaway.
The second possible cause of a slice is an out-to-in swing path.
You can correct your swing path using the Baseball Drill.
Look at where your ball starts to determine which issue is causing your slice. If your ball starts to the right (for right-handed golfers), the problem is the clubface. If it starts toward the target and then veers right, the problem is probably your swing path.
The Contra Slice System is a highly effective way to fix a slice for good.

Want more details? Keep reading.

Possibility #1: The Clubface is Open at Impact

You might have the clubface square to the target at address, but if you’re constantly slicing, there’s a decent chance the face has rotated open by the time it returns to impact position.

And when does this happen, exactly?

Nine times out of ten, the problem is in the takeaway.

How to Fix a Slice When Face Orientation is the Problem

If you’ve developed a bad habit of accidentally rotating the clubface open in the takeaway, there are two things you can do to fix the problem.

Check Your Knuckles

When you’re at address, look down and notice how many knuckles you see on your lead hand. Just as an example, let’s say you see two knuckles.

Check your lead hand again when you’re about halfway back in your backswing.

If you still see two knuckles, the clubface is square.
If you see more knuckles, the clubface has rotated open.
If you see fewer knuckles, the clubface has rotated closed.

In other words, you want to see the same number of knuckles at address and in the takeaway.

Now, I know it’s not realistic to ask you to count knuckles during your actual golf swing. But you can still work on this fix by rehearsing the takeaway.

Look at your knuckles, swing halfway back, and check your knuckles again. Repeat this simple motion several times, and your body will learn what the correct takeaway feels like.

Move the Butt End of the Club Away From the Target

Here’s a more immediate fix you can use on the golf course today:

On the takeaway, feel the butt end of the club moving away from the target.

When you focus on this feel in your takeaway, you might realize you’ve been doing the opposite—hinging the club so the butt end moves toward the target as the clubhead moves away. That causes an open clubface you probably won’t be able to correct before impact.

Keep the butt end of your club moving away with the clubhead, and you’ll maintain the square face you established in your setup.

Possibility #2: You’re Swinging Over the Top

If face orientation isn’t an issue for you, then the problem is your swing path.

An out-to-in (or over-the-top) swing path promotes a slice.

It’s also a common habit that a lot of amateur and senior golfers struggle to correct. Not to worry. I’ve got a fun way to master an in-to-out path that promotes a high draw instead.

How to Fix a Slice When Your Swing Path is the Problem

When I have a student who struggles with this habit, I have them practice the Baseball Drill. Here’s how it works:

Take your regular setup.
Aim your feet, hips, and shoulders toward right field if you’re right-handed or left field if you’re left-handed. This puts you in a closed stance, with your toe line tracking to the right of the target line (right-handed).
Make sure your clubface is pointed at center field, square to the target.
Take your golf swing.

This probably isn’t the advice you were looking for when you searched for tips on how to fix a slice. Kind of sounds like you’re aiming for a slice here, right?

But when you combine this swing path with a square clubface, what you actually get is a nice, high draw.

How Do You Determine Which Problem is Causing Your Slice?

Of course, before you can try any of these fixes, you need to figure out which of these two issues is actually causing your slice.

Fortunately, that’s pretty easy to do. You just have pay attention to where your ball path starts.

If you hit the golf ball and it immediately starts to the right of the target (if you’re right-handed), you’ve most likely got a clubface problem.

If your ball flight is initially on target but then works to the right, it’s probably a swing path issue.

BONUS: Get Todd Kolb's FREE Slice Fix Cheat Sheet!

How to Fix Your Slice for Good

I often say that traditional golf instruction makes things more complicated than they have to be, especially for amateur and senior golfers.

That’s certainly true when it comes to the slice.

In fact, I’ve developed a simple system for a slice-free golf swing that anyone can master. It’s called the Contra Slice System, and it’s rooted in the principles of my senior-friendly golf swing, the Vertical Line Swing.

That means no complicated maneuvers, just body-friendly strategies that are easy to learn and fun to practice.

If you really want to know how to fix your slice and eliminate it from your game for good, you’ve got to check out the Contra Slice System. Click here for instant access.

About the Author

PGA Teaching Professional Todd Kolb is a five-time Golf Digest Best-in-State Instructor, Amazon Best-selling Author, and Minnesota PGA Teacher of the Year. In over 30 years of coaching, he’s worked with from newbies to an LPGA major champion. He’s currently the Director of Instruction for VLS Golf and USGolfTV and dedicates his efforts to helping the everyday golfer cut through overcomplicated traditional instruction to find solutions that actually work for them.