What is a Slice?

A sliced shot is one that curves from left to right (for a right handed golfer). The reason the ball moves that way is due to the spin imparted at impact. The spin is caused by the club face being open.

What Causes a Slice?

The major cause of a golf slice is the stance being too open. This will produce an outside-in swing which will result in too much spin on the ball.

Another cause is having a weak grip. A weak grip will allow the shaft to rotate and the club face will not impact square on the ball. A strong grip can also contribute to a slice.

The position of the ball is another possible cause a slice. If the ball is forward in the stance, it will force the shoulders to open.

To Stop a Golf Slice

The first thing to do to stop a golf slice is to look closely at your alignment. Your shoulders, hips and feet should be in line with the target line. Place a club on the ground to check your feet are aligned, and have a friend look at your hips and shoulders. Your belt buckle needs to be pointing straight towards the ball.

The next step is correcting the grip. Remember we said earlier that either a strong or weak grip can cause a slice, so grip the club firmly, but not too hard. Place the left thumb of the right hand along the line of the shaft and grip the club. You should be able to see the first two knuckles of the left hand, and the V between your left thumb and index finger should point towards the right eye.

The ball should be positioned so that your shoulders can remain square to the target line.

Start your backswing slowly, keeping the club head low to the ground and your right elbow close to your side. Your swing must remain smooth and relaxed. At all costs, avoid jerking the club into the down swing. Just let the body uncoil and let the club do the work. Remember that distance is achieved by club head speed, not arm strength.

The best thing to do to stop a golf slice is to determine the cause of the problem and work on that area until you’ve got it right. Once you rid your game of the golf slice you improve your scoring and enjoying the game a lot more.

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“If you setup correctly, there’s a good chance you’ll hit a reasonable shot, even if you make a mediocre swing. If you setup the ball poorly, you’ll hit a lousy shot even if you make the greatest swing in the world.”

Your stance in golf is also referred to as the address, or set-up. It is the foundation of your golf swing.

When you build a house, you start with the foundations, and it needs to be built well. A proper golf stance is key to creating a good golf swing. If you get it wrong, you will never develop a consistent golf swing.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a good golf swing stance right now. You can learn more in my free report that I will tell you about a bit later.

Developing the correct stance for golf accomplishes three things:

1. Because your posture is correct and feet positioned correctly you will have good balance.

2. Your body will have the ability to coil and uncoil throughout the entire swing.

3. You will have the ability to generate the maximum power from your swing.

So, what’s the best way to develop the proper golf stance?

Balance and Alignment

When you address the ball, your shoulders, hips, knees and feet need to be in the same line as the target line. To get the correct alignment, try laying a club on the ground, pointing towards the target. Then place your toes just off the club, and make sure all everything else is in line with your feet.

Feet Position

For good balance, it is important to have your feet the correct distance apart. As a rule, they should be shoulder width apart for mid irons, 5 centimeters wider for long irons and woods, and 5 centimeters narrower for short irons.

Your back foot should be square to the target. The front foot needs to be pointing slightly towards the target. Around 20 to 40 degrees is ideal. This allows for the correct rotation during the downswing.

Ball Position

The position of the ball in relation to your feet will vary depending on the type of shot and the lie of the ball. Generally, the following is for an average lie on flat ground.

With short irons and wedges, the ball should be in the middle of the stance.

Mid irons should have the ball slightly forward toward the target.

When playing a long iron or fairway wood, the ball should be about 2 balls width toward the target from the center.

For the driver, the ball should be about 3 balls width from center.

Weight Distribution

In order to develop the proper golf stance we need to consider weight distribution. Avoid the tendency to put your weight on your heels or toes, but rather, keep your weight on the balls of each foot.

When playing mid irons, the weight should be distributed evenly on both feet. For short irons, try to put about 60% of your weight on your front foot and with long irons and woods, about 60% weight on your back foot.

As you address the ball, keep your knees slightly flexed and directly over the balls of your feet. Your hands will hang slightly forward of your midline. Your shoulders and arms will form a triangle with your elbows pointing toward your hips.

A great way to develop a correct stance for golf is visit a golf professional. Within a short time they will have those foundations built so that you can build the rest of your swing with confidence.

Learn more about the proper golf stance, and loads more golfing tips in my FREE report. Enter your first name and email address below and grab your copy.

Getting some beginner golf instruction from a golf instructor, or golf professional is a good idea. Learning the basics of a good grip, the correct address, and a solid swing will set you on the right track.

If you’re not ready for a trip to the pro just yet, that’s fine. You can grab a copy of my “Become A Better Golfer” report that is filled with tips that will help. I’ll tell you more about that later.

It is difficult to break bad habits once they are formed, so it’s best to get the correct beginner golf instruction so you can build a solid foundation, and practice the correct techniques.

Here are a few tips that all beginners should work on.

One of the main areas where beginner golfers struggle is on the green. If you can develop a good putting style, then you’re going to save yourself a lot of strokes in a round of golf. Here are two drills to get you putting like a pro.

Place your ball on the green and then put a coin about six inches in front of the ball. Stick a tee in the ground about a foot behind the ball. Set up so your putter is square to the line of your target, and swing back until your putter touches the tee. Continue your swing forward and make sure that your club face remains square right through hitting the ball until it passes over the coin.

Another drill to assist you to with the length of your putts is to place six tees in a line, about 3 feet apart. Practice putting the ball to each tee, and only working on the length of the putt. You want to make sure you don’t leave it a long way short, or hit it well past the tee. This drill makes you focus entirely on the length of the putt without concern for accuracy.

Beginner golfers often have a problem with lifting their head too early when making a shot. The result is usually that the club makes contact with the top of the ball, or in the worst case, the ball is missed completely. Keeping the head down throughout the entire swing is vital.

The best way to ensure this does not become one of your bad habits is to simply take lots of practice swings and focus on a piece of grass where you imagine the ball would be. As you complete your downswing and into your follow through, continue to look at the same spot. Keep your eyes down for 2 seconds before looking up. This is probably one of the best beginner golf instruction tips you will get.

Hitting the golf ball straight is another area that is often difficult for beginners. There are many aspects of the grip and swing that can effect the direction of the flight of the ball, but most times the problem is in the alignment.

Having an open stance will usually cause a slice, and a hook will result if your stance is closed. Many golfers struggle to line their feet, hips, shoulders, and clubface at the target. It is common to see beginner golfers with their clubface pointing at the target, but the line of their feet in a totally different direction.

This beginner golf instruction drill is best done on the practice fairway. Pick a target, and lay a club on the ground with the grip pointing toward the target. Then stand with your toes just off the club with your hips and shoulders square to your feet. Place a ball in the center of your stance, grab a club, and set the club face at right angels to the club on the ground. It might not feel right, but everything is lined up with the target.

If you can get your alignment right, you should be consistently hitting the ball down the middle in no time.
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The interlocking golf grip allows both hands to work as one, and having the fingers interlock ensures that the hands do not come apart at any stage during the swing.

Here is a short video illustrating the interlocking golf grip.

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Anyone who has played more than a couple of games of golf would be aware that it is the short game that takes the most strokes. Have you ever had a 3 putt, or 4 putt, or even a 5 putt that has destroyed what could have been a good score.

The good thing is, if you incorporated some golf putting drills into your routine, you can eliminate all those disasters, and become more confident on the putting green.

Don’t worry if you are struggling on the green at the moment, you can get heaps of putting tips in my free report that I will tell you about soon.

There are three essential elements to consider when it comes to improving putting.

• Maintaining a smooth putting swing
• Keeping the face square
• Achieving distance control

Maintaining a smooth putting swing

If you are going to use any golf drills, they should be done with a specific goal and purpose. This drill will help maintain a smooth putting swing, which is the key to solid ball striking and good tempo.

Place a ball on the green and then put a small coin on the ground about 15 centimeters in front of the ball. Next, you need to place a tee in the ground about 30 centimeters behind the ball. Bring the club back until it just barely nicks the tee and then immediately go into your fore-swing. Keep your arms moving in a pendulum fashion and make sure that you keep your hands still.

Keeping the Face Square

If you don’t keep the face of the putter square, you will make contact with the ball with the face either open or closed. The result will be you push the ball on the incorrect line. This drill will have you playing with you putter face square in no time.

Again, place a ball on the practice green and place a coin 15 centimeters forward of the ball and a tee 30 centimeters behind the ball. Bring your putter back until it taps the tee and observe that the face is still square. Then swing it forward, again watching to ensure that the face stays square as it passes over the coin.

Achieving distance control

The most critical part of putting, is to learn to control the distance the ball runs. This becomes more difficult as it will depend on the speed and slope of the green. There is no substitute for lots of hands on practice when it comes to honing your skills on the green.

There are many different drills and practice exercises to help improve distance control, but one of the best is to simply stake out six tees, about one meters apart, with the last tee being 6 meters away. Then, concentrate on getting the ball to each of the tees consistently.

If the ball rolls a little past the tee, that’s OK. What you don’t want to see is the ball rolling well beyond the target tee, or stopping short. The real benefit of this drill is that you are not aiming at a flag or a hole. If you were, it could distract you and cause you to focus more on accuracy than distance. While it’s true that distance and accuracy must work together, there are times when they should be learned separately.

These are only a couple of the many golf putting drills that are available. To master your skill on the green, you will need to invest time and effort. Once you start to improve you skills on the green you will quickly see your scoring improve.

You’ll find more golf putting drills and helpful putting tips in my FREE report. Just enter your first name and email address in the form below and grab your copy now.

The very best shot off the tee is one that imparts little backspin to the ball, has a low trajectory, and has enough power to continue rolling once it hits the ground. If you can get all that happening, you will be hitting the ball longer and straighter, and your game will improve significantly.

Don’t worry if you’re not hitting the ball straight right now, you can learn all the skills in my free report that I’ll tell you about soon.

The first thing to learning how to hit a golf ball straight is to understand the importance of leverage throughout the entire swing. To achieve proper leverage, keep your head behind the golf ball from your setup, right through to impact.

The second important issue is that distance comes from club head speed than brute strength. Golfers who try to muscle their way through the shot will almost always end up with a poorly hit ball. It is the hips and legs that generate speed and power, not the arms.

When using other clubs, there is some flexibility when it comes to swing path, but not with the driver. As you begin your backswing, it is important to keep the swing plane low.

Another consideration when learning how to hit a golf ball straight is to have your hands lead the club head at impact. This is what people mean when they say to “let your wrists break”.

Many golfers make the mistake of trying to suddenly stop their swing once they hit the ball. The best way to avoid that, is to let your arms and body move all the way through the swing, including the follow through.

Another key to learning how to hit a golf ball straight is to ensure you have a loose grip on the club.  Concentrate on whipping the golf ball with the club rather than chopping at it.

If slicing the ball is a problem you face, try to slow your downswing. You may be coming down too fast or too hard, causing you to come out of the proper swing path. Another tip for avoiding the slice is to examine your grip. If you cannot see two or three knuckles when looking down at your grip, there is a good chance you will hit a slice.

This same grip tip will also apply to those who hook the ball. When you look down at your grip and see more than two or three knuckles, your grip is going to change at impact and cause you to hook the ball.

One last tip for learning how to hit a golf ball straight is to make sure you are not pulling or pushing the ball. This can happen whether you are coming off the tee or hitting off the fairway.

You will be able to tell if you are pulling or pushing the ball by checking the divot that’s left behind. If the divot is pointing to the left or right of your target line, it is because your body is not properly aligned.

If you implement these tips, your game will improve.  There are more tips on how to hit a golf ball straight in my FREE report.  Enter your name and email address and grab your copy now!

It is obvious that every shot you ever play in a game of golf will be different. The distance to the green, the lie of the ball, the length of the grass and the speed of the green will always vary. Therefore there is no one chip shot that is better than the next. It will depend on a variety of conditions.

Let’s be more specific about golf chipping instruction, and consider the different chip shots that you can use.

1. The Standard Chip.

The Standard Chip is generally played when you are close to green but not on it. Normally, you would play it with either a wedge or nine iron. The rule of thumb is that a good chip will fly about one third of the way to the hole, and then roll the rest of the way. The standard chip should be played in the center of your stance with your hands well ahead of the ball and the club face square.

2. The Soft Chip Shot.

This shot allows the ball to fly further and land softly close to the hole. The most common club used for a soft chip shot is the lob wedge, but the sand wedge is often used with good effect.

To play a good soft chip shot, you should address the ball with your club face open a little. Play the ball forward and keep your hands behind it during the swing. It is vital that you accelerate the club head for this shot. When performed correctly, the ball will fly high for a short distance and then land softly and roll just a little.

3. The Low Chip Shot.

If there is a lot of green between you and the hole, you should use the low chip shot. This shot is normally made with a mid-iron, such as the six- or seven-iron. The ball should be kept toward the back of your stance to get the descending type of impact required. Again, keep your hands ahead of the club head and the club face square to the target.

The low chip shot is good to use when you can aim directly at the hole and want to have more control over your distance.

The best golf chipping instruction available, is to practice by regularly using the different chip shots and a variety of clubs. Only when you have gained the confidence in which club to use in which situation, will you see your scoring improve.

Practice from the one position and play a number of balls using one technique. When you have gained some confidence in that shot, change clubs and use a different technique. After you have practiced each shot with a variety of clubs, then change positions and repeat the process.

Remember the more practice, the quicker you will master the skill of golf chipping. The result will be lower scores and more enjoyment.

The basics of a good golf swing are generally the same whether you are left or right handed. It is important to master the basic fundamental skills of golf before moving on to more advanced tips and techniques.

Regardless of whether you are left or right handed, one of the most important golfers tips is to keep your head down for the complete swing. Moving your head will almost certainly result in the club not making good contact with the ball. This would have to be the most common error made by new golfers.

Another frequent mistake made by new players is not allowing the body and hips to rotate fully as they come through the ball and into their follow through. As a left hander, you should rotate to the right as much as possible to power your swing, leading with the right hip with your hands following. This is an important element to solid hitting.

An important left handed golf tip is to lead your swing with your right hand, but complete it with your left. In other words, the power of your dominant hand, along with the power of your dominant side, should combine to drive through the ball at contact.

Another important tip for left handed golfers is to finish your swing with a complete follow through that leaves you on the balls of your feet. You do not want to end flat-footed or on your heels. By finishing your swing on the balls of your feet, you know that your body has rotated correctly through the swing.

Any article on left handed golf tips for beginners would be worthless if it did not touch on course management.

As you play on different courses, you will realize that most have holes that will veer left to right. These are called doglegs. In order to play them effectively, you must learn to play a draw shot. This shot makes the ball move to the right. (It curves to the left for right handed players).

Most of what you’ll find on hitting a draw is written for right handers, so make sure you reverse the instructions and take the time to practice them. This is definitely a shot that will serve you well for many years to come.

Finally, you should be aware that many lefties use the wrong clubs. While there is nothing inherently wrong with using clubs designed for right handers, you will never play to your full potential until you get a set of left handed clubs. Also make sure that you get clubs that are the correct size.

Here are some golf driving tips that might just help you save a few strokes, regardless of your handicap.

There is an abundance of information available on golf tips for driving, but often the most important tip is overlooked.

What is the most important golf driving tip?

Keep the ball in play.

A large number of golfers have little else on their mind other than to hit the ball as far as possible. Unfortunately even the most impressive distance means little if the ball does not stay on the fairway. If the ball ends up in long grass, it doesn’t matter how long the drive was.

You should always choose accuracy over distance.

When you address the ball at the tee, focus on the correct posture. Even though correct posture is different for most people, there are some common things to consider as a starting point.

Your feet should be kept shoulder width apart, and play the ball off your left heel. Your head should be positioned behind the ball from start to finish.

Many golfers slump over too much as they address the ball, while others stand too straight. It’s important to have some flex in your knees.

Another important golf tip for driving that you should always remember, especially if you are new to the game, is that trying to hit the ball harder will usually result in a bad drive. To gain more distance with any shot, you should not try to bash the ball. Instead, work on the speed in which the club head descends into the ball. In other words, faster club head speed results in longer distance.

When it comes to golf driving tips, we can’t leave out the bigger, 460 cc clubs. The extra weight of these clubs will deliver more energy to the ball upon contact.  While these clubs are very popular among today’s players, it requires considerable practice to master them. Many golfers are not able to simply swap their old-fashioned driver for one of these new ones with the same level of skill.

With these 460 cc clubs, the ball has to be teed up much higher. That will depend on the particular club you’re using, but you will probably need to go out and buy some new, taller tees to get the ball high enough off the ground.

On our list of driving tips, the last one is simply to practice. There really is no other way to improve your golf shots without consistent, steady effort, and this goes for your tee shots as well. Just try to remember that the focus of your practice should be on accuracy and not distance.

You will find hundreds of golf driving tips online, but one thing is for certain about this game, it’s that the more you know, the better you will play.

Vijay Singh has one of the easiest golf swings around. Take a look at this video of him on the practice fairway at Whistling Straits during the 2004 PGA Championship.

If you want to fix your swing, copy this one.

Enjoy the video.