Friday, June 1, 2012

Golf Slice Surgery

How to fix your golf slice...for good.

Unless the stork just dropped you down the chimney & into your mom's outstretched arms and her soft & warm duel dairy facility...You know damn good and well what a slice is. NOT clueless, you fully understand that a ball slices because, at impact, the club head makes it spin in a clock-wise rotation. As a result of this encounter...the air catches the dimples and your ball rockets to the right over some guy's backyard fence, blasting through his patio glass door, knocking his prized Ming Vase off of the hand carved walnut mantle & onto his imported Italian tile floor___ transforming this prized collectible into Ming Dust. I should mention that this rich guy just happens to be the president of the local NRA and would love to show you exactly how his new 12 gauge shotgun works. Got Vaseline?

I first became aware of just how often the horrid slice infected the golfer at my Dad's driving range when I was 8 y/o. I was one of the lucky lads who fetched golf balls that were returned, back to the clubhouse, into another waiting bucket for resale. A gigantic percentage of the driving range balls were found on the right side of the range. Dad went so far as to install a 4 story, chicken wire fence, to keep the bad dog balls from flying onto our golf course. It worked....only a little bit!

SLICING 101...

A ball slices because:

1). the club face is open at the wreck (impact)
2). the club face is traveling across the ball...(outside-in) to the intended target,
3). an order of fries & biggie drink combo...
( for those of you w/o a sense of humor, it's a combination of 1 & 2 above)

All of the information that I have read, regarding the golf slice, has one thing in common (drum roll). . . . It doesn't work!

If you are cognizant that the family jewels are oftentimes hidden under those canary yellow, Palm Beach slacks, tucked appropriately out of the way, in the fruit of the looms with the valentine hearts__THEN__ you have what it takes to GET THIS ....The cure for the slice CAN Forever and Ever be YOURS & found in the next paragraphs....You Lucky Dog You!

So confident (AKA cocky) in my ability to fix a slice...I bet my students I can eliminate their slice in 5 shots or less or the lesson is free. Never lost the bet. I see on the Internet where some golf pro (?) needs 21 days to do it.. If he can't fix it in 5 balls he ain't gonna fix it!

As the club face leaves the ball it naturally opens up a full 1/4 turn by the time you reach the top of the back swing___ or you break both arms off at the shoulders. The next sentences are worth a kings ransom so take a hit off of your coffee mug and hang on every word. I usually sell this information, but you caught me in a generous mood today. Golfers slice the ball B/C they don't get the club face back to square at impact.

NOW, in order to get the club face back square at impact, the golfer must trick his swing by thinking that he is rolling the club face WAY TOO MUCH__ with his hands. The golfer must try to roll the club face 1/4 turn PAST square as if trying to hit the ball on the toe of the club head....NOT the club face. Likea thisa...(Use your Italian accent)


Here's what to do. Grab a 7 iron. Tee It UP. Take a nice big back swing....lazy smooth and slow. On the downswing have the sensation that you are GRADUALLY rolling the club face WAY TOO MUCH....with your hands. The casual observer won't be able to see this happen! One more point, make sure you are swinging directly to the target....not to the left of it.
IF the ball slices, you are not rolling. If the ball hooks, swing faster until the ball goes straight or hooks a little__ Your choice.

Hey Sailor, wanna have some fun? On the next shot don't roll the club face over at all. Actually__Try to slice it. Big slice. Next ball ROLL Way TOO MUCH again....does it hook? Too much hook?___ Swing faster. Play with it...nothing to lose but your slice.
For My Dad
Bud McLellan 1913-1962

Any questions ?...post your comments to this blog and I'll respond appropriately with my personal answer!


Need more help fixing your slice?
Ready to be at the top of your golf game?

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jim,

This practice helps tremendously. Talk about how to introduce the power, while not losing the smooth swing please. Once I am hitting nice and smooth, I have a tendency to hit for the fences, introduce jerks to the swing and lose tempo.

The Anti-Pro said...

The cure that you have found on this post works like magic, doesn't it? I'm amused by how much nonsense there is out there that doesn't fix the slice one bit.
The secret to a powerful swing is
to swing F-A-S-T, NOT H-A-R-D! Your
goal is to own a swing that appears effortless, yet has great power. OK, here's your secret. Place your tongue between your upper & lower teeth and bite down a tad...just prior to it hurting. Hold it there while you swing..You W-I-L-L be smooth!

Anonymous said...

Jim,

You are absolutely right. This works just like you said it would. I am a fan forever.

Thanks a million!!!! My slice is history.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jim

Thanks for this article, was a great read. It compliments your instructions from the DVD perfectly.

Cheers
Brad H

PS - I'm now 12 days into my instructions with the DVD and I'm sticking to the program religiously. 9 more days to go... Loving it so far!

PPS - I really enjoy reading your blog entries. This is the only golf site I visit now. Keep up the great posts!!

The Anti-Pro said...

Your attitude is exactly what I look for in a great student!

Your comments are welcome, anytime!

Best,

Jim McLellan

Anonymous said...

Hi Jim ,
Finally my slice is gone ! It took me a long time to get the feel of rolling my hands over. It was on your blog when you said roll it way to much and the picture of hitting the ball with the toe of the club that really made it click. I was able to correct the 3 and 5 wood first, actually able to hook on demand but the driver was being stubborn. Finally I got so mad at my driver that I decided to try and roll my hands over from almost the top of my back swing, at least it felt like that ...... boom , hooked it ! Next one dead straight ! Now I can hook or slice my driver on command ! Amazing !

The Anti-Pro said...

Hi Mike!

There have been countless barrels of ink used to write slice cures. I read where some of the so called top 100 pros have their spin on slice cures. None work! Bottom line is they only add to the confusion for the poor suffering golfer. Because they are high
profile, golfers believe they must be true.

You, have experienced the joy of what really does work. Thousands of my students agree with you.

Your comments should inspire golfers, worldwide....Thanks for
taking the time to write and share.

Jim McLellan "The Anti-Pro"

dph said...

Jim,

I am a left handed golfer who is fighting a slice. What do you mean by rolling your hands over? Right now I aiming way to the right to compensate for the slice but the club face is open and every thing ends on the left side of the fairway. I need help immediately..Thanks again. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Jim,

Can you explain the concept of rolling the club face with your hands? I am am left handed golfer struggling with a slice.. I aim way right and the ball bananas way left.I think one problem is my stance and shoulder are open way to much and not square.

The Anti-Pro said...

Notice how as you swing the club back, the club face is opening more and more on its way to the top of the backswing. On the way
back to the ball the clubface needs to return to square. Two different ways to think about what to do is by rolling the face of the club OVER way too much as you swing down to the ball. Another way is to take a practice swing and watch your hands roll over each other as you swing past impact. Because the swing is so
fast and largely out of our control after it leaves the top of the backswing position...slow the swing down, for now, and visualize the club rolling so much that you actually strive to hit the ball on the tip of the clubface....See picture. Don't be afraid to roll
what seems like an absurd amount of roll...You are welcome to re-post until you have the results you desire.

Anonymous said...

Finally getting back into golf after playing the local Par 3's with my brother and friends when I was younger. Now at 30 and being the size of an NFL lineman my boss' and co-workers have got me interested in Golf again. Biggest problem is the slice and hitting the ground before the tee (slowly correcting that on my own but the slice is driving me insane). Being a big guy I feel like I should be crushing the ball every swing and not letting it be a smooth swing, I have tried aiming right, left..rolling my hands over on the grip before i swing. I am going to the range tonight and try your technique will post back, sooo glad I found your site. It's embarassing to be the "big man on campus" and not be able to drive the ball past the 150 yd sign lol.

Anonymous said...

Would it be somewhat accurate to interpret "roll your wrists way too much" as "roll your wrists way too soon?"

The Anti-Pro said...

The wonderful part about our golf game is once we know how it works___ we own it. Have you readers noticed that there are more hits on fixing the slice than any other topic? Have you also noticed that the cure works?
To your question. Since you FINALLY have the correct scoop on how to fix the slice...experiment.
Yes, roll too soon makes perfect since because the swing is so fast that there is a delay between where we think and when it happens.
Rolling way too soon is a very good way to look at it. If you are
thinking that you BEGIN the roll as you start the downswing it will happen when it should___a split second later. So your point is right on target. Thanks for sending!!!

Anonymous said...

Hah
I've been taught this same lesson by two different instructors
for some reason how they explained it really didn't make sense to me

but you word it to where I understand
I know this is going to help my shots tremendously

thanks Jim

Anonymous said...

When practicing rolling my hands over to square the club, should I change anything with my grip as far as my top hand? My slice is really frustrating. I am trying to stay positive. My problems are mainly off the tee. My iron play is decent as long as I keep my head down.

The Anti-Pro said...

Glad to help! Would you be willing to post the results of our correspondence, on this BLOG, to help others interested in kissing their slice "Good-Bye"____For__Ever?

Anonymous said...

Hi there, as one of many beginner female golfers i too struggle with a slicing problem. After reading this tip i'm eager to go out and give it a try since every other tip has failed. Once i straighten out my shot...watch out boys!! I can hit the damn thing far but not straight so can't wait to give this a try once the weather cooperates....i'll keep you posted on how it goes!

Thanks for the free tip!

The Anti-Pro said...

Female golfer! The magic cure for slicing has worked for thousands of my students...where, all else has failed. The whole world is watching for a follow-up post from you. You go, Girl!

Jim

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tip! My slice is so bad that I'm pretty sure the ball flies further to the right than it does out away from the tee. I'll try your advice out this weekend. Thanks again!

-ben

Anonymous said...

Jim,

My slice i believe is unfixable! i slice my driver as well as my irons. If I make a divot it is facing left, which would mean im coming across the ball i believe. A guy told one time to keep my elbow in and practice with my club cover held between my ribs and elbow while swinging.

Anonymous said...

I'm naming my next child after you.........need I say more!

The Anti-Pro said...

Anonymous! If you are serious, I am honored that you would name your next child after me. If you're not....I wish you were!

I have a question for you. Would you write me at jmcgolf@gmail.com.

Thank You!

Jim

Anonymous said...

Like many others, you fixed me when others have given up.
I have one more question though.
How many buckets of balls is it going to take before I can stop thinking about rolling my wrists? Right now if I don't think about it then I slice like you've never seen.
How long before it becomes natural?
Do I just keep thinking about it until the first time I hook it?
Not yet good female golfer

Anonymous said...

I seem to "duck hooking" my driver and some of my longer irons 4,5,6. How can I combat this? I have change my grip to a stronger and that seems to have helped eliminate my slice for good. My alignment is good but still seem to "duck hook". Help for a left handed golfer..

Anonymous said...

I have been an inconsistent golfer for 10 years now. Like many others I have my good days and my not so good days. Recently I have been hitting my driver beyond expectations but I was not able to hit a single iron shot without it slicing short right. After reading your posting I went out to the driving range and what do you know the problem is fixed. Literally, within two times out my slice has transformed into a slight draw. This simple piece of advice is the most effecting and amazing correction I have ever made. I used this technique with a head cover under my left arm (right handed swing) and felt nothing but smooth control. I have two words THANK YOU!

Larry - Florida

Anonymous said...

JIM, Thanks for giving away your time and money. I never thought i could get something for free in life. Your tips really work. p.s. i owe you!

Anonymous said...

Cheers Jim,

I'm fed up with trying to cure my horendous slice by changing my swing, its actually a very smooth and consistant, with iron play, just 50/50 on drives whether they go straight or have a wild slice! I will be putting some of your tips into practice this eve at the range and report back!

Steve

Anonymous said...

Jim,
I'm a relatively new golfer and I'm afraid that I may be picking up some bad habits. This has been the most easy to understand fix fr slicing I have read. I'm going to the range tomorrow to give it a whirl. If it works I'm asking for your DVD set for fathers day. Thanks in advance.

-new #1 fan

Anonymous said...

Second summer golfer everything had been going fine until three weeks ago developed a destructive slice, am just back from the range fix is unreal had it straightened out after a couple of swings, it's a little like the old shake hands with the tagget tip? Any how it worked the earlier in the swing you think about it the better...

Karl said...

Jim,

Thanks a billion. For the past two years, I have been using my steel shaft 3 and 5 woods when teeing off, because I can control those with minimal slice, but can't get any real distance. If I pull out my Driver, I slice it a mile and a half, put it back in my bag, and go back to the 3. I have tried all the other suggestions and none have worked. I have had my feet in so many different positions it felt like I was playing Twister. So, I read your article last Thursday morning and had all day Thursday and Friday to think about it. Being the cynic that I am, I figured this to be another non solution. I have some property, so on Friday night I bought a cheap box of balls and set out to give it a try, with my dreaded driver. The first swing, using your method, I hooked it. Me? Hook with a driver? Second try, straight as a bloody arrow. 3rd, 4th and 5th balls, pretty darn nice, with only a slight slice or hook, as I tried to get the right amount of rollover. Out of the 24 balls, I used 7 or 8 until I was comfortable. The rest I blew off in groups of three the rest of the weekend as I couldn't believe that my slice was actually cured and I could use my driver. For some reason, my wife wasn't jumping up and down like me. I will keep checking out your blog and pass this tip along to my friends. After I play them of course. Again, thanks a billion.

Vic said...

Hi Jim,
First of all I have a confession to make. I purchased your DVDs a couple of years ago...watched them several times, and actually got better on the golf course (no surprise there!). Anyway, they say that 'idle hands are the devil's workshop', one day with not much else to do, I was searching the internet and came across the self-imposed 'perfect golf swing' by a well-known pro. I took the bait hook, line, and sinker...ordered the online program and proceeded to change my swing to match his, and ultimately my game went down the drain. My handicap rose from about a 22 (not very good I know, but at least improving) up to about a 28. Frustrated, I made the mistake of taking a lesson...srike 2. Anyway, the pro is a very nice guy and was sincere, but tried to change my swing completely to where I had to make a little 3x5 card about all the things I needed to remember. He had me practice by putting the ball on a tee about 6 inches in front of my right foot (I'm a lefty) and swinging down on the ball. Needless to say, I took about a month off after that because playing golf was not fun anymore, it became a chore. Then the other day, I found your DVDs and watched them over again. If I could kick myself I would, because your instruction is so simple. We live at the end of a dead-end street with a big field, so I took a box of used, unplayable balls I have found to the field, and with my driver, started hitting them. The first few sliced, then I put your instruction to use, and the next were straight and far...a few hooks, a few fades, a few draws. Anyway, I think I'll go practice some more today. Thanks very much from someone who has gone 'full circle' and came back to the point he should have stayed with all along.

Erock said...

Yeah, this trick works. I actually stumbled on it by myself through trial and error. Then I wanted to do some investigating on the net to make sure I wasn't incorporating something faulty into my swing. I actually had a "pro" tell me that I should not roll my forearms - so I struggled still. Well, today I said **** that and went back to rolling my forearms over before/during impact - it is magical. I was on a par 3 course hitting two balls - long story short - last hole was a par and a birdie. ROLL THOSE FOREARMS TO GET RID OF THAT SLICE. By using this technique, you actually feel like you can control the damn shot. This site has verified what I stumbled on, and it has helped my confidence. Thanks

Unknown said...

Hi I want to play again its been 20 yrs. Since then I have 9 screws and a 5 1/22 plate in lft ankel and 2 bad knees. I saw u say and one cn play so i.got a used set of calways and went to range . My swing is bad as i dont have the dance or flexy motion. But i did hit the ball 250 yrds. Slice every time. It was windy. I turned club face.in and hit the ball still left my ? How to get a nice swing and am I turning club face right direction? I rolled it inward griped the club then hit hthe ball. Maybe im not understanding. I wish i could afford to pay you to watch me. I am saving up to buy your videos but watching videos and having some one watch.me to tell me and show me is diferent. Any sugestions as I dont want to get bad habit form starting over. By the way i was wearing work boots to suport my ankel.

Unknown said...

Well I went golfing today for the first time after I bought a set of walter hagen's I ran about a thousand balls out to the same tree on the right hand side of the driving range over the last week or so. Did my first nine holes today, and I became afraid to drive because of my slice it hit a house once or thrice. I'll try out your technique and pray to the golf gods!

David said...

The only real cure on the internet for the slice. The thing people need to wrap their head around is YOU HAVE TO GIVE THE CLUBHEAD TIME TO CATCH UP. It is absolutely no different than a baseball swing (which people love to over-analyze as well), where if you are late with the bat you will slice it out to right field, or if you are early you will hook it foul. We practice tempo and timing so we can hit the ball reasonably straight where we are looking (as in not grossly early or late).

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN AUTOMATED GOLF SWING. THERE IS NOT. I DON'T CARE IF YOU ARE BEN HOGAN'S SON, IT WAS NOT AUTOMATIC FOR YOUR DAD. Even the best NBA pros miss free throws.

If you think you need more instruction than this blog, you're still going to struggle.

Casual Golf said...

I just had to leave a golf forum where one of the members was really being nasty when I said that the golf swing was easier than these guys make it.
Sure its a hard game, but not because the golf swing isnt easy enough to understand, but it takes a while to build muscle memory once you understand the golf swing in your mind.
Ive only been at this for 3 1/2 months and I can tell if my swing is off before I even hit the ball. I know what the ball is going to do before I even finish the follow thru and my eyes have come up to see the ball.
Its because the swing IS so easy that once you get used to doing it you can 'feel' when its off while your swinging.

The AntiPro here seems to be onto something that I was beginning to wonder about myself.
Are instructors keeping you confused ?
Why on earth would they do such a thing?
Well, think about it.
If they gave you FIVE good lessons just to get the basics down and you did so well that you didnt need them except every now and then, how could they feed their families?
Its to THEIR benefit to tease you along helping you get slightly better with a couple things so you dont get entirely discouraged, but have just enough hope to keep giving them money for lessons.

Certainly theyre not all that dishonest because there is always a new crop of young students coming, but Ive sat back and watched a couple lessons at my local range from the next stall and I know this instructor was purposefully not being helpful with the woman he was teaching.
The urge to just yell over to her to do one simple thing I knew would fix her problem (topping the ball every time) was overwhelming.
This instructor just let her keep doing it and kept telling her how great she was doing, but she was topping EVERY ball she hit and he knew it.
Topping is such an EASY fix, and of course it takes work to get it consistently fixed, but UNDERSTANDING what causes is can be fixed in one sentence so the student can then SELF CORRECT when it happens.

Its just absolutely unacceptable for teachers to do this to their students.

I played 18 holes with a friend who hasnt played golf except for 3 times with me the last couple weeks.
He was being very stubborn about trying anything Ive said because Im new to the game too and I think he doesnt trust me much.

Hes shanking off balls half the round and finally I just told him to put the ball back a little closer to his right foot and then try to make it feel like his hitting 'down' a bit on the ball when he swings.
He started hitting EVERY single shot with that pitching wedge dead perfect. They were mostly short, but they were dead on target almost every time, and when they were off it was negligible.
He even pitched one from about 100 feet out and it went in the hole !

This was from ONE suggestion that was FREE!

Golf isnt complicated as AntPro has said.
Its MADE TO BE complicated by teachers who want as much of your money as they can possibly get.


Wm
The Casual Golfer

Anonymous said...

I'm a tall guy, 6'4'' with a lot of power but I have an absolutely wicked slice (lefty) off the tee. I'm trying to follow your advice but still seem to have a hard time following what you're saying. I seem to focus a lot on trying to roll my hands and while doing this I lose the rest of my mechanics. Would you be able to upload a video of this technique? I'm much better at learning through a visual than by reading.

David said...

big guy, anonymous, keep your same swing. just get the toe to roll over as you swing through. swing the clubhead, not the grip. keep it big and stretchy, nice big wide swing. don't think so much, because there isn't much to think about. hope this helps.