How to Fix a Slice: The Only Guide That Won't Waste Your Time

Let’s get something out of the way: a slice is not some mysterious curse the golf gods put on you. It’s physics. The clubface is open relative to the swing path at impact. That’s it. That’s the whole disease.

The good news? It’s fixable. The bad news? Every golfer and their uncle has a “one simple trick” that probably made yours worse. So let’s skip the Instagram tips and actually understand what’s happening — then fix it.

Why You Slice (The Real Reason)

A slice happens when two things combine:

1. An out-to-in swing path (the club cuts across the ball from outside the target line)
2. A clubface that’s open to that path (pointing right of where the club is traveling)

That’s the whole equation. Path + face = ball flight. Every fix in golf comes down to closing that face-to-path relationship. Period.

Here’s what most people get wrong: they think the face is the problem. It’s usually the path. An out-to-in path of 8 degrees with a face that’s only 2 degrees open to target still produces a nasty slice because the face is 6 degrees open to the path. The ball starts slightly right and then curves into the next zip code.

Step 1: Fix Your Grip (Yes, Really)

I know. Boring. But 80% of slicers have a weak grip, and no amount of swing changes will override a grip that guarantees an open face.

The fix:

• Hold the club in your fingers, not your palm
• Turn both hands clockwise (for righties) until you can see 3 knuckles on your left hand at address
• The “V” formed by your right thumb and forefinger should point at your right shoulder
• Grip pressure: 4 out of 10. You’re holding a bird, not strangling a snake.

The test: Take your grip, then look down. If you can only see one or two knuckles on your left hand, your grip is fighting you every single swing. This alone fixes about 30% of slicers.

Step 2: Fix Your Setup

Your body is probably aimed left. This is the most common compensating move slicers make — they aim left because the ball goes right, which makes the path even more out-to-in, which makes the slice worse. It’s a death spiral.

The fix:

• Put an alignment stick on the ground pointed at your target
• Put a second stick along your toe line
• Your feet, hips, and shoulders should all be parallel to the target line — or even slightly right of it
• Ball position: inside your left heel for driver, center of stance for irons
• Don’t reach for the ball. Hands should hang naturally below your shoulders.

The reality check: Set up to hit a ball, then step back and lay a club along your toe line. Where’s it pointing? I’d bet $50 it’s left of your target. Fix that before touching anything else.

Step 3: Fix Your Path (The Big One)

This is where the magic happens. Your club is coming from outside the target line and cutting across the ball. We need it coming from inside.

Drill 1: The Headcover Gate

Put a headcover (or water bottle) about 6 inches outside and behind the ball. If your swing path is out-to-in, you’ll hit it on the downswing. The goal is to miss the headcover to the inside.

Start with half swings. Seriously. If you can make a half swing that misses the headcover, you’re already swinging more from the inside than you have in years.

Reps: 20 half swings → 20 three-quarter swings → 10 full swings. Do this for a week.

Drill 2: The Inside Approach

Tee up a ball. Place a second tee about 4 inches behind the ball and 2 inches to the outside (farther from you). Your goal is to swing under the outside tee while hitting the ball.

This forces an inside-out path. You literally cannot hit the outside tee if your club is approaching from the inside.

Reps: Start with a 7-iron. 30 balls. Move to driver once you can consistently miss the outside tee.

Drill 3: Trail Elbow

At the top of your backswing, your right elbow (for righties) should feel like it drops straight down toward your right hip as you start the downswing. Not out. Not forward. Down.

Think about putting your right elbow in your right pocket. This is the single most effective feel for most slicers.

The practice swing: Make 10 practice swings focusing only on this feel. Exaggerate it — let the club drop so far inside it feels like you’ll hit it 40 yards right. You won’t. Your body will self-correct, and you’ll probably hit the straightest ball of your life.

Step 4: Close the Face Through Impact

Once your path is better, you might find you’re hitting pushes or push-draws instead of slices. That’s progress — the path is fixed, but the face might still be slightly open.

The fix: Active hands through impact.

• Feel like your right hand crosses over your left through the hitting zone
• Think about turning the clubface from open to closed, like you’re turning a doorknob counterclockwise
• The toe of the club should pass the heel through impact

Drill 4: The Split-Grip Release

Grip the club with your hands about 2 inches apart. Hit half-swing shots. The gap forces your hands to feel the release — the right hand has to cross over the left. You’ll feel the face turning over.

Reps: 20 balls with a 9-iron, split grip. Then 20 with your normal grip, same feel.

The 2-Week Fix Plan

Week 1: Foundation

• Day 1-2: Grip fix only. Hit 50 balls with the new grip. It’ll feel weird. That’s correct.
• Day 3-4: Grip + alignment fix. Sticks on the ground every session.
• Day 5-7: Add the Headcover Gate drill. 30 minutes each session.

Week 2: Path + Release

• Day 1-2: Inside Approach drill, 30 balls per session
• Day 3-4: Trail Elbow feel, 50 balls per session
• Day 5: Split-Grip Release drill, 30 balls
• Day 6-7: Combine everything. Full shots with all the feels integrated.

What to Expect

Here’s the honest timeline:

• Day 1-3: It’ll feel terrible. Your grip feels weird, your path feels exaggerated, you’ll probably hit some hooks. This is GOOD.
• Day 4-7: You’ll start hitting pushes and push-draws. The slice is dying. Don’t go back to your old grip.
• Week 2: Draws start appearing. Some hooks mixed in. The misses are going left instead of right — that’s called progress.
• Week 3-4: It starts clicking. The draw becomes your stock shot. You’ll wonder why you ever settled for a slice.

The biggest mistake? Going back to old habits when the new stuff feels uncomfortable on the course. Commit to 2 weeks of drills before you judge results on the course. The range is where you build it. The course is where you trust it.

The Gear Shortcut (That Actually Works)

I’ll say this once: you cannot buy your way out of a slice. But you can make the fix easier.

• Higher loft driver: A 12-degree driver is more forgiving on face angle than a 9-degree. That’s physics, not marketing.
• Draw-bias drivers: They shift weight to the heel, which helps close the face. They’re training wheels, not a cure — but training wheels work when you’re learning.
• Softer flex shaft: If your shaft is too stiff, the face can’t close in time. A lot of amateurs play shafts that are way too stiff for their swing speed.

None of these replace the fundamentals above. But they can speed up the process.

When to Get a Lesson

If you’ve done these drills for 2 weeks and you’re still cutting the ball 30 yards right, get a lesson. Specifically, tell the pro: “I want to fix my path.” A good pro with a launch monitor can diagnose your exact face-to-path numbers in about 3 minutes.

One lesson focused on your slice is worth more than 10 generic “let’s work on your swing” sessions. Come in with a specific problem, leave with a specific fix.

Check out our guides on how to practice with purpose and how to break 90 for more ways to turn range work into lower scores. And if your irons are part of the problem, read our guide on striking irons pure — a lot of the same path principles apply.

For gear that can help the transition, our best drivers for high handicappers guide covers the most forgiving options, and our best golf training aids roundup has some path-fixing tools worth considering.

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A slice is a solved problem. The only question is whether you’ll commit to 2 weeks of feeling uncomfortable to fix 10 years of frustration. Your call.