! Scigolf presents Scott Hazledine Answers Your Golfing Questions On Your Golf Game.

Question 4

Q: What are your suggestions to help stop slicing the ball?

A: Slicing occurs when you are unable to square the club face to the swing plane. In a 100 mile per hour golf swing, the rotation of the golf club takes place in 6/100 of a second. At 6/100 of a second the club face is most likely two to three feet before impact with the ball, and at that point in the down swing the shaft is horizontal to the ground. There is no conscious effort that can take place to square the golf club at impact, and separation. It simply happens too quickly.

Here is why, your right arm is now "pistoning" toward the golf ball, and your wrist, through the forearm muscles which start to contract, shortens the radius of your swing. Even the world's finest golfers have difficulty shortening the radius, and squaring the club face at the same time. What all too often happens is that the wrist straightens, but does not rotate. Or to be exact, the right hand must pronate and the left hand must supinate the correct amount, otherwise you hit huge side spins and either hook or slice the ball. By simply straightening out your right arm and releasing your wrists when you hold the golf club in your fingers you must slice. No golf club or any fictitious force will square the face for you. The entire golf market is attempting to make up for the lack of ability in almost all golfers, on a consistent basis, to square the club face to the path. This is just market hype which may sell clubs, but will never succeed in curing a slice.

The good news is that you can totally eliminate your slices by what amounts to a fairly simple grip change, and by following a few easy techniques that I explained in my full swing video. Here is all that there is to it. First, you must place the golf club in your rear hand so that it forms a single line with your forearm. You must not be able to see the grip lower than your forearm. If you do, then you have a 2-axis system and must rotate to square the golf club.

It is scientifically impossible to rotate a 2-axis system on the same plane. This means that if you have an angle between your forearm and your golf shaft, then you have a 2-axis system. This is why you slice the golf ball.

By placing the club in the palm, over the heel pad, having no angle between the forearm and the golf shaft, you have a single axis with which to deliver the club face. Now by straightening out your right arm and contracting the forearm muscles, you will square up the club face.

This is the simplest, most reliable way to eliminate, once and for all, a slice. I guarantee it. I must point out that you can still slice, but only if you wish to. It will only be intentional.

My whole technique at IMA Systems is centered on the principle of permitting a golfer of any skill level to control spin.

To understand how easy it is to square up the face, try this table top demonstration:

2) Grab hold of a hairbrush, short golf club, or even a pen.

3) Line up your forearm, hand, and hairbrush/club/pen. In order to keep everything flat, you may need to pronate your hand anywhere between 25 and 45 degrees. You could think in terms of your hands pointing toward a clock in front of you. In this case move your thumb from pointing toward 12 o'clock to approximately one or two o'clock. In this image 12 o'clock would be directly in front of you and 3 o'clock would be at a 90 degree angle to 12 o'clock.

4) Once you have everything in line, simply bend your hand backwards. This is called extension.

5) Now move your hand back to its original position. This is flexion.

The first thing you must learn is to extend and then to flex your wrist in a straight line. The beauty of it is, you already know how to do this. Notice how from the single axis grip the instrument will return pointing the same way every time.

When you grip the golf club in the right fingers (assuming you play right handed), the club face will not line up with the forearm until you rotate your wrist 90 degrees. Try it. Use a finger grip and extend your right wrist (move it backwards) and you'll see the club face open up as your wrist extends. Now flex your wrist, and you'll see that the face remains open until you rotate your wrist. This is what leads to all slices.

Let's get rid of your slice. Start with a simple drill with a 9 iron. Grip the club so that the handle is along your lifeline. Test your right hand grip by letting your arm hang down. If your grip is correct your hand and the shaft line up.

Now, set your hands ever so slightly in front of the ball. Use only your wrists to move the club back and forward. This trains the subconscious to square the club face up every time. It is like fine tuning an instrument. Follow the impact-backward drills on my Full-Shot video and you will never slice again.