Golf Slice Prevention: How To Stop Slicing With Your Driver – 8 Tips

The golf slice is one of the most frustrating shots to hit on the course and it is even worse with the driver.

Slicing your driver means your ball is not going very far and it is terribly offline. A golf slice often leads to penalty strokes (out of bounds, in a hazard, etc.) and can ruin a good round.

In this article, we are going to go through 8 tips to help you with golf slice prevention.

But before we learn how to fix slice with driver, let’s make sure we are all on the same page about this type of golf shot.

What Is A Golf Slice?

The best definition for a golf slice is “a shot that curves away from the player’s body“. If you are right-handed, a golf slice will curve to the right.

A slicing driver shot will typically go higher than you want and far shorter than intended. Due to this fact, your ball will often end up in the woods, in a lake, or in someone’s backyard.

Are you a baseball fan? Think of a golf slice as a high pop-up to the 1st baseman.

Hitting into the wind will make your golf slice even worse. The ball will spin up into the wind and go even further to the right (right-handed player).

What Causes The Golf Slice?

There are two primary things that will cause the ball to slice. 1) Cutting across the ball at impact or 2) the clubface is open (not square) at impact.

Both of these scenarios cause you to spin the ball up into the air and curve it to the right.

The more difficult question – what about your swing leads to you slicing your driver?

The golf slice is the most common miss amongst amateur golfers and can be caused by various different swing flaws.

Further down in this post we share 8 different tips to stop slicing your driver – the key is to try them and see which one works for you.

A small golf slice is called a fade. Many scratch golfers play a fade and this type of shot only curves slightly and doesn’t lose power.

We would like to help you turn your golf slice into a fade!

8 Ways To Stop Slicing With Your Driver

Tip #1 – Listen To Your Divot

During most golf shots you will hit the ground and create a divot. Did you know your divot can talk to you?

Your divot may just have the secret to stop your golf slice. When you slice the ball your divot will point to the left (this indicates your cut across the ball).

Use your divot when you practice on the driving range. Try to hit shots with a divot that is either straight or points slightly to the right.

You will notice that when you make a straight divot, you don’t hit a golf slice.

In other words, a straighter divot equals straighter shots. Always check out your divot following each shot and listen to the feedback.

Since you don’t make a divot with your driver, practice making straight divots with your 3-wood and once you do, make the same swing with your driver.

Tip #2 – Check Your Grip

Your grip could be causing your golf slice before you even start your swing. A weak grip can lead to an open face at impact.

How do you know if your golf grip is weak or strong? We recommend you count your knuckles.

Grip the club as you normally do and count how many knuckles you can see on your left hand (right-handed player).

Golf instructors have different opinions on this topic, but we like a slightly strong grip. Being able to see two knuckles on your left hand is perfect.

If you only see 1 or 1 and 1/2, your grip is too weak and this could be leading to your golf slice.

Try making your grip stronger and see if this helps you stop slicing driver.

Tip #3 – One Piece Takeaway

The golf slice can start at the very beginning of your swing – right when you start to take the club back.

It is critical that you stay connected during your backswing – you want your arms, shoulders, and chest to turn together

A disconnected backswing will lead to a golf slice. This is why we recommend a one piece takeaway.

When you set up to the ball, create a triangle with your arms and chest – during your backswing keep this triangle intact. Don’t let your arms break down. Keep the space!

The one piece takeaway is the perfect start to a golf swing – hit more solid shots instead of slicing your driver.

Tip #4 – It’s Hip To Be Square

A golf stance that is square to your target is critical if you want to hit straight shots instead of the dreaded golf slice.

Check your stance with an aiming stick or another golf club. Setup to the shot and then lay it down next to your feet.

Step back and assess your stance. Is the club or aiming stick going perpendicular to your target or is there an angle?

If the angle of your stance is skewed left, you are “open”. An open stance can cause the golf slice.

We recommend a square stance, but if you can’t stop slicing your driver you can try a closed stance.

A closed stance will promote a swing path that goes inside out and could help you hit straighter shots. Give it a try on the driving range.

Tip #5 – Don’t Let Your Elbow Fly

One way to solve your golf slice is to review mistakes made by other slicers – the most common is a “flying elbow” in the back swing.

The elbow in question is your right elbow for a right-handed player. You want this elbow under control in your back swing.

How can you check if your elbow is causing your golf slice? Ask a friend to film your swing (slow-motion is best) and review.

Near the top of your backswing, where is your right elbow? Has it moved far away from your body or stayed in tight?

Ideally, you want the elbow in tight. A flying elbow forces you to “come over the top” during your transition and cut across the ball at impact.

Focus on keeping your elbow in and you might see your golf slice change into a nice draw.

Tip #6 – Fight The Urge To Aim Left

We understand. Your golf slice curves to the right, so it makes sense that you should aim left and play it.

Unfortunately, this is the last thing you want to do. When you aim more left, you open your stance and cut across the ball even more.

If you aim left, you will hit the ball shorter and farther right. Do your best to take a square stance and aim straight at your target.

When it comes to a golf slice, you can’t play it. You need to learn how to fix the slice with your driver.

Pick your target and make an aggressive swing.

Tip #7 – Swing Out At The Ball

If you consistently hit a golf slice, your swing path is most likely from outside to inside. In other words, you swipe across the ball.

Players that hit a draw or a hook do the opposite. They swing inside out.

With this in mind, you want to eliminate the golf slice you need to train yourself to swing out at the golf ball.

This will feel strange at first – give it a try the next time you visit the driving range.

Not sure if you are doing it correctly? Try it with a 3-wood and focus on Tip #1 above. Listen to your divot.

If you are swinging out at the ball, your divot will point to the right.

Tip #8 – Turn, Don’t Slide

The great golf swings you see on the PGA Tour are all about turning, but if you watch players at your local driving range you will see a lot of sliding.

If done correctly, the golf swing should be a turn around the spine with a weight shift to the right side during the backswing and back to the left during the downswing.

A common mistake that causes golf slices is sliding off the ball instead of turning. This forces you to slide back to the ball during your downswing.

You don’t want this type of movement in your swing. If your timing is off it will cause the golf slice, tops, or pop-ups.

We like the “shoulder tuck” swing thought.

Keep your head still. During your backswing tuck your left shoulder under your chin. Your downswing is simply “untucking” your shoulder and turning through the ball.

Work on this move and eliminate the golf slice.

Fixed The Golf Slice – Now What?

It will take a few trips to the practice range, but before you know it you will be hitting a straight ball with your driver.

Maybe it is time to get a golf handicap and start competing in some local tournaments?

Or recommend a golf gambling game the next time you play with your buddies?