What Causes a Golf Slice and How to Cure It

The slice is the most common fault in golf and in this article I plan to explore what causes a golf slice and how to cure it.

The slice is an uncontrolled shot that causes the ball to curve off to the right of the ball-to-target line, causing a loss of both direction and distance.

Most slices are the result of an unintentional out-to-in swing path, though other faults may also produce slicing. Whatever the swing path, the clubface always moves across the ball from far right to near left (right handed players). This causes the ball to spin in a clockwise direction, which moves the ball from left to right as it flies through the air.

Faults that lead to a slice occur at either the address position or during the swing itself.

Possible Causes During Set-up.

Bad Grip.

A club that is held too tightly creates tension in the arms and can cause the player to have an out-to-in swing. Try to relax your grip by imagining you are holding a little bird. You dont want to squeeze it to death but at the same time you dont want it to escape.

Having a weak grip. A weak grip tends to cause an open clubface at address. If this is your problem try turning both hands clockwise on the club.

Both these problems are covered in articles Golf The Correct Grip which is a 3 part series and can be found in the Ezine Article directory or on my blog.

Alignment.

May be open, which promotes slicing, or closed, which promotes an over the top swing. Align your feet and shoulders so that they are parallel to the ball to target line.

Ball Position.

Do not place the ball too far forward, this is a common fault which causes the shoulders to open and promotes an outside-to-in swing path.

Move the ball back in your stance, but still forward of center, so that when you set the club down your shoulders are parallel with the ball-to-target line.

Clubface angle.

An open clubface at address will cause the ball to slice. Ensure that your clubface is aligned square to the ball-to target line.

Possible Cause During The swing.

Poor weight transfer.

If you are not transferring your weight from your back foot to the front (target) your clubface will be open through impact.

Use the famous Gary Player down the fairway drill, where you play your shot and take a step forward on your follow through and walk after the ball.

Another drill is the stepping drill whereby you grossly exaggerate your weight transfer by lifting your front leg on the backswing, shifting all your weight on to the back foot and then stepping on the front foot and lifting the back foot on the downswing and follow through. Try it, it works.

Also very effective is to swing with your eyes close and concentrate on the weight shift. Do not worry about the ball when using this drill.

Club follows an out-to-in path (points to left of target at top of back swing).

With your club in this position you will have an out-to-in swing path.

Use the following drill to cure this. Address the ball as normal and then raise the club about 18 inches above the ball so it is hovering directly above it. Make a backswing that is not pulled quickly inside. Note the angle of the plane going back. Now make a forward swing in which the plane is under or shallower than the backswing plane. A back under, back under routine. lower the club to the ball and repeat.

Upper body tension.

This is probably caused by gripping the club too tight. See above for holding a bird. Also relax the tension in the arms.

I trust that this article has helped you understand what causes a golf slice and how to cure it. It wont happen overnight but if you practice the above drills you will soon find yourself playing golf without slicing.

As a qualified EGTF golf professional teacher I get great pleasure in helping people improve their game. Why not head over to Better Golfing and take up my challenge to reduce your golf handicap by 25% within 6 weeks?

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PGA to Deflate Pumped up Players!!

Football? Sure. Baseball? Yep. Cycling? Definitely. Track & Field? No question. But golf? Thats the question now that the PGA Tour will begin implementation of their own anti-doping plan in 2008 as part of an overall world golf Foundation policy.

The world golf Foundation not only includes the PGA Tour but also the European Tour, LPGA, the USGA, Augusta national and the Royal and Ancient golf Club. With the Asian, canadian, Japanese and Australasian Tours all signing on to support the plan, weve essentially got an anti-doping plan that reaches every corner of the globe.

PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem had long held fast to the belief that there was no need for anti-doping intervention but has changed his position during this past year. Said Finchem earlier this year theres no sport thats inherently immune to doping. Its a sad commentary, but its true.

Is it true? And is it really necessary? golf has always been looked on as a gentlemans game, one equated to honesty, integrity and good sportsmanship where players self-police and in many instances, call penalties on themselves for unseen infractions. But times apparently are a changing!!

Is this merely a sign of the times, a preemptive strike to keep up with the policies of other professional sports or is there some evidence of cheating that the PGA is hiding from us? Is there a potential Barry Bonds-like abuser lurking on the PGAs leader board? The only player as beefy as a steroid popping ball player is Tiger woods yet hes also the most vocal proponent of this anti-doping plan and has publicly volunteered to be first in line for testing.

I cant think of another player out there who looks or golfs the part of a doping violator. The guys that hit it 300 yards seem to have reached this mark via advanced technology (i.e. Hotter club faces & balls) mixed in with a bit of exercise but even assuming there is substance abuse on tour, you still have to hit the ball straight! And once the driver is in the bag, players dont really need muscle, they need technique. They need to hit a wedge 100 yards to a tightly tucked pin location and Im not sure theres a drug out there that can help with this. And just how will any banned substance help a professional read and sink a 15 foot putt with a double break in it?

The illegal substances that generally get all the attention are the muscle pumping, strength inducing drugs so prevalent among the Popeye forearmed baseball players of recent years but what about some of the other prohibited substances on the list for testing? The list includes everything from anabolic steroids and hormones to beta-blockers. Now I can see how beta-blockers may be of help to a PGA Tour professional as they basically block the affect adrenalin has on your body. In other words they make you relax! Additionally they facilitate smooth muscle control which explains their prevalence as being a treatment for various heart ailments including cardiac arrhythmias and heart attacks (prevention post-attack).

woods recently reminded reporters that nick Price once admitted to using beta blockers but said they actually hurt his game rather than help but drugs have varying effects on people so whos to say it wont help the next guy? A few beers usually help calm me down but it certainly doesnt seem to help my game any! Its not farfetched to think that beta-blockers may help someone down the road.

Its better to be proactive rather than reactive so Finchems making the right call here but Im betting on betting on the players and believe golf will not be shamed and dragged into the mud like so many other sports these day.

About the author - golf fanatic Greg Shaw is the VP of Sales for Tattoo golf ( http://www.tattoogolf.com/ ) and has extensive experience in trend marketing. Greg also owns http://www.thegolfshirtfactory.com He can be reached at greg@tattoogolf.com

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Why Choose Luxury Travel On A Cruise Ship?

one of the main things which people look at when booking a cruise is just how big their accommodation will be. Many think that economy accommodation is the only option available to them but that is not always the case.

There are generally a lot of options open to you on a cruise ship and often people book their accommodation and find out that they would have preferred a different one when they actually arrive. This means that it is vital that you research the options open to you before you actually book. Be sure that you have looked at every possibility and then decide which type of accommodation would be better for you. That way you will have the best vacation possible.

Finding the Perfect accommodation on Ships

one of the best ways to find the most ideal accommodation for you is to look through the cruise liner brochure. Obviously you will be looking at the cost of the accommodation and that will play a big part in the one that you choose. However even if you have a small budget it would be worth noting that by choosing the cheapest room, you are likely to get a very small amount of space in your cabin and that can lead to a miserable trip. You also will not have any windows as the cheaper rooms tend to be below the water level. So consider this when you think about the experience you want to have on the ship.

The options that you can usually choose from on a cruise ship include what size bed you want, what size room you would prefer and basically the quality. Some rooms will be decorated to a high standard and some will have an enormous amount of space. So think about what would make your holiday special. Having a room which allows you to move around without any hassle and where you can look out at the view can make all of the difference on your vacation so do consider spending a little more on your accommodation. Some rooms will also have a veranda or balcony leading out from their rooms and that really does add to the atmosphere of the cruise!

If you find that the brochure is not overly helpful then why not try the cruise liners web site? They will more than likely have a list of their sleeping accommodation and there may even be photographs hat you can look at to have a rough idea of what to expect. Standard cabins are efficient enough but they do not provide that much space and they are certainly not designed for any visitors you may have! So if you have the chance to take part in luxury travel on a cruise ship it would certainly be recommended.

Overall if you do have quite a limited budget then the economy suite is likely to be the best option for you. However if you can afford it then it would be a good idea to find something a little more spacious and luxurious.

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