I'm a person who needs to know the reason why I need to do things. For this, I know I need to shallow out my swing, but didn't know why. Now, I do, I very much appreciate this A LOT!
Very concise and helpful! I've struggled with slicing my driver for 20 years now. Some days I could control it enough to play it, and end up with looping 180yd drives that felt like they rolled out backwards. Most days I was absolutely hopeless and the driver would stay in the bag after the 2nd or 3rd lost ball (usually 3rd hole). When I say this, I mean it: I think I have struggled with the worst slice on planet earth. I would slice literally 100 yards left. I've sliced from my tee box, over two fairways, and into a house. I felt like I couldn't do anything about it. I'd watch countless videos and read articles on how to fix it, over the course of years and years, and I could never seem to put into practice what they were saying. I think the instruction that's helped me the most is to let the driver head drop down at the top of the backswing. It's simple, easy to feel, and automatically brought my down swing in plane without any other adjustments. At first it felt like a non-golf swing. It felt way too horizontal, but I confirmed by filming myself that it looks fine. Now that that action has become fairly natural, fixing my setup was the next step. I set up further away from my ball to avoid heel strikes and moved the ball back 2-3 inches in my stance. Remember to roll over at impact to close the face and generate all the speed. Those small adjustments have me hitting 275-280 piss missiles past everyone I play with.
Fattest lie I ever heard. Unless you have been under a rock since people started posting lessons on RU-vid everyone has been saying the same yet, most people including me still slice like hell. This lesson was useless to say the least. I thought he has saying something new. and I guarantee that if you were slicing before you are still slicing like a dog, but just BS in here for no reason.
I tried this at the range today... I think this may have just improved my driver issues 10 fold. I have gained a bit more control and there's consistency as well. Great vid 👌👌
Andrew Banegas 1 second ago I followed your tips, I’ve been struggling with a slice and topped drives, you are a life saver! I was hitting 270+ almost all day straight and some slight draws, thanks for making it so simple!!
This is it. Thanks you are 100 % right. I did today better. Tomorrow more practice much better. Thanks again . I'll tell my friend your site. You are a good coach. 🙂👍
Thanks for this explanation. I either slice or pull as you illustrate. Have been aware seemingly forever that it is my swing plane but knowing it is easy, rectifying has eluded me so far. I certainly try to pull down on the club but this hasn’t helped and, having seen this, it is because I am not keeping my left arm tight to my body on the downswing. I will go back again and work on this. My problem has been that my subconscious self imagines that the club head will drive into the ground with this method. I have to overcome my strong natural tendency to swing out and over.
I remember a video where rick sheils talked about this same thing. Explaining golf swings is so difficult but i think i may have taken away with more understanding from yours. Cheers.
Russell loving ur work. Just watching back some videos. I suffer with a slice so going to do this drill now. But can I ask u does loft on the driver effect a slice?
Doesn't the swing plane and the closing the club face work on 2 different factors though? plane being the direction the ball starts and club face being the direction of curve? It would see both are needed? My bad driver is a push fade/slice. My launch monitor never shows my path as anything but in to out, but either the club face is neutral and I heel it or open leading to the fade/slice. Thoughts?
I’m slightly uncertain of the question. The premise of this video is that if the club face is too shut in the back swing it will force it too open in the downing to avoid a hook
Good stuff, I just don’t like the suggestion of pulling hands down. I think that gets people into trouble and I know it was bad for me years ago. When I’m swinging great my hands just kind of drop naturally with no thought about it. A proper weight shift and turn that starts with legs and hips gets the club down into the “slot”. Then it’s just a matter of turning and releasing. But pulling down can cause problems imo
Hi Russell, Thank you so much for this video. You described exactly my misses because of the closed club face at address. This is because when I address the ball with the club face sitting as it's designed to sit, subconsciously it feels like it's wide open for me. I still have an in to out swing but I cant seem to close the club face, release the club properly through impact - ball always shoots off to the right. I use 10.5 degrees of loft. Should I keep as is?
I suppose the problem is if your club face is closed then you may struggle to close it through the hit. Maybe experiment with it more open and see what happens
As a long bomber whos stuck in the verticle path... My hybrid doesn't go anywhere near as far. It says on the course. My drive is usually 300 yards off the course when I slice
Great video and great tips that I haven't thought of ( or heard) before. I can get 220+ from my 2 hybrid ( very consistently) and on average my driver is barely over that...when I'm lucky my drive is 270+.... I can't wait to see how this helps !
Have you been spying on me?!?!? You described to a "T" exactly what I've been doing, even this morning, with the club face! Man, I never thought of that, I thought adjusting the face would be a solution, but you're (not surprisingly) *exactly* right. It causes me to push it left. Thank you, good sir, for the thorough explanation. I'll be applying this lesson at the range later today. Thanks again.
For me the problem of slicing with the driver comes visible typically on the last holes, I get a horrible push slice and the only quick remedy is actually closing the club face at address, up to almost 45 degrees at worst. My pro says it’s the only fast remedy to push slice during a round of golf.
Thank God at last some simple effective golf principles and tips, not someone trying to re invent the golf wheel. ! Kiss system, keep it simple stupid!! Thankyou
Hi Russell, I’m not a slicer but rather a hooker of the ball. I hook with all of my clubs, my ball goes as far to the left as a slicer goes right. I have spent a life time on different lessons, equipment, gadgets you name it. I’m talking years of hooking. The draw comes back and I know that the hook will soon follow. I would love to see and hear your thoughts on this golf game ending problem. Thank you no look forward to the hooking video. Merry
Russell: Great points here; I have found that when you set up with a closed face it is simply ruinous! it takes all the dynamics out of the swing and forces a pushing out to right field and holding off of the clubface to keep it from hooking badly. But that hold off pushing is devoid of any dynamics. I very much like your feeling dropping the hands down to a shallower location and providing the freedom to then move freely with a rolling sensation. I’m not sure I can get behind anyone teaching an anti-roll technique - I have tried that hold off move and just feel like the compression and speed is simply not there. I know there are those who hold off - but it feels very forced and very much a hold off push
I am 69 years old. I hit all of my clubs fairly straight, but my friends say I don’t have enough follow through. It’s like putting the brakes on my down swing any suggestions?
Thank you for the explanation! My swing is currently "suboptimal" = completely ugly. Will definitely consider your advice for my next training session!
i shouldn't be giving any advice because i haven't played since covid (because i'm lazy and procrastinate) but i've found in order to achieve this keeping my front arm fairly tightly stretched on the backswing naturally keeps the plane down nice and low. kind of visualize your front shoulder and elbow stretching in a flat line towards your back shoulder. if you pause it say at 2:56 you can see what i'm talking about if you manage to stop it when he's at maximum backswing.
Telling amateur or high handicappers to pull the club down is going to result in disaster. Because we (yes I’m a high handicapper and new to golf) don’t understand the importance of our hips and lower body play in the swing. As soon as I understood that correct hip rotation creates the room and sequence to allow a better swing plain then my slice tendency reduced.
Great great great stuff. I would’ve mentioned spine tilt (away from target) helping shallow out. I see a lot of people with more vertical spines at address and I think this is a major factor in being steep, hitting down with driver, and/or early extension.
100%-just make sure you couple that with rotation or you may be too much from the inside. That address position is critical. You don't want to set yourself up for the chop.
@@Big-Crow Lately I've been experimenting with a passive arm and wrist downswing (that is more of a body swing) but am having some difficulty shallowing sufficiently. I think some subtle arm movement is necessary. What do you think?
technically no, it just makes the club "want" to close up for you in your downswing because the toe is lighter than the heel. So it aids the "feeling of rotation" that he was talking about. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Yep this is a good point and again we have a tendency to have professionals golfers allow the face to sit more open to allow the closure. I feel the aim of this video however is to try to square the clubface up with a release rather than manipulating the face. I’m sure there will be golfers who do a good job of closed to open face but not something I would recommend for a larger audience though.
Hi Russell This really useful but isn’t it only part of the story and the main reason for a slice is mainly the “over the top” swing arc with a open face ? and if at the top of the swing and at transitioning you are in a bad position, getting the hands pulling down will leave them way behind the body and bad will things happen most of the time.
That is because people have bad shots for many different reasons. Russell's point is 100% accurate for somebody. It may not be why you slice or why I slice etc. I always recommend going to a local PGA professional to get a lesson so you can address your particular flaws. Then go from there. Good luck!
Ok he says the scope you're using is fine you're limited any way until you can shoot at distance so give more attention to the minute of angel and leave the 425 Barrett at home until you can take it to the limit stay with the 6×24 until you master it's limitations right..or for you gun enthusiast aka Creedmore
I find when I setup with feet closed and driver head straight, when I then go into full setup with feet apart and slight sideways bend that the club face looks closed at that point and I’m then unsure if it’s still correct
It's hardly to find info/instruction to find your personal setup for any club. I mean where to tee upon the ball in YOUR swing arc, and tee higth. Considering stance width an distance from the ball and last but not least the clubface position at address to ensure a square club face at contact ie for a straight ball flight. So one has to find out this for himself experimenting with these factors. Best practice for me was determing stance and swing arc at a constant take a way and downswing by 3 times at 5 reps swings.Draw out this arc on the mat or in the grass in relation to your stance. So you have a constant starting point experimenting with ball position and club face. It seems cumbersome but it is worthwhile. Don't forget to take notes and that things are never 100%.... Get it straight before fading and drawing. "Practice makes perfect".. Cheers ...
@@russellheritagegolf thanks Russell, I know it sounds stupid but I’d never thought of doing that! I think it’s hard to think logically about how to help yourself sometimes…which is another reason your vids are really helpful, thank you 👍
My brother in law could really use this video to help him with his severe slicing.... We're playing a round together in a few so I'll be sure to show him afterwards
If you slightly close the clubface with a bowed wrist then you definitely won't slice. I hit 300 yard bombs with a bowed wrist it squares the club face up at impact without thinking about it !!!!
I think of it like trying to hit a baseball with a bat. You swing from inside and hit it flush. I may still shank whatever club I use but it's not due to me chopping the ball from my swing. It's more like a bad hit or the club isn't completely level at impact. Although I can out drive people with irons so idk. Perks of being tall with orangutan arms. Give me a 6 or 3/2 iron all day over a 3 wood or driver. Much more forgiving and can still get like 270 carry consistently. Lots of slicers will almost chop the ball from outside in on the swing instead of inside out. They strike the ball at an angle over striking through the ball. Or they are at full extension before they hit the ball and get a bad strike. Since once your hand is straight you will start losing power and getting erratic results.
This should help me. I tend to turn too soon from the top without letting my arms come down. The issue I have when I try to put this into practice though is that I feel like I end up casting the club too much with this arm move
This was news to me. Sure makes sense. Explains why I usually struggle to draw even when I close my stance relative to my clubface. Yesterday I was also puzzling about how when I set up to try and draw the ball my hands appear so far behind the ball? Solutions?
I've found a slightly closed club face encourages an in to out swing path to square the face. Actually helped me to reduce my slice, but with the occasional hook
I respectfully disagree. First 10 yrs that’s how I bombed balls. Have 4-5 long drive trophies to back it up. It wasn’t until the last few yrs I’ve learned how to stop doing that. However if I need a steep draw I still turn that head in. Matter of fact with beginners that slice the crap out of the ball that’s the first thing I show them to do because obviously somethings happening at impact that opens up to straighten the ball out. We country boys don’t understand swing planes we just smash the ball. And if closing the head allows us to smash the ball and hit it straight then that’s a win.
What a load of clickbait! Notice how all these 'tutorials' start with 'never do this'. He actually contradicts himself talking about the plane angle between shorter irons and drivers.
NEVER teach rolling your hands over in golf?!! You do not want people intentionally turning their hands over. The hands should come back to square/impact naturally to achieve a good swing.
