golfrewind.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHdpMSLT7oE

That is a video of me swinging my driver. I was wondering if anyone can see anythign that is causing me to slice the ball. any help would be appreciated.

Hi Jase,
things to try changing..
1. Slow your swing to 90%.
2. Don't rotate your hips so much on the backswing - this takes the club off line.
3. Your left hand is cupped at the top of your backswing - this will leave the club open.
4. You seem to keep your head down too long which will prevent a full follow through.

O.K., a couple of questions. Where are you teeing the ball up. The reason I ask is that, from the video (next time get one from behind as well, if possible) it looks like you are swinging for impact to occur somewhat more toward the front/middle of your stance instead of opposite the left heel. Can't be sure, but that's what I thought I discerned (more from where you are grounding your club at address than anything else). If this is the case, try moving the tee up to the front of your stance (opposite the left heel) so that 1. You're catching the ball on the upswing and 2. the face of the club will have time to close. With the ball back in your stance your club face will always remain open at impact (barring some compensation) which will cause a slice every time.Question #2...Are you getting arm rotation on your swing? The video made it look like there wasn't a lot, if any rotation of the right arm over the left on the swing. Don’t swing inside to out. Instead, swing inside to square to inside and rotate your forearms (right over left) along with your body through the hitting area. I would also suggest that you slow down some in your swing. It looks like you will be able to generate a lot of power, but you tempo is herky-jerky right now. This comes, I suspect, from a bit of an overswing. Focus on tempo and slowing down, tee the ball at the left heel and have someone check out your grip (can't see it in the video very well, but it may be a little weak) and see if this doesn't help you overcome your slice. All in all you have some very good tools to work with here. It's just a matter of practicing the right things.

Thanks for the quick responses guys. Ill try them out next time i hit the range. threefeathers - the tee is usually even with my front foot.. I dont understand what you are saying about hitting it during my upswing.

The ball position for the driver is off the instep of the front foot. This automatically sets the hands even with the clubhead and helps give the desired "slightly upward" blow required for good tee shots. If you'll notice, at the place your swing bottoms out (about the middle of your stance) the driver is still making a descending move. If you hit the ball there, you won't get the loft or closed clubface you need for a driver. By the time your swing gets to the left foot, it has begun swinging back up. Think of your swing as a pendulum and you'll get a better mental image of this.

Your hip turn is incorrect. I looks like you are moving your left hip forward during the backswing; moving your right hip backward would be closer to the correct motion. From your swing, it looks like you may be focusing on the popular 'keep the head still' tip. This tip is often interpreted incorrectly, and it isn't even accurate. It is OK for your head to move away from the target a little bit during the backswing. You want to wind up your backswing over your right hip, not roll it over your left hip. I hope this makes sense!

Here are a couple things that I have noticed:
1. You reverse pivot which can be seen at the top of your swing where you are leaning towards the ball. This action loses power so focus on putting more weight on your right leg as you move back aaway from the ball.
2. Your hip moves away from the ball which also means lost power. This problem can be cured the same way as the reverse pivot, lock your right leg up a little bit more so your body "coils" and stores up power.

Good Luck,

GolfChamp09

Your backswing is more of a hip sway than a turn, although not a complete sway and there is some turn there. Notice your upper body is still leaning forward even during the backswing; you want to have more weight on the back foot.

Also, it looks like you change your swing plane at the top. Your takeaway seems basically good, but you let your right elbow "fly" away from your hip on the downswing, which causes you to come "over the top", which is the number one cause of a slice. Your clubface may even be square to the ball, but your clubhead is coming from away from you and is going toward you, which with most clubs would take a divot that goes down and to the left, like this: / (although not as steeply down).

This will cause your clubface to hit the ball moving a bit sideways, so even if it's square to the target, it's going to put sidespin on the ball, causing it to go right, and the maximum force is not going to be pushing the ball forward, causing you to lose distance.

So, in a nutshell, turn instead of swaying, and keep that right elbow tight on the downswing.