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I always slice my drives but after playing yesterday I managed it reduce the slice to more of a fade by limiting my wrist cock on the backswing.

Does this mean I'm not releasing?

By limiting wrist cock am I limiting power?

James,
I would'nt even think of the wrist cock on the back swing. If you're slicing the driver it's either because you are going at it too hard, your grip, alingment, shaft etc..
If you think your fundementals are o.k then try concentrating on not breaking your wrist's on the back swing, (dont worry i guarantee it will happen naturally)
Also try a search for Ringers 'take the whole club away' video on this forum, this should help with all of the above.
Hope this helps,
kevan,

Sometimes a slice can be the result of overswing (ie John Daley type of backswing). This tendency is prevelant in younger golfers who tend to have a lot of flexability. You'll know if your doing it just by having someone watch you swing and see how far past parallel you go on your backswing before you start forward. What you call "Limiting your wrist cock" could very well lessen this and help you straighten things out. My question is; What did you do to lessen your wrist cock? It's not a good thing to try to do anything during the golf swing. You should just be taking a grip and making a swing. Everything else just happens. Wrist cock is one of these things. One tip I would like to mention though is sometimes refered to as "Long Thumb / Short Thumb". Here are two pictures showing what I'm talking about.

Long Thumb


Short Thumb


Using the Short Tumb left hand grip helps you control your club at the top by restricting the amount your wrists will cock. That way, you don't have to think about it.

BT

Thanks :)

I feel like my right hand cups a bit when I take the club back if you know what I mean?

By making a conscious effort not to do this I feel like I'm not cocking my wrist as much, I also open the face early on the backswing, this doesn't cause a problem with my irons though.

Cupping during the backswing is not good. If stopping this limits the amount that your wrists were cocking, then that's they way it should be. In other words, cupping your wrist may allow you to get a deeper wrist cock, but it will cost you more than it's worth.

BT

Just so I know why does cupping my right wrist cause a problem?

At impact, the back of your wrist should be very close to being on plane with your arm. Like you had a brace on the back of your hand going up your arm, keeping it flat for example. The easiest way to make sure it is on plane is to KEEP it on plane. If this plane breaks down during the backswing, the odds of you getting it back on plane are pretty slim. This can lead to a myriad of contact and ball flight problems due to the inconsistant angel of the wrist at impact. Once you get the feeling of keeping it on plane, it's really quite easy to do.

BT

Anyone else can chime in on what I tell you but it has been my experience since I had over thirty years experience as being one of the worlds best slicers is the following.
1. If the ball starts right and slices right nromal to slightly high ball flight you are sliding forward getting your head ahead of the ball.
2. If it starts close to the target line and slices then body position is fair but the hands outrace the hips turning generally causing an over the top move.
3. If the ball starts left then slices your coming over the top in most cases.
4. If the ball pops up to right feild you hips outraced the hands by a long shot leaving the face open with no chance of closing.

Always remember that for a ball to have left to right movement from its starting line it has clockwise spin which could be swing path or face angle that caused it. One just has to figure out what in their swing is causing the side spin being applied. Generally flattening the swing out will help eliminate the slice but then you may have to deal with straightening out a hook.

bjterry correct me if I am worng, I don't think I am, what you are really showing in your picture is a palm grip (long thumb, incorrect grip) vs, a finger grip (short thumb, correct for modern swings)

Several articles I have read recommend a flat wrist on the backswing. As you start the backswing both hands move together. Cupping, bowing or bending the wrist will move the club off plane. I can attribute a lot of my "huh" shots to this. The power from the wrist is generated by bending the wrists toward the thumbs (for lack of a better description). The power at contact is created be rolling your forearms more than the wrist. Usually if you bend your up or down on the backswing you have difficulty returning to the setup position at contact.
Hope that helps.

The right wrist has to cup. It is the only way for a right hander to keep the club on plane. If you try to keep the right wrist from flexing back you won't have a decent prayer at good contact and a severe loss of power. The left wrist will cock naturally, if not aided, and the right will bend back in a cupping fashion because the left is not. I don't see a way to bring the club around on plane without the right wrist breaking back.

coralpro - correct the left (r hand golfer) needs to be flat. The right hand should be knuckles up with the wrist cocked. I am sorry if I was misunderstood. I was focusing on the left or outside wrist as that is the one that usually causes me trouble.

I understood what you referenced but I think our original poster was a little confused about whether both should have no cupping or just the lead wrist. He had asked why and what would be the problem with cupping the right and as far as I know everyone kept saying you should keep the wrist flat on the backswing and I was afraid he was going to try and swing with both wrists flat. It wouldn't work but it might have been fun to watch.

That would be much better for splitting wood than playing golf.

Not necessarily. I believe there have been some successful players that played with the long thumb. However, most teach the short thumb because it gives better control.

BT