How to Fix a Slice and Stop Coming Over the Top

Learn how to reshape your golf swing and fix your slice with expert tips from Chuck Quinton.

Watch the full 11-minute video lesson

Reshaping Your Golf Swing

When it comes to improving your golf swing, many golfers often find themselves bogged down by the minutiae—focusing on perfecting their takeaway or setup. However, sometimes what you need is to reshape your overall swing. This article will guide you through the process of reshaping your golf swing by focusing on the fundamental aspects of how the club, wrist, and arms work together.

Understanding the Basic Concept

The first step in reshaping your swing is understanding the basic swinging motion. This is especially useful for golfers who may be struggling during the winter months or for those who feel their current technique is not yielding results. Instead of getting caught up in every small detail, we will focus on building the primary shape of an effective golf swing.

Training the Arms Independently

One crucial aspect of reshaping your swing is training your arms independently. The left arm plays a significant role in controlling impact alignments and swing shape. Therefore, we start with the left arm. Grip the club with only your left hand and focus on the following:

Turn back to a position at the top that resembles a golf swing—don't worry about perfection yet.
Keep your left arm straight as you turn back, ensuring your weight shifts to the right side.
Shift laterally to get your weight onto your left side as you prepare to swing down.

The Importance of the Left Arm

As you begin the downswing, focus on allowing your left arm to swing down naturally. Most golfers tend to over-rotate and try to pull down with their arms, which can lead to coming over the top. By only using your left hand, you can prevent this excessive rotation and instead allow the momentum of the club to guide your swing.

Drills to Enhance Your Swing

Now that we’ve established the basic shape, we can move into some drills to help reinforce this motion:

Using an Impact Bag

An impact bag is a great tool for this phase of training. Here’s how to incorporate it:

Set up the impact bag in front of you and perform the same drill as before, focusing on your release into the bag.
This helps prevent you from over-rotating and allows you to focus on the basic shape of your swing.
Concentrate on releasing the club into the bag without worrying about squaring the club face at this stage.

Observe Your Divots

Once you feel comfortable with the impact bag, practice hitting shots without it, focusing instead on how your divots bottom out. This will allow you to see if your divots start in the same spot consistently, which indicates a good swing shape.

Adding the Ball

Once you’ve mastered the drill without a ball, it’s time to add one in front of the impact bag. This helps you overcome the mental hurdle of hitting the ball. As you swing, focus on hitting the impact bag; the ball will naturally be collected as a result.

Final Steps

After mastering these steps, you can gradually remove your training aids and start hitting full shots. Begin with shorter swings to build confidence before progressing to full swings.

Key Concepts to Remember

Focus on the left arm's motion first; it's crucial for swing shape.
Utilize the impact bag to reinforce proper release and swing shape.
Pay attention to where your divots bottom out to ensure consistent swing mechanics.
Progressively integrate the ball into your practice once you're comfortable with the above steps.

See What GOATY Finds in Your Swing

Upload a swing video and get your GOATScore, root cause diagnosis, and personalized drill prescription in 60 seconds.

Analyze My Swing Free

or

Try a Free Live Lesson