Ugh... Slicing now...

Question
Today I was working on the more vertical swing and such that you told me to do, and now I'm slicing it with my driver sometimes... Should I focus on turning my hands over again or will that cause me to pull the ball again? The same with my irons on some holes - they faded off to the right...  

Answer
Hi Jeffrey:

First things first, I am not the one that told you to get more vertical.  The question is:  What causes a slice?  Answer:  Open clubface at impact.  What could contribute to a slice?  Answer:  A lot of different things.  For instance, an out to in swing path, a weak left hand grip, a left arm folding up through impact, too vertical of a swing shape, no leg movement, a reverse pivot, etc. and on and on.  So, as you can see, it could be a number of issues you could be doing.  If you were my student, I would first fix the face of the club.  That means your grip.  Your hands control the face.  If your grip is not very good, you simply cannot "release" or rotate the clubface into the back of the ball squarely.  If you cannot do that, it usually stays open which is the major reason a golfer slices the golf ball.  So you need to fix your grip.  Then you need to learn how to rotate your hands correctly.  The motion needs to be learned and practiced relentlessly or you will continue to battle this problem forever.  Get a good PGA Professional and have them fix the grip correctly and show you how to use your hands correctly to produce a square clubface at impact.  Then, you need to hit lots of balls, making half to three quarter swings until you can routinely curve the ball from right to left.  Once you are able to do that consistently, then I would begin to fix the path and angle of attack.  Without seeing you Jeffrey, I cannot tell you what needs to be done.  I can only give you bandaid advice from a distance on the info you give me.  My advice now is to seek out the best instructor in your area, make sure they are a qualified PGA or LPGA Professional, and pay them to help you.  It sounds like you need some repetition of fundamental basics.  Go get some help.  If you are ever in Phoenix, Arizona, you can come see me.  I'll fix your slice forever, guaranteed.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member