driver slice

Question
Hey Eddie,

for the past winter, and most of summer, i have had a big hook.  i had been able to control it to a draw, and sometimes even straight.  towards the end of the summer, i have been hitting huge slices. straight right, slice off more right.  if i am correct about "getting stuck", getting your  upper body past your hands, i might be doing that.  i tend to have a bit of an overswing, even though i have tried to shorten it, it feels like i am barely swinging back and i overswing still.  i have tried drills in all my golf magazines about this, and they dont really work.  i hit a nice big slice, or i pull it madly off to the left.  another thing, every shot lately has been off of the heel.  woods mostly, and definitaly any club longer than an 8.  i have put all of my weight on my heels and then leaned back through the swing, and it still goes off of the heel.  do you have any idea what i am doing and how to fix it?  i have checked over and over and my alignment is correct.  this is all i can think of to tell you, so your advice in any way would help.

Garrett

Answer
Hello Garrett:
I know exactly what it is.  You simply are swinging too much from inside to out.  The "getting stuck" feeling that you have?  Don't relate that to your body past your hands thing, forget that.  You simply are swinging too much from inside out.  That explains why you catch most shots on the heel.  That explains the start right, stay right, possibly curve more right shot.  That explains big hooks.  But since you straightened out the hook some and have hit some straight, you simply opened up the clubface the right amount to offset swinging to the right. Remember when the club is swinging from in to out, the clubface is striking the middle to outside part of the ball with a glancing blow.  If the clubface is closing as it strikes the ball, it imparts a terrific right to left spin, producing a hook.  So if the path of your swing is inside to out and the clubface happens to be square to that path when contact is made, then the ball goes straight right.  If the face of the club happens to be slightly open to that path, then the ball starts to the right and then slices more right.  I wouldn't mess with anything else except fixing your swing path into the ball.  Here is an easy picture for you to get in your head to start to change the path.  Picture a big clock out where your target is.  Your target is 12 o'clock.  Right now, the direction your club is swinging as it goes through the ball is towards 1 or 2 o'clock.  You need to start to make some swings through the ball towards 10 or 11 o'clock so you can see and feel the differences of what the ball will do and how it will react to the path of the swing and the clubface.  It won't take you long, but it really makes a big difference.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member