hand/wrist action and slicing

[BrandonM7]

Something went wonky. I don't know of my changing anything, but I know that doesn't mean nothing changed - it just makes it harder to figure out why this is happening.

All of a sudden I'm slicing BAD. Just out of nowhere, but it doesn't want to go away. Since my natural ballflight starts a bit right and draws back a bit left, a slice is suicide. And I'm not talking little baby slices either, I'm talking going nearly as far sideways as forward.

So obviously I'm not closing the clubface for some reason. And I can feel the reason, I just can't figure out why it's happening - my left wrist doesn't want to come through as it should. I've always had the feeling (pardon my crudeness, but it's the way I think) of "bitch-slapping" the ball with my left hand. But for some reason now my left wrist is trying to break backwards - pronating, the bad thing Hogan talked about. Instead of rolling like they're supposed to, it's like my right hand wants to come under. I'm not intentionally trying to help the ball in the air like so many with this problem, but that's what my hands are doing. As a result I think my hands are trying to hold that from happening, but since they aren't rolling over properly that ends up with the back of my left hand (and as a result the clubface) coming through facing nearly straight away from my body forward, rather than toward the flag. It's like my hands know they won't roll over properly, so they choose not to do anything and give me a big old push-slice. Even if I try to intentionally take slow swings and force my hands to roll (which I've never had to intentionally do) the right hand tries to come under and flips the clubhead forward.

So that's a very long-winded run-through since I have no video camera. I guess my question is what can cause improper wrist action to creep in. Have I maybe gotten my hands out of agreement with one another in my grip? I know my left hand grip is still as it has always been, but I'm wondering if maybe my right hand has managed to get turned farther over to the left or right making proper wrist action hard/impossible to do. I can swing the club with just my left hand and hitch a ride all day long without the wrist breaking back, but as soon as I put my right hand on and try, the right hands flips under and causes my left wrist to fold back.

Any help (or even encouraging words, lol) would be appreciated. The more that I think about it just in typing out this description, the more I think maybe my right hand has worked its way around toward the left too far. As I sit here at my desk and try to mimic the actions, if I exaggerate gripping with the right hand twisted way left I can't even roll them properly in slow motion with no club. Exaggerating rolling it further around right and under the club it gets much easier to do it properly. I really need to keep a club in my office so I can check stuff like this out.

Anyway, thanks in advance for taking the time to read and offer any help.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

One possibility is you could be gripping to tight in your pinky and ring finger in your left hand (right hand). Which will also cause tension in your forearms and not allow your wrists and forearms to turn over.

This is actually something I intentionally do when I want to hit a fade.

Another cause could be if you regripped to a bigger grip.

 

[ezra76]

I'd start from the top of the backswing and make sure the club is in the correct, supported position. I'd also go hit some wedge shots, not mess with anything more than about a 9i for some 3/4 shots. I don't know the answer to wrist/hands questions, they are not a part of my golf swing.

 

[BrandonM7]

I'd start from the top of the backswing and make sure the club is in the correct, supported position. I'd also go hit some wedge shots, not mess with anything more than about a 9i for some 3/4 shots. I don't know the answer to wrist/hands questions, they are not a part of my golf swing.

They haven't been a conscious part of mine, either - then they decided to go crazy. I don't like having to think about them, and I'm probably making it worse by doing so.

 

[BrandonM7]

One possibility is you could be gripping to tight in your pinky and ring finger in your left hand (right hand). Which will also cause tension in your forearms and not allow your wrists and forearms to turn over.

This is actually something I intentionally do when I want to hit a fade.

Another cause could be if you regripped to a bigger grip.

I wish I could blame it on a grip (the grip, not my grip,) but I can replicate this with every club I own, on various types of grips.

I'll give a look at the arm/finger tension issue and see if that's crept in, though. Looking at my hands I notice an oddity - on my left hand, out just below the last knuckle of my bird and ring fingers there are tiny little callouses forming -- those haven't been there before. So maybe my left hand is doing something wrong...

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

Just to be perfectly clear, as it was my impression. Your ball is starting either straight or right of where you are aiming, again for a RH Golfer? Specifically where you are aiming and not where you are wanting the ball to go if you are aiming right of the target.

If your ball is starting left of your aiming point, then slicing back to the right that is due to a outside~in or over the top swing. For which if that is true, the face could even be square to the aiming point at impact. The direction your ball starts is in relation the the club path, and the direction it spins off to is in relation to the face at impact in relation to the path of the club and not the aiming point.

So if it starts left of the target and slices, it is an outside~in swing, with open face. Starting straight at the aiming point and slicing is a straight with an open face and if it is starting right of the aiming point, it is an inside~out swing. If the last one is the case, and it is a push slice, then face has to be seriously. So if your swing is 5* inside out, the club face would have to be more than 5* open in the last case, which is the impression I get from your comment.

 

[BrandonM7]

Just to be perfectly clear, as it was my impression. Your ball is starting either straight or right of where you are aiming, again for a RH Golfer? Specifically where you are aiming and not where you are wanting the ball to go if you are aiming right of the target.

If your ball is starting left of your aiming point, then slicing back to the right that is due to a outside~in or over the top swing. For which if that is true, the face could even be square to the aiming point at impact. The direction your ball starts is in relation the the club path, and the direction it spins off to is in relation to the face at impact in relation to the path of the club and not the aiming point.

So if it starts left of the target and slices, it is an outside~in swing, with open face. Starting straight at the aiming point and slicing is a straight with an open face and if it is starting right of the aiming point, it is an inside~out swing. If the last one is the case, and it is a push slice, then face has to be seriously. So if your swing is 5* inside out, the club face would have to be more than 5* open in the last case, which is the impression I get from your comment.

Your assumption (based on your last sentence) is correct. My swing is inside-out -- I have to consciously make myself bring it less from the inside at times. It generally works out okay because I contact with a face square-ish to the target line (as opposed to the inside-out swing line) resulting in a mild push-draw that ends up pretty well straight toward the target by the time it lands. Now I'm slicing, and it's still starting to the right due to my swingpath, which results in it WAY off to the right since it's headed that way and then curves even farther that way.

It is hellaciously open, as you surmised. Out of nowhere. My hands don't want to roll because something in the back of my mind knows my left wrist will fold back instead of rolling over, so some portion of my brain is holding them off and instead having my left hand come through with the back of it facing what looks like nearly 45° right of the target, instead of facing the target.

So I guess what I'm really trying to fix is the improper hand roll - right hand trying to go under the left and left breaking backward, rather than them rolling over like they're supposed to. Then maybe the back of my mind won't hold them back from rolling over, because it'll know they're gonna do it right instead of flipping all crazy. Maybe.

 

[warbirdlover]

I'm just going to list the things that cause me to slice and maybe you can find one that applies.... If I watch these things I don't slice.

Hands not relaxed
Legs not bent enough (too erect)
Right grip too strong
Not coiling enough on backswing
Swinging with arms instead of shoulder turn
Not coming through (hitting off right foot)
Swinging too hard
Ball too far away (reaching)

:thumbs up:

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

I will also just throw this in the mix, as it is not so much a cure but mental imagery. Although from the sounds of it you already have a pretty good grasp on how it is supposed to feel as well as the physics behind why the ball does what it does.

None the less, when I started and used to slice it was do to release and this is what fixed me.

From another Thread:

For me, I picked up these in a Golf Magazine years ago and they worked for me. The one I used mainly was simply as you complete your swing finish with your left palm facing the sky as though to "catch raindrops". Simple, but worked for me.

The other was to take your grip with the V formed with your right thumb, put the corner of a credit card in the V. So when you start and in you backswing you will be looking at the face of the card. On the follow through, you need to be viewing the back. Just take slow practice swings to ingrain the feel

One other cause could be the shaft. Have you increase your speed and distance recently, or possibly changed shafts? Are you certain the shaft suits your swing current swing?

 

[BrandonM7]

One other cause could be the shaft. Have you increase your speed and distance recently, or possibly changed shafts? Are you certain the shaft suits your swing current swing?

Possible link there - I tend to search for power during the winter, then every spring I'm reminded that I've been down that road every year. It's like every spring I learn that 235yds in the fairway is a whole lot better than 255yds into the woods -- you'd think it would stick eventually. But I do have a few clubs with telephone poles that I'm still slicing, so it isn't the shaft itself - but it may well be trying to add power that's causing me to get all wonky.

Tonight when I get home I'll re-check that my right hand hasn't crept around left, check the finger pressures you mentioned above, and make sure I'm not trying to blow a nut off every time I swing. I'm probably overthinking it - I most likely need to just calm down and go back to smoothness, I'll bet I've been trying to knock the cover off the thing and getting all out of sync.

Thanks to all for the input.

 

[FATC1TY]

Sounds like your right grip is taking too much control, and trying to twist the club in your left hand..

If your getting those callouses on your hand, and your leaving the club open, that sounds like your not getting it turned over, because you trying to do it with just your right hand, even though it feels like your left hand is in the right position at impact.

I had that problem, unless I took a lighter grip, and focused on not trying to hinge my wrist, but allow them to naturally do so when I turn through my backswing.

 

[BrandonM7]

Sounds like your right grip is taking too much control, and trying to twist the club in your left hand..

If your getting those callouses on your hand, and your leaving the club open, that sounds like your not getting it turned over, because you trying to do it with just your right hand, even though it feels like your left hand is in the right position at impact.

I had that problem, unless I took a lighter grip, and focused on not trying to hinge my wrist, but allow them to naturally do so when I turn through my backswing.

Possible. My right arm/hand/side tends to try and take over when I'm trying to nut it, which I think I'm doing. I may need to spend a little time doing the left-arm-only swing to get the balance back.

 

[FATC1TY]

Try a stronger than normal grip, and then just try and make a normal swing, but one that almost feels 3/4 percent.

See if you hook it.

 

[fisher]

Things I do to get back on track with the driver.

1. Hit a bucket of balls with the driver never taking a swing more than about 40% of your normal swing speed. Don't take a normal speed swing until you feel completely grooved at 40%.

2. Set up with your normal grip then take one hand off and make smooth full turn swings with one arm focusing on a full turn and rythem. Do one arm and then do the other arm then put both hands back on the club and hit some balls.

Reading your description above I would guess that you are getting too quick coming back to the ball or you are dropping your right shoulder prior to impact. Work on tempo tempo tempo and don't try to kill the ball.

 

[ezra76]

Possible. My right arm/hand/side tends to try and take over when I'm trying to nut it, which I think I'm doing. I may need to spend a little time doing the left-arm-only swing to get the balance back.

Good idea, I was going to suggest that. I've gradually strengthed my left hand and weakened my right. I see 2 1/2 knuckles on the left and right V is to my "shirt logo" spot, left of my chin.