Are You a Slice and Dicer? Simple Tips to Combat that Golf Slice If you are an amateur golfer, you may notice that you are slicing the ball a lot. Do not worry, you are in good company – about 80% of new golfers slice the ball. You might have tried lessons, training aids, and drills and still do it. The biggest reason for slicing is that the golfer does not know what is causing it. When you slice the ball, it is because the face of your club is coming across the ball outside your target line. This causes the ball to side-spin and slice. You may be surprised to know that it may be a physical limitation that is holding you back. If you are having a golf slice, watch your swing. A golf slice happens because your top half gets ahead of your bottom half. This creates and over-the-top move and your clubface hits against the ball at the wrong angle. Instead of a nice, straight drive towards your hole, the ball is sliced off at an angle. Some golfers try to adjust their starting point rather than the finishing part of the swing. Contrary to their belief, starting with the club square on will not improve the outcome. Amazingly enough, starting with the club to the right tends to make you slice the ball less often. Starting this way forces your body into a more exaggerated movement, allowing you to feel all of the golf swing. One way that you can combat this is to work on your core rotational flexibility. That is easily accomplished by adding a brief workout routine to your golf regiment. Consider stretches that help to limber you up, cardiovascular to get your heart pumping and build muscle strength, and weight training to build up your core. As well as correcting your golf slice, you may find that your ball goes further when you drive it and rolls longer once it lands. A big flaw for new golfers is that they lack the feeling for knowing the proper moves for golf. They do not know the feel of a proper swing, where the clubface is at any given moment, or how it feels for the club to follow through the swing instead of hacking at the ball. Another thing to consider is that practice makes perfect. It may take a while for your body to learn how to hit the ball properly, particularly if you have been slicing for a while now. Try hitting your ball with it placed in different positions to get the feel of a proper swing. Also, when you do drills, consider running them through with the 5 or 6 iron. As you get used to the feel, then you can move on to some of your other clubs. First, start by hitting balls with your feet together. This may feel clumsy, but it helps to isolate your lower body. If you hips try to get away from you while you are in this posture, you are going to lose your balance. If you are worried about embarrassing yourself with this routine, then you should try a private putting range or your own backyard to get the idea. Once you have gotten the hang of this, try hitting balls with your right foot behind your left foot. Swing to the right of your target. This keeps your hips shut while allowing your hand to get down in front of your body. The club will be forced to release over, with a right to left shape to the ball. Keep both feet on the ground throughout the swing to pronounce the effect. If you still are not getting the hang of it, try hitting the ball with only one hand. Your dominant hand enhances the timing of the club with the lower body, forcing the club to release through the ball. It might look kind of funny to the passerby, but would you not rather look a little ridiculous now at practice or ridiculous during the big game when you slice the ball? With a little bit of practice and a lot of work, even the worst slice and dicer can get a swing to match the pros. You just have to work at it and take care to watch what you are doing. If you find yourself starting to dice again, go back to the basics and relearn the feel of golf.