The slice is golf’s most common shot — and the most misdiagnosed. It always comes from a clubface open to the path at impact, but the path behind that face varies from golfer to golfer. Fix the wrong version and the slice survives every swing tip you throw at it.
The two slice patterns
- Out-to-in path with a face open to that path: the club cuts across the ball from outside the line. This is the classic “over the top” slice — high, weak, fading further right.
- In-to-out path with a face that fails to close: the club swings from inside but the face stays open — the dreaded push-slice that starts right and curves further right.
Both look similar in the air. Down-the-line video tells them apart in five seconds.
What to film
Stand the phone behind the ball on the target line, belt height, 10–15 feet back, 60 frames per second. Film three swings. Then watch the club’s movement into the ball:
- Does the shaft come over the top and cut across? Pattern one.
- Does the club swing from inside with the face open? Pattern two.
Matches: fix the one you have
Pattern one (over the top): the club travels too steep. Work on keeping the back to the target a beat longer in transition and letting the arms drop before the body turns. Half-speed swings where the club shallows under an imaginary shelf line are the standard drill.
Pattern two (face control): the path is fine; the face lags open. Check the grip pressure and wrist angles — a lead wrist that stays cupped at impact holds the face open. Impact-bag work and short swings that finish with the face closed build the feel.
Measure the change
The fix sticks when you can see the change on video week over week. A swing review with frame-by-frame evidence shows whether the path or face actually moved — which is the difference between practice that changes a swing and practice that changes nothing.