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Slice Killers!

Quick tips to help eliminate the dreaded banana ball once and for all

This Article Features Photo Zoom

STAY BEHIND THE GOLF BALL

Finally, to deliver a knockout punch to a slice, try to stay behind the golf ball as you make a golf swing. Now, before you read further, it’s important you know exactly what that means. Staying behind the ball doesn’t mean limiting your rotation or your weight shift toward your forward side. Rather, staying behind the ball means keeping your spine tilted away from the ball at impact and bracing against a strong left side.

Notice the constants in all four of the sequence photos above (by the way, the photos on the opposite page are part of the same sequence, in case you were wondering). The first constant is the spine tilt away from the ball, as shown by the tilt in my shoulders. This tilt will help me swing from the inside of the target line, as well as help me drive my hands through with a full extension of the arms and rotate the clubhead so it’s square at impact.

The second constant is my head. It stays behind the ball through the hit and keeps me from sliding or swaying. Finally, the third constant is in my left leg. Notice that although my weight has shifted, my left leg hardly budges. This enables me to pivot my body more effectively and rotate through the shot. It also adds some whip to my arms and hands, again helping me to square the clubface at impact.

Practice these three constants and work on staying behind the ball, even as you rotate and shift your weight through the shot. If you can master these fundamentals, your slice will be a thing of the past.

Derek Nannen, PGA, is the head teaching professional at the Eagle Mountain Golf Academy at Eagle Mountain Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. Visit www.eaglemtn.com for more info.

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