If you’re struggling with a slice, chances are your clubface is open at the top of the backswing, indicated by the toe of the club pointing toward the ground. From this position, it is very difficult to square the face in the amount of time you have (about a quarter of a second) before the clubhead gets down to impact.
Some elite players, like two-time major champion Justin Thomas, play well from an open-face position, but I wouldn’t recommend it for golfers who tend to slice. If you want to hit it straighter or even with a little draw, it’s better to have a closed face at the top, copying players like Dustin Johnson or Viktor Hovland. From a closed-face position, indicated by the face pointing toward the sky at the top, it’s much easier to square face at impact. Why? You don’t have to rotate the face as much in that quarter of a second coming down.
Here’s a great visual to promote a closed face at the top: Imagine there’s a camera directly behind you on your extended target line. Take your 7-iron and as you swing back, see if you can get the clubface to look directly at the camera. Your lead wrist should be flat, even bowed, with your trail palm facing more upward than downward at the top (photo, above). This exercise teaches you how to close the face on the backswing, which takes three times as long as the downswing, making it a better place to make adjustments. Groove this move, and you should stop losing shots to the right.
Travis Fulton, one of Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in Florida, is the owner of Travis Fulton Golf in Jacksonville.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
