Over The Top

With today's enormous drivers, it has become easier to hit the ball a long way. But if you slice the ball, you're probably not getting the type of distance you deserve, since sliced shots not only miss the fairway, but also rob you of powerful distance.

A sliced shot is caused by two factors: the shaft swinging down on too steep a plane and a clubface that's open at impact. For a quick fix, address the ball with your normal posture. From this position, elevate your driver head approximately one foot above the ground. From here, make a few full swings from above the ball (as shown). It's important to keep the arms and hands soft to encourage an aggressive release and a turning over of the hands through the impact area. This drill will help you feel your hands and arms rotating as they pass the center of your body.

Furthermore, this drill motion is vital in allowing the clubface to square itself through impact. By swinging above the ball, you're effectively swinging on a shallower plane, which helps speed up the hands through the impact zone in order to do so. Give this drill a few tries (even mid-round if you find yourself flailing tee shots to the right), and in no time, you'll see and feel your tee shots drift less to the right and more toward the middle of the fairway or green.

John Stahlschmidt, PGA, is the Head Instructor at the TOUR Academy at the TPC of Scottsdale in Arizona. For more information, visit www.pgatourexperiences.com._Ê