slice

Question
i always hit my drives to the right ,the ball makes a big curve to the right  .can you help.thanks

Answer
Hi Dom:

The reason your drives curve to the right is because the clubface is open at impact.  That means the clubface is pointing to the right as the clubface contacts the golf ball.  As you swing the club forward with an open clubface, the clubface slides across the ball to the left which is what puts left to right spin on the ball.  To fix the clubface, you'll first need to make sure you have a good grip.  Your grip is critical to your success of squaring the clubface.  Get some help from a qualified, reputable PGA professional in your area on this, because it's hard to adequately describe it to you without showing how to use your hands correctly.  But here is a brief description of a good grip.

In the left hand, the shaft should rest along the base of your fingers.  Not in your fingers like so many pros will tell you today, and not up in the palm or lifeline of the hand, which is what most people do.  When you close your left hand on the club, your heel pad should cover the top of the grip completely, left thumb rests down the right center of the grip.  Match your right hand to your left hand, and suggesting you put all 10 fingers on the shaft.  The thumb pad of your right hand should fit down on top of your left thumb, and the right thumb will sit on the top left of the shaft.  

In order for the clubface to not be open at impact, you will have to use your hands correctly to close the clubface or get it turning over through impact.  If you were playing baseball for a second and you swung at a pitch that was chest high, what would your hands do?  As the bat swings out in front of you and past your center, the right hand would turn over the left hand right?  Well, guess what, that is what you need to do as well when you hit a golf ball.  Your right hand needs to turn over your left hand, which is how the clubface closes.  The toe of the club needs to pass the heel in order to spin the ball from right to left.  

With practice, you'll get the idea of turning the clubface over and learning how to square it up.  So, as you swing the club at and past the ball, use your hands to turn that clubface over.  The right hand turns over the left hand, the toe of the club passes the heel of the club and that is how the clubface can spin the ball from right to left, instead of what you tend to do, which is spin it from left to right.  

Good luck, and make sure you get competent help if you get stuck.  But go have some fun and try first.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member