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| Through 40 years of teaching and building clubs, I have determined many golfers who slice are playing with clubs that are ill-suited to their game. In the following article, we will discuss the importance of correct lie, grip size, shaft flex and head type. |
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Most manufactured clubs are built too upright for the average player's stature. As a result, most golfers unconsciously setup incorrectly. The golfer generally will assume the address position and then conform to the lie angle of the club, which is too upright.
In this situation, a golfer may have his hands too high at address. This will also raise the shoulders. When the shoulders are too high at address, the golfer's initial takeaway will be inhibited, resulting in the player either raising or lifting the arms instead of turning his shoulders. The high hand position at address will cause the golfer to hold the club more in the palms instead of in the fingers. As a result, several swing flaws will often be apparent.
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First, when the club is more in the palms, the wrists cannot naturally hinge or “break” in the backswing. Gripping with the palms will also cause the player to loose or release the grip at the top of the backswing. When your left hand comes off the club, you will be forced to re-grip before starting the downswing, which will cause a casting effect. As a result, the golfer will prematurely initiate the downswing from the top with a very steep angle of approach in the forward swing and will perpetuate a slice. Additionally, re-griping at the top of the swing will almost certainly open the face at impact, making the slice more pronounced.
Similarly, a high hand position (arched wrists) reduces the effective natural release and squaring of the clubface at impact, restricting the release of the hands through the hitting zone. This is commonly referred to as “blocking.” The inability to square the club at impact results in shots that go to the right.
Check for this problem by looking at your glove. If you have been re-gripping in transition at the top of the swing, it will be evident that there is a worn area at the heel-pad of your glove. |
| At address, bend forward from the hips with your posterior out, your knees slightly flexed and your chin up. You should feel athletic standing on the balls of your feet, like a quarterback taking a snap. The arms should be hanging straight down from the shoulders with your hands being approximately five to six inches from your left inner thigh (about a fist and a half), regardless of what club your using, your hands will stay fairly constant. For those unfamiliar with equipment specifications, clubs get longer as you move through the set. The longer the club, the more flat the lie angle. |  |
| Although the degree that your body is inclined will somewhat change, your arms should always be hanging straight down. Your hands are to always be below your shoulders and directly over the balls of your feet. If at address the toe is up and if at impact the heel digs, then your clubs need to be adjusted to promote center face contact. Through exhausted testing and video, we have determined that when the heel strikes or digs the ground, the clubface will tend to open. It is my opinion that the lie angle is the most important aspect in club-fitting today. |
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