By Marino | mygolfswing.net
If you want to know how to fix a slice in golf, I’ve been exactly where you are. I used to aim 30 yards left of my target and still watch the ball sail out of bounds to the right. If you’ve been there, you know how demoralizing it is. The slice wasn’t just costing me strokes — it was costing me confidence, distance, and honestly, my enjoyment of the game.
It took me about two years to go from an uncontrollable banana slice to a reliable draw. This is the story of what actually worked, and a step-by-step breakdown you can use in your own game.
Why I Was Slicing — And Why Most Golfers Do
For a long time I thought my slice was a swing path problem. I watched YouTube videos, tried to swing more from the inside, thought about keeping my elbow tucked. Some of it helped a little, but the ball kept curling right.
The real culprit — and this is true for a huge percentage of recreational golfers — was my grip. My left hand (lead hand) was sitting too far on top of the club, what instructors call a “weak” grip. With a weak grip, the clubface wants to stay open through impact no matter what your path looks like. You can make a perfect inside-out swing and still produce that dreaded slice if your face is open at contact.
A slice happens when the clubface is open relative to the swing path at impact. The more open the face, the more sidespin — and the more the ball curves right for a right-handed golfer. Fix the face, and the slice starts to disappear. Understanding that was the turning point in learning how to fix a slice in golf for me personally.
Step 1: Strengthen Your Grip (The Biggest Change I Made)
This is where I’d start if I had to do it over again. Forget swing path changes until your grip is right.
To strengthen your lead hand grip, rotate your left hand slightly clockwise on the club at address. You should be able to look down and see two to three knuckles on your left hand. Most slicers can only see one knuckle — that’s the weak grip position that keeps the face open.
When I made this change, it felt completely wrong at first. I was convinced I was going to hook every shot. Instead, the ball started launching straighter, and eventually I started seeing a gentle draw shape I had never hit before in my life.
This single adjustment took me from a 30-yard slice to what I’d call a “butter cut” — a mild, manageable left-to-right shape I could at least keep in play. From there it was about refining everything else.
Step 2: Fix Your Swing Path
Once your grip is in a better position, swing path becomes the next lever to work on. The classic slice swing is over-the-top — the club comes down on a steep, outside-in path and cuts across the ball. This creates left-to-right sidespin even when you’re trying to swing straight.
The fix is learning to approach the ball from the inside — swinging out toward the right side of the fairway through impact rather than across your body. A useful drill is to set up a headcover or alignment stick just outside the ball on the target line. Practice swinging without hitting it. This forces you to shallow out your path and come from the inside.
Be patient with this one. Swing path changes take time to feel natural. I worked on this for months before it stopped feeling forced.
Step 3: Work on Clubface Awareness Through Impact
The third piece of how to fix a slice in golf is learning what a square clubface actually feels like at impact. This is harder to describe but easier to feel with practice.
One drill that helped me was slow-motion half swings, stopping at impact to check face position. You want the face pointing roughly at your target — not fanning open to the right, which is what most slicers do naturally.
You can also use impact tape or foot spray on the face to check your contact. Center contact with a square face produces a completely different ball flight than toe contact with an open face, which is another common slice contributor.
How Swing Speed Training Changed My Ball Flight
During my second year of working on this, I started training with the Stack System to build swing speed. At the time I was swinging around 89 mph with the driver — now I’m at 107 mph and targeting 115 mph. What I didn’t expect was how much the speed training reinforced my mechanics. Swinging with more intent and better sequencing naturally encouraged a more inside-out path. The two goals — fixing my slice and building speed — ended up feeding each other.
If you want to learn more about that journey, you can read about my swing speed goals here.
The Timeline: What to Expect
Most of the advice out there promises quick fixes. My timeline looked like this:
First 3 months — I changed my grip and started seeing a more manageable ball flight. Still slicing, but it was a slice I could predict rather than one that embarrassed me.
Months 3–12 — I worked consistently on swing path alongside my grip. My miss shifted from a hard slice to a cut. I started hitting some straight shots mixed in.
Year 2 — I began seeing regular draws. This is when everything started to feel connected rather than like separate pieces I was consciously managing.
Two years sounds like a long time, but I was simultaneously building swing speed. If you focus exclusively on how to fix a slice in golf without the added variable of speed training, your timeline may be shorter.
Common Mistakes When Trying to Fix a Slice
- Making too many changes at once. Pick one thing — grip, path, or face — and work on it for a few weeks before adding another variable.
- Only practicing at full speed. Slow swings give you feedback. Full speed swings just reinforce whatever you’re already doing. I did roughly 80% of my early fix work at half speed.
- Ignoring setup. Stance width, ball position, and alignment all affect ball flight. A ball positioned too far forward with a driver can open the face before you even start your swing.
- Giving up too soon. The slice often gets worse before it gets better when you make grip changes. Stick with it through the awkward phase.
What the Research Says About Slice Causes
According to Golf Digest’s instruction research, the majority of amateur golfers who slice are dealing with an open clubface at impact — not just a flawed swing path. This lines up exactly with what I experienced. Fixing the face first, through grip, gives you the fastest feedback.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to fix a slice in golf?
It depends on how ingrained your habits are and how consistently you practice. Some golfers see meaningful improvement in a few weeks with grip changes alone. Going from a full slice to a draw the way I did took about two years of intentional practice.
Should I fix my grip or my swing path first?
Start with your grip. Most slices are face-driven, not path-driven. A stronger grip is the simplest change with the most immediate impact on ball flight.
Can I fix a slice without lessons?
Yes. I fixed mine largely through deliberate self-practice and paying close attention to ball flight feedback. That said, even one or two sessions with a teaching pro can accelerate things by helping you see what you’re actually doing versus what you think you’re doing.
Will fixing my slice cost me distance?
Short-term, possibly — any mechanical change takes adjustment. Long-term, no. A draw produces more distance than a slice because it reduces drag and increases roll. Once I stopped slicing I picked up meaningful carry distance, which fed directly into my swing speed goals.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to fix a slice in golf is one of the most satisfying things you can do as a player. Not just for the scorecard, but because it means you’re developing real control over the ball rather than just hoping it stays in the fairway.
The grip change was my biggest breakthrough. If you take one thing from this article, start there. Rotate that lead hand clockwise until you see two to three knuckles, and give it a solid two to three weeks before judging the results.
I went from an uncontrollable slice to hitting draws in SCGA competition — and if I can do it at 56 while training for swing speed, you can do it too.
Marino is a 56-year-old competitive amateur golfer documenting his journey to 115 mph swing speed. Read more about his story here.