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SwingVantage

Drills to fix your slice

The two drills that actually move a slice — one for an out-to-in path, one for an open face — plus how to tell which one you need.

  • Type: Walkthrough
  • Sport: Golf
  • Level: Intermediate
  • Area: Drills & Technique
  • Watch: 2:30
  • Read: 3 min

Embedded demo from YouTube: “How to Fix your Slice with your Swing Path (Outside-In vs Inside-Out)”.

Find coach demos of this drill on YouTube

What you'll learn

  • Tell whether your slice is a path problem, a face problem, or both
  • Groove an inside path with the headcover-outside drill
  • Square the face sooner with the split-hand release drill
  • Confirm the curve is shrinking with an honest retest

Before you start

  • Golf selected, and ideally a recent Diagnose read so you know whether your path is out-to-in.
  • A few balls and room for full swings (net, range, or field).

Step by step

  1. Find the cause first

    A slice is the face open to the path at impact — an out-to-in path, an open face, or both. Run Diagnose (or film a down-the-line clip) and fix the cause your read shows, not a generic grip change.

    Why it matters:Why
    Chasing the wrong cause trades the slice for a new miss instead of removing it.

  2. Headcover-outside drill (for an out-to-in path)

    Set a headcover just outside the ball-to-target line. Swing so you miss it coming down — this trains an in-to-out approach so you stop cutting across the ball.

    What good looks like:Good
    You clip the ball but not the headcover, and your start line moves more to the right (for a right-hander).
    Common mistake:Avoid
    Placing the headcover so far outside that you swing wildly around it — start close and move it out gradually.

  3. Split-hand release drill (for an open face)

    Split your hands a couple of inches apart on the grip and make half-swings, feeling the trail hand roll over the lead through impact. This teaches the hands to square the face sooner.

    What good looks like:Good
    The toe of the club points up just after impact, rather than the face pointing right.
    Common mistake:Avoid
    Flipping the wrists early — the release is a smooth roll through the ball, not a scoop.

  4. Pick ONE and groove it

    Work the path drill OR the face drill this session, not both. Slicers who chase two fixes at once usually trade the slice for a different miss.

    Why it matters:Why
    Changing one thing at a time is the only way to know what actually moved the ball.

  5. Hit ten and read the shape

    Hit about ten balls, then read the pattern: a straighter start line and less curve is the win — not a perfect shot.

    What good looks like:Good
    The ball starts closer to your line and curves less than your baseline.

  6. Retest in a week

    Re-diagnose or re-film after a week of reps. If the curve is shrinking, keep going.

    Why it matters:Why
    The honest retest is what proves the fix stuck versus a lucky range session.

Try it now

Put this into practice in SwingVantage — free to start.

Try it now

Common mistakes

  • Changing the grip when the real problem is the path.

    Confirm your path in Diagnose first — an out-to-in path needs the headcover drill, not a grip change.

  • Working the path and face drills in the same session.

    Pick one, retest, then switch — two fixes at once hides which one worked.

  • Judging the fix on a single shot.

    Read the pattern over ten balls; one good or bad shot is noise.

What happens next

Record a retest

Prove the change stuck — re-record and compare against where you started.

Continue your path

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Trust & accuracy

SwingVantage is honest about certainty: findings are labeled by how they were produced and how confident they are. Treat them as a strong starting point you confirm with your own retest, not a final verdict.

Frequently asked

Is my slice a path or a face problem?

Both can cause it — the face is open to the path at impact. Diagnose shows your path: an out-to-in path points to the headcover drill, an open face to the split-hand release drill.

How long until the slice goes away?

Give it about a week of focused reps on one drill, then retest. You are looking for less curve and a straighter start line, not an instant cure.

Can I do both drills at once?

Not in the same session. Change one thing, retest, then decide — chasing two fixes usually trades the slice for a new miss.

Full transcript
  1. A almost always comes from the face being open to the path at impact — so the fix starts with knowing which one is off.
  2. Open Diagnose first; if your read shows an path, the drills below aim at the path, not just the .
  3. The headcover-outside drill trains you to swing more from the inside, so you stop cutting across the ball.
  4. For an open face, the split-hand release drill teaches the hands to rotate through, squaring the face sooner.
  5. Pick one — not both. Slicers who chase two fixes at once usually end up with a new miss instead of fewer.
  6. Filter the Drill Library to your sport and the path or face area so you only see drills that target your cause.
  7. Hit ten balls, then check the shape; you are looking for a straighter start and less curve, not a perfect shot.
  8. Re-diagnose after a week — if the curve is shrinking, keep going; that honest retest is how you know it is working.
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