Instruction

Hank Haney: Slice Busting

By Hank Haney Photos by Dom Furore
August 18, 2014
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"When you need to hit it straight, fight your instincts."

By far the most common request I get every week through Twitter is help with straightening out a slice.

Part of the problem with that shot is that some of the things you do instinctively to compensate—like when right-handed players turn their stance to the left (right)—make the ball curve even more to the right.

You can make an open setup like that work if you're trying to hit an intentional fade on a hole that demands that kind of shot. But when you need to hit it straight (or make it curve to the left), fight your instincts.

A square or slightly closed setup—with imaginary lines in front of your feet, hips, arms and shoulders all parallel to each other—gives you a better chance to swing down on an ideal path from the inside and produce a straight ball or a draw.

RANGE ROVER

If you have time for only a short practice session—20 or 30 minutes—get the most out of it by focusing on one thing. It could be a specific shot, club or swing element. You could even skip hitting balls and just make practice swings. In the same time it takes to hit 15 real shots, I'll bet you could practice swinging the club about 100 times.

Hank Haney is based at the Hank Haney Golf Ranch in Lewisville, Texas. To get fixed in Golf Digest, send Hank your swing on Twitter: @HankDHaney.