Do you [tag]slice your shots[/tag]? The most [tag]common ball flight[/tag] any golfer has is the slice, especially with the driver. A slice means that your ball spins in a manner that your golf shots curve to the right if you are a right handed player and curves to the left if you are a left handed player. Although sometimes we want to curve the ball on purpose, usually we would rather hit it straight.

What creates a slice? Many aspects of the golf swing can cause your ball to curve to the right. Your alignment, your club face angle, and your take away, are just a few of the most common places that an error can cause in a slice. But one thing that nearly all golfers can do to prevent the dreaded slice. Let’s check it out!

It starts by loosening your golf grip. Nothing encourages a slice or reduces distance in a golf swing than tension. The more tension free and even tempoed golf swing is the better. Watch touring professionals on the practice range and you will see perfect examples of tension free swings with perfect tempo. Remember the only attachment you have to the club is your hands. If you are going to have a [tag]tension free golf swing[/tag], your hands must be free of tension.

Lose the tension and lose the slice. Once you have gripped your club correctly, never think about your hands again in the entire golf swing. If your golf grip is tight enough to hang on to the club so it will not come out of your hands when you are swinging, then it will not need to be any tighter. This type of a golf grip permits your hands to swing through the ball naturally. If your golf grip is too tense, the club face will not release at impact and remain open. This is why tension can create a slice.

But only [tag]my driver slices[/tag]? This is very common if your golf grip is too tense. Since your driver is the longest club in your golf bag, your golf swing will be longer with your driver. During your back swing your grip tension naturally increases. The longer your back swing, the more tension is created. If your golf grip is too tense at the start, the club face cannot swing back to the position it had at your address position. With a longer club like your driver, mistakes you make will be magnified since you create more speed and the lack of loft creates more side spin naturally.

Start to rate your tension. Take your golf grip and squeeze the club as hard as you can. Rate this as a 10 out of 10. Now hold the club vertically and so loose that it may slip through your hands. Rate this as a 0 out of 10. Your goal is to grip the club so the tension rating is about a 4 out of 10. This will allow you to hold the club in a secure fashion and allow the club to swing naturally.

A golf grip full of tension is a golf swing killer. Tension will minimize your ability to swing the club squarely at impact. This creates an open club face which results in a slice and a loss of distance. Learn to loosen the tension in your grip during address and your ball flight will improve.