Do you slice the golf ball? This subtle swing mistake could be why

When players come to me fighting a slice, the instinct is almost always to blame the swing. But more often than not, the swing itself is fine — it’s the clubface that’s off.

Here’s the pattern I see as a player takes the club back: the face rotates “toe up” relative to their posture. It may look like the club is square (and feels square), but relative to their spine angle at the address, it’s actually open. That small discrepancy is enough to send the ball curving right for a right-handed player.

So, how do we fix this? You can start by trying this simple checkpoint drill.

Take an alignment rod and stick it in the ground just behind the ball at address, angled to match your posture. This gives you a visual reference for where the clubface should be pointing as you swing back.

Start by making some small swings at first — just enough to check the face against the rod. Does it match the rod’s angle (square), or has it rotated past it (open)? This slow, small-motion phase lets you actually see and feel the difference between the two. It’s important you ingrain this feel before ramping up to full speed when it becomes harder to detect.

Once that position feels consistent, build back up to a full swing in stages. Make a slightly bigger backswing, then a full backswing, then a full swing. All the while, be sure you are checking that the face stays matched to the rod’s angle along the way.

It’s a small adjustment, but for many players it’s the missing piece between fighting a slice and finally hitting it where they’re aimed.