The most common problem with amateur golfers’ swings is hitting a slice.
This is where significant side spin is put on the ball, which causes it to curve to the right for a right-handed player and vice versa.
Slices happen because the clubface is open (pointing right for a right-hander) relative to the path of the club when it hits the ball.
Justin Thomas has now shared the training drill he often uses on the driving range that can help amateurs, too.
Justin Thomas shares tip on how to stop slicing the ball
A reporter at the FedEx St Jude Championship asked Thomas why he always has an obstacle on the ground when he practices on the range.
Thomas explained that he places a head cover next to the ball to stop him from having the out-to-in swing path, which causes a slice.
It’s such a simple method that he regularly tells amateur golfers to try it during pro-am events.
“I think it just started with my dad at a very young age,” Thomas said. “I think it’s like if you’re… I do it all the time in pro-ams. For guys that slash across it, if I put a head cover in front of you to the left, you need to avoid that head cover.
“Quite often they will hit it, but it’s something when you’re on the range… everybody reacts to different things differently, but for me, it’s just if something is there like I’m subconsciously going to miss it, and then what I’m trying to do is I’m trying to associate a feel to what I’m doing to miss that, which I feel like is swing properly or move how I want to.
“Yeah, it’s something I’ve always done. I feel like I just react and respond well to objects or sticks or whatever it is, and I’m able to just kind of react to them, and like I said, I’m just trying to put something to that.”
How Tony Finau ‘slice-proofed’ his golf swing
Tony Finau is another world-class golfer who has struggled with slicing the ball, even in his professional career.
This shows that the problems amateur golfers face are completely normal and can be eradicated with the right training.
Finau previously shared how he changed his golf swing to become “slice-proof” not so long ago.
“Here’s how I ‘slice-proofed’ my golf swing,” Finau wrote. “I used to have my right hand too much on top of the grip, and my right arm straight at setup.
“If you’d laid a club across my forearms, it would’ve pointed dead left. To offset that, I’d roll the clubface open going back. That one move set up my slice.
“The first change Boyd and I made was to move my right hand more under the grip. I quickly started curving the ball less.
“You might think tour pros make only sophisticated changes, but that simple move made a huge difference. If I feel a little off one day, it’s the first thing we check.
“The stronger right hand also helps me put some bend in my right arm and set it close to my side. I want my right arm under my left. The feel for me is, the right elbow is bent and tucked.
“This change, and the new grip, helps me get a good start to my swing, with the clubface rotating naturally. I don’t even think about the face.”
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