There's no quick fix for your slice

Sat, Jun 6, 2009    to del.icio.us

No matter what way you slice it — the No. 1 issue Cody Collings sees when guys pull out their driver on the range is the massive slice, and it's no surprise why.

"Pretty much it's that stiff right arm," said Collings, an 18-year-old from Bad Axe who attends Ferris State University. He's spending his summer months as an intern at the Janus Golf Academy at Grand Haven Golf Club.

Collings, filling in for Janus on Friday, showed off his expertise on the practice green by running through the highlights of hitting a driver off the tee.

I was an eager student as the driver has always been my nemesis. For the most part, my drives with the flat-faced driver tend to trickle down the fairway, or if I'm lucky, go way up, then way to the right.

After a few practice shots, Collings knew exactly why.

He explained that as a right-handed golfer, my right arm was locked, which is a definite no-no. A stiff right arm won't let the club face "roll over" from open to closed after making contact with the ball. Instead, a locked right arm typically forces the club face open as it contacts the ball, resulting in most golfers' worst enemy, the slice.

If it were only that easy as adding a little bend in your arm, everyone would be bombing 250-yard drives off the tee. Unfortunately, there's more too it. We worked on dipping my right shoulder, squaring my shoulders to the target, adjusting my grip to allow for more roll-over of the club face in the follow through, and even adjusted the position of the club face at set-up, all subtle tips that Collings assured me even the pros do when they line up for a tee shot.

The results were encouraging. After a few adjustments, I began to launch balls onto the range in a much more desirable trajectory, and it wasn't long before those ugly slices became the exception rather than the rule.

Janus, who observed the lesson and chimed in with a few pointers here and there, dampened my spirits a bit by explaining that perfecting the art of hitting with a driver is a 3-to-6 week process.

I'm willing to stick it out, though, because if you can get off the tee with any regularity, it certainly makes the rest of your golf game that much easier, and obviously that much more enjoyable.