Golf decisions
Diagnose a Golf Slice: Start with an Observation Log
A ball curving away from you does not identify one swing fault. Record where it starts, how it curves and where it strikes the face before choosing a change.
Competitive Play · Updated October 24, 2026
Same curve, different evidence
Original teaching comparison
Same curve, different evidenceWhich facts apply?
CASE 01
Right-handed, left then right
In this fictional driver shot, the ball starts left of the intended target and curves right. Contact is near the centre.
Record both observations. A curve alone does not reveal the face's direction relative to the target.
CASE 02
Left-handed, right then left
Mirror the example: the ball starts right of target and curves left, with centred contact.
Use the same investigation. Do not copy a right-handed instruction to move something left without translating it.
CASE 03
Right-handed heel strike
A driver shot curves right, but the impact mark is toward the heel.
Gear effect can contribute to that curve. Check contact before attributing all of it to an out-to-in path.
CASE 04
Next practice entry
Target: __. Club: __. Start: __. Curve: __. Strike: __. Wind: __. One change: __.
Compare another observation under similar conditions. Leave results blank until you actually hit and observe the shots.
Original fictional observations and a blank practice record, not a coached session or measured improvement study. For left-handed drivers, the heel-strike curvature contribution mirrors the right-handed example.
The short version
- Record a target and actual start direction before calling a shot a slice.
- Centered contact and heel contact can produce different explanations.
- Use lead/trail language to mirror the investigation for either handedness.
Establish what straight means
Choose one visible target and a safe practice area. Distinguish the line you intended from the direction your feet appear to point. If using a ground reference in practice, keep it outside the swing and strike area. On-course alignment aids have separate Rules restrictions; this is a practice investigation.
Write the first direction separately from the later curve. A ball starting left and finishing right is different evidence from one starting right and moving farther right. Note the club and conditions too: a crosswind can change what the flight appears to reveal. One unusual shot is a reason to observe again, not a diagnosis.
Add contact before a swing explanation
Titleist's club-path material explains why face direction has a greater influence on initial direction, while face relative to path matters for curvature. Trackman's face-to-path explanation makes the centred-contact assumption explicit. Neither a landing position nor a curve tells you all those inputs by itself.
A wood's heel or toe strike can add a gear-effect contribution to curvature. Inspect contact with a suitable practice method that does not damage the club, and record it rather than assuming every shot was centred. A heel mark does not itself tell you why the heel was struck. Avoid piling a path fix, grip change and ball-position change onto the same unexplained observation.
Choose a bounded next step
If the repeated evidence is mostly heel contact, bring that record to your coach and investigate contact first. If contact is consistently centred, the start-and-curve pattern gives a clearer basis for a face/path discussion. A coach may use video or measured delivery to distinguish explanations that look similar from the flight alone.
Make one agreed change and compare the same observations under similar conditions. Keep misses in the record rather than selecting only the best swing. The useful outcome is a better-supported next practice decision; this checklist does not promise a slice cure or prove a particular movement fault.
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Sources and scope
Written primary-source material checked October 24, 2026. Examples and diagrams are original educational illustrations.
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- What it covers
- Source-based educational guide; fictional cases and conceptual diagrams are labeled. No hands-on player study, professional review or measured fitting is claimed. Written source text checked 2026-10-24.
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What this page cannot tell you
- The illustrations are hypothetical. No individual swing or fitting assessment, physical test or measured improvement is reported.