Corridor of Fame teacher Butch Harmon — and his treatment for a slice

Should you’re hitting the ball proper, Butch Harmon says, attempt to hit it left. 

And vice versa. 

“I’m a terrific believer — and I realized this from my dad — in opposites,” he stated. 

Harmon, a GOLF Top 100 Teachers hall of famer, was speaking on a recently recorded episode of A New Breed of Golf on SiriusXM, and the topic was a much-discussed one: How you can repair a slice. After his preliminary opposites thought, Harmon dove into what that appears like. 

There are a number of steps, stated Tiger Woods’ one-time coach: 

— Use a stronger grip.   

“So when you’re a slicer,” Harmon stated on the present, “usually you’ve acquired the clubface open an excessive amount of, you’re a bit of excessive, your path is a bit of out to in, until you’re hitting an enormous push from beneath. So I might actually take a look at an individual’s grip, I might strengthen their grip, get the highest hand — which for me, being right-handed, left hand about two or three knuckles and the best hand underneath.”

— Use a extra closed setup. 

— “Allow them to exit round their physique as a lot as they will,” Harmon stated on the present, “to attempt to get the clubface closed coming in.”

Harmon additionally stated he has two coaching units. The primary is a membership that’s a pair ft lengthy — which might intensify to a participant the motion of the membership face. 

“I’ve a membership that’s about … simply so long as a grip, and I take advantage of that lots in reference to indicate folks what their grip does to manage the membership face,” he stated on the present hosted by Michael Breed, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher lifetime achievement recipient. “And while you get your fingers this far on the membership face, you’ll be able to actually see it. And I clarify to them, you’re coming in an excessive amount of this fashion. If we get this left hand over and proper hand underneath, this toe goes to get in there extra. After which if we get you coming a bit of extra from the within, you will get that membership releasing.”

Harmon’s different transfer is to have a participant swing in sluggish movement. 

“And I movie it,” Harmon stated on the present. “As a result of in sluggish movement, you can also make your physique just about do no matter you need. And I’ll have them hit balls for possibly 5 or 10 minutes, on a tee, with, say, a 6- or 7-iron, in sluggish movement, stronger grip, a bit of bit extra of a closed stance, really feel such as you’re hitting the within of the ball, not the surface of the ball, which is what you do while you include the over-the-top swing. 

“And two issues occur: No. 1, they will really feel the method, they will really feel what they’re making an attempt to do; however No. 2, they’re amazed at how far they hit it with what they suppose is a slow-motion swing.”

Editor’s word: To take heed to A New Breed of Golf, please click here. [A SiriusXM subscription is needed.] 

Editor’s word two: Just lately, three-time main winner Padraig Harrington additionally vouched for making an attempt to hook so as to repair a slice, and that story could be learn by clicking here or scrolling under. 

***

Hook, Padraig Harrington says. 

And hook and hook and hook some extra. 

“The most important hook you’ll be able to, like 20, 30, 40 yards of a hook, the worst-looking shot,” he says. 

And that’s how amateurs can appropriate a slice, he believes. 

And that’s how amateurs may perceive clubface management. 

And that’s how amateurs may be taught this: 

“There isn’t any golf swing that stays the identical,” Harrington stated. 

He was speaking throughout a just lately launched episode of “The Tough Minimize Golf Podcast” — which you’ll listen to in full here — and the slice topic is a well-liked one. Proper-handed amateurs ship it proper typically (and lefties left). Amateurs additionally analysis the treatment for it as if it have been a illness. Simply Google “how to fix a slice” and prepare to scroll and scroll. 

Harrington’s thought, although, is considerably easy. 

Go left when you’re a righty. Go proper when you’re a lefty. 

“So most amateurs, say when you’re hitting a slice, they suppose, properly, I need to learn to hit this stunning, straight or say a 5-yard draw,” Harrington stated on the podcast. “Effectively, truly, when you’ve acquired a slice and also you need to eliminate it, you’ve acquired to remain on the vary and hit the largest hook you’ll be able to, like 20, 30, 40 yards of a hook, the worst-looking shot. And also you’ve acquired to maintain hitting that for some time.”

Over time, although, Harrington stated, the gamers will begin to hook the ball, which then requires vary work in the other way. On the vary, the golfer ought to purposely attempt to slice the ball. 

There are a pair of penalties. 

Harrington thinks the participant will be taught clubface management. Notably, at a distinct level within the episode, he famous that understanding that is a matter for “individuals who strike the ball badly.” 

“So for many amateurs,” Harrington stated on the podcast, “they’d be higher off going to the vary and hitting an enormous hook and an enormous slice and the whole opposites each second shot, after which not less than they’ll perceive. And what shut face is and an open face. And as they get higher, they will scale back how a lot they’re doing it. Whereas most individuals are going from an enormous slice to making an attempt to get sq. face. And sadly, most amateurs have no idea what a sq. face is. In order that they have some probability to know what a shut face and an open face is, however they’ve little or no probability to know what a sq. face is. 

“So that you be taught by doing the extremes.”

And finally the ball will go left. Or proper. 

However simply don’t anticipate issues to remain that method, Harrington stated. 

Golf, proper?

“It’s [the swing] by no means going to remain the identical,” Harrington stated on the podcast. “Don’t consider it ever will. It all the time — all the time in golf, you go from one to the opposite and also you overdo it a bit of bit. OK, now cease that, return, and hopefully the higher you get, the much less that strikes, that it’s solely a slight fraction of motion, however it can by no means keep the identical for the remainder of your life. 

“There isn’t any golf swing that stays the identical.”

Nick Piastowski

Golf.com Editor

Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Journal. In his function, he’s liable for enhancing, writing and creating tales throughout the golf area. And when he’s not writing about methods to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native might be taking part in the sport, hitting the ball left, proper and brief, and ingesting a chilly beer to clean away his rating. You possibly can attain out to him about any of those subjects — his tales, his sport or his beers — at [email protected].