By Alex Riggs
This article is targeted at amateurs who are struggling with weak impacts where the ball comes off with a fade or slice. The key to making any change in golf is first acknowledging what is currently going on, then understanding what you want to change, and then finally coordinating what you need to feel to make the change.

With fades and slices, we know as fact that the club face is open at impact compared to the path the club is travelling on.

In most cases, this open face to path relationship presents itself in the transition from the backswing to the downswing. Slicers typically pull the grip of the club downward, with the left wrist in a cupped position, leaving the club face open and the club head travelling outside the hands on the way down.

Downswing don’ts: The club head is steeper than the hand path with the club face in a weak position. Typically caused by pulling the hands down with a cupped wrist. This will lead to weaker impacts where the ball curves left to right.

In the slot: The club head is shallower than the hand path with the club face in a strong position. This happens when the body turns into the arms and the wrist is in a more neutral position. This will lead to stronger impacts where the ball curves right to left. Master the drill in the main picture to get into this strong position consistently.

To prevent the ball from curving right, we want to feel exactly the opposite. Start by making a half backswing (see main picture). Now attempt to close the face as much as possible while still retaining bend in your right arm. Position the club face as far behind you as possible with your hands in front of your chest. From here, practice making a divot and swinging through to your finish. You are now going to get used to this new relationship of a more closed clubface and a path that is now swinging more inside out. Practice this move 5-10 times, then try it with a ball. You’ll start noticing the ball has a different shape on it immediately. – with Kent Gray

The post VIDEO: Never Slice it Again appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Forget the high draw – this is the go-to shot you’ll see most at the majors

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The twin revolutions in equipment and athleticism that have transformed golf over the past two decades have also had a dramatic impact on the way the top modern day tour professionals flight the ball. When I was growing up, many of the top players would employ a fairly pronounced draw as their stock shot. In the 1980s and 90s, draws flew significantly farther than fades and playing with plenty of shot shape was standard with the old tour wound balata balls.

As a result, most of the best players of that era had a lot of hand action in their swings through impact with the ‘reverse C’ finish position a common sight among the game’s finest. But today, what you see now is a lot of players hitting what we would refer to as a tour pro fade. This is a really powerful, very straight shot that might contain just a little bit of fade spin that makes the ball fall to the right. The way players hit this shot is of course quite complex, but in the video below I have identified two key components in the swing that are vital in producing a tour pro fade, and illustrated a couple of drills that you can try in order to gain a better feel for this very reliable, powerful shot.

The post Video: How to hit a tour pro fade appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.