How to Hit a Driver Straight: A Simple Fix for Slicing

If you want to know how to hit a driver straight, start with the shot you are trying to cure: the slice. For a right-handed golfer, a slice is the ball that starts left and curls hard to the right, often finishing in the trees or the next fairway. It is the most common fault in the amateur game, and the good news is that it comes down to a small number of causes you can feel and fix. This guide explains why the slice happens and gives you three practical changes to work on, whether you are on the range or playing your first rounds at a pay and play course.

What actually causes a slice

A slice is sidespin. The ball curves to the right because the clubface is open (pointing right) relative to the path the clubhead is travelling on through impact. With a driver, the long shaft and the ball on a tee exaggerate the effect, so a fault that is barely visible with a wedge becomes a 40-yard curve off the tee. Almost every slice traces back to one or more of three things: a weak grip, an out-to-in swing path, and a clubface left open at the moment of contact. Fix those in order and the ball straightens up.

Fix one: check your grip

The grip is where most slices are born, and it is the easiest thing to change. Stand with the club in front of you and look down. For a right-handed player, you want to see roughly two knuckles of your left hand, and the V shape formed by the thumb and forefinger of your right hand should point up towards your right shoulder. This is a slightly stronger grip, and it lets the clubface square up naturally through impact instead of hanging open.

• Turn both hands slightly to the right on the grip so they work together.
• Hold the club in the fingers, not deep in the palm.
• Keep the pressure light. A tense, tight grip stops the hands releasing.

Fix two: sort out your path and alignment

Many slicers aim further and further left to allow for the curve, which only steepens the out-to-in path and makes the slice worse. Instead, set your feet, hips and shoulders parallel to your target line, then feel as though you swing the clubhead out to the right of the target on the way through, as if hitting the inside back quarter of the ball. A useful practice-ground drill is to place a headcover just outside the ball on the target line: swing so you miss it, and you are training an in-to-out path that fights the slice.

Ball position matters too. With a driver, play the ball forward in your stance, roughly off the inside of your lead heel, and tee it high so half the ball sits above the crown of the club. That encourages a slight upward strike and a squarer face.

Fix three: release the clubhead

The final piece is letting the forearms and hands rotate through impact so the toe of the club passes the heel and the face squares up. A simple feel is that your right forearm rolls over your left just after you strike the ball, like shaking hands past the target. Practise slow, three-quarter swings first, exaggerating the release, until the ball starts to draw gently from right to left. Then build back up to full speed. Speed without a squared face just makes a faster slice.

Put it into practice

Groove these changes with slow repetition before you take them to the course, and change only one thing at a time so you can feel what works. A large bucket of balls, hit with a clear plan rather than raked and smashed, is worth far more than a frustrated round chasing lost tee shots. When you are ready to test it for real, our green fees and booking guide covers turning up for a round, or head back to the Lullingstone Park homepage to plan your visit. If you play regularly, England's governing body, England Golf, has more on getting a handicap and joining a club.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I slice my driver but not my irons?

The driver has the longest shaft and the lowest loft, so it magnifies sidespin and any open-face or out-to-in fault far more than a shorter, higher-lofted iron. The same small error that produces a slight fade with a 7-iron becomes a big slice with the driver, which is why the fault shows up most off the tee.

Does a stronger grip really stop a slice?

For most slicers, yes. A grip that is too weak leaves the clubface open through impact. Turning both hands slightly to the right so you can see about two knuckles of your lead hand helps the face square up naturally, which is often the single biggest improvement a slicer can make.

Should I aim left to allow for my slice?

It is a common instinct but it usually makes things worse, because aiming left steepens the out-to-in swing path that causes the slice in the first place. It is better to aim your body parallel to the target and fix the grip, path and release so the ball flies straight.

How long does it take to fix a slice?

A grip change can show results in a single range session, but grooving a new path and release into your natural swing usually takes a few weeks of regular, focused practice. Work on one change at a time and give each one time to feel normal before moving on.