The 1% Adjustment That Can Fix Your Slice Forever

You don’t need a swing overhaul. You don’t need a new $600 driver. And you definitely don’t need another YouTube rabbit hole at 11 p.m.

What you might need is a 1% adjustment — the kind that feels almost too simple to matter… until you realize it fixes the one thing that’s been haunting your drives forever: the dreaded slice.

If you’re like most golfers (and let’s be real, most of us are), you’ve spent a fair share of time watching your ball peel off to the right like it’s actively trying to escape you.

According to PGA teaching pros in 2025, though, the fix might be hiding in plain sight — and it starts with your grip.

Grip Changes: Where the Real Magic Happens

The fastest way to straighten out that slice? It’s not buying new gear. It’s not booking a $400 lesson package. It’s your grip — specifically, the way your trail hand (your right hand, for right-handed players) connects with the club.

One micro-adjustment that’s gaining serious traction among PGA coaches is using the heel pad of your trail hand to anchor your grip. Instead of letting the club float in your fingers or sneak into your palm, you press that heel pad down firmly on top.

It’s like locking the door before a storm — you’re making sure the clubface stays square through impact, rather than blowing wide open and sending your ball into the neighbor’s yard.

Matt Galley, a PGA coach, put it bluntly: “Face is king, path is queen.” Translation? If your grip is weak — and for slicers, it almost always is — you’re fighting a losing battle. Strengthen it. Show 2.5 to 3 knuckles on your lead hand. Suddenly, your clubface isn’t betraying you anymore.

And if you’re wondering whether it’ll feel weird at first… yeah. It probably will. But so does hitting fairways after years of banana balls.

The Secret Sauce: Wrist Position at the Top

Fixing your grip is step one. Step two? Managing your wrist angles, especially as you transition from backswing to downswing.

Mark Blackburn, a Titleist staff instructor, is all about the flat lead wrist. Not cupped. Not floppy. Flat or even slightly bowed. Picture trying to deliver a pizza without dropping all the toppings — that’s the vibe you want at the top.

Why does this matter? Because cupping your wrist steepens your swing, throwing the club outside and making that slice almost inevitable. Flatten it out, and you naturally swing more from the inside — the path where power and straightness live.

HackMotion’s wearable tech backs this up too. Their research shows minimizing wrist extension is one of the simplest ways to kill your slice, especially with the driver. If you’ve ever thought “my hands feel out of control” — chances are, your wrists were staging a mutiny.

Setup Tweaks: Small Moves, Big Payoffs

Ball position and alignment are sneaky slice creators. Fortunately, they’re just as easy to fix.

First, move the ball slightly back in your stance — especially with your driver. When the ball creeps too far forward, your swing gets across the ball (out-to-in), producing that cursed left-to-right spin.

Second, stop aiming left. It feels logical (“I’ll aim left because my ball goes right”), but it’s a trap. When you aim left, you subconsciously cut across even harder. Instead, stand square — or even a touch closed — and focus on letting the clubface close naturally through impact.

Yes, it’ll feel awkward. No, you’re not about to slice it even worse. Trust the process. Your ball will thank you.

Feel Drills: Trick Your Brain (in a Good Way)

Here’s a weird one: If you want to fix your slice… practice hitting hooks.

Seriously.

Deliberately try to start your ball right and curve it back left. PGA instructors swear by this in 2025 because it rewires your feels. You start exaggerating the inside-out path and a squarer (or even closed) clubface at impact.

Another killer tip? Start your downswing by firing your hips first — not yanking the club down with your arms. Keep your chest quiet at the start of the downswing, let your hands fall, and feel the club dropping behind you. It’s a much easier way to shallow out without a checklist of 14 technical swing thoughts.

Equipment Tweaks: When in Doubt, Cheat a Little

If you’re desperate for a quick fix while you work on the fundamentals, there’s no shame in adjusting your driver settings.

Adding loft by moving your driver head to a “higher” setting closes the clubface slightly — meaning even if you swing poorly, you’ll slice less. It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s a lot better than spending six holes reloading balls from your pocket.

Just remember: gear can help… but good habits fix.

Adding loft by adjusting your driver settings can subtly close the clubface — helping you straighten out slices even when your swing isn’t perfect. Golf.com shares more tips here on how small driver tweaks can make a real difference off the tee.

Quick Recap: Your Anti-Slice Checklist

• Grip: Strengthen it. Heel pad engaged. Show those knuckles.
• Wrist: Flat lead wrist at the top. Bowed, not cupped.
• Setup: Ball a hair back. Stand square or slightly right.
• Feels: Hit hooks on purpose. Fire the hips first.
• Driver: Loft up if you need a little help.

No magic wands. No total swing rebuilds. Just 1% shifts — each one small enough to try today, but powerful enough to change your game forever.