Hit Straighter Golf Shots by Adjusting Your Address Position

Fighting a slice? Start hitting straighter golf shots by adjusting your address position in these two key areas.

By GOLFTEC Digital

It’s common for golfers to seek help with hitting straighter golf shots.

In fact, 96 percent of golfers we see for the first time at GOLFTEC report their goal is to draw the ball or hit it straight, meaning the vast majority of these players are fighting that ugly, unintentionally-curving slice.

Naturally, slicing on the regular isn’t a fun way to play golf. Unless you like to see every shot end up short and right of your target, and if that’s your version of fun we need to talk.

Nevertheless and luckily for you slicers out there, GOLFTEC Coaches diagnose the issues causing this ball flight pattern every day. One common starting point to help banana-ball-prone players is correcting two key elements of the address position.

Be like the golfer in red.

In the graphic shown below, we compare the typical slicer (left, in orange) and a lower-handicap golfer (right, in red) at address to show important differences that separate their skill levels and ball flight patterns.

As you can see with the two golfers on the left, the slicer has the handle of the club and his body farther behind the ball (away from the target) than the lower handicap. This decreases his chances of making solid contact and often leads to fat and thin golf shots.

When comparing the two golfers on the right, the slicer also has his hips and shoulders turned more open to the target than the lower handicap. This encourages an out-to-in swing direction, which is a key factor leading to a slice.

It’s a great place to start!

Simple enough to understand, the setup characteristics of the golfer in orange are commonly seen at GOLFTEC by those that slice. So our Coaches often help these students address the ball like the golfer in red by moving the club handle and their body more toward the target, and their hips and shoulders more closed to the target.

Of course, while changing these elements of your address position are only a starting point, it’s a really effective one to encourage an in-to-out swing swing direction, consistently solid contact and, above all, hitting straighter golf shots!

If you slice and set up like the golfer in orange, take a look at the video below. Patrick Nuber demonstrates the proper address positions to help you start hitting straighter golf shots.

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