Advanced Slice Impact Conditions: Why the Ball Starts Straight and Curves Right
A true slice is a shot that starts on or near the target line and then curves to the right for a right-handed golfer. Understanding why that happens comes down to two key impact conditions: club path and clubface angle.
What Causes This Type of Slice?
When a ball starts straight and then curves right, the impact pattern usually looks like this:
- The club path is traveling from outside to in across the ball.
- The clubface is square to the target at impact.
- The clubface is open relative to the club path.
That face-to-path relationship is what creates the slicing curve.
Why the Ball Starts Straight
The ball’s starting direction is heavily influenced by where the clubface is pointing at impact.
In this slice pattern, the clubface is square to the target line, so the ball begins close to straight. Even though the swing path is moving across the ball from outside to in, the face is not pointed right of the target at impact; it is pointed at the target.
That is why the ball can start straight instead of immediately starting right.
Why the Ball Curves Right
Although the clubface is square to the target, it is still open compared to the club path.
For example, if the club path is moving left through impact and the face is pointing straight at the target, the face is open relative to that leftward path. This difference between the path and the face creates side spin, causing the ball to curve to the right.
In simple terms:
- Face square to target = ball starts straight.
- Path moving left of target = outside-to-in swing path.
- Face open to path = rightward curve or slice spin.
The Key Slice Impact Formula
For a right-handed golfer, a straight-starting slice is commonly produced by:
Out-to-in club path + clubface square to the target but open to the path = ball starts straight and slices right.
This is different from a push-slice, where the ball starts right and curves farther right. In this case, the ball starts straight because the face is square to the target at impact.
What to Watch For
If your ball starts straight and then curves right, look for these signs:
- Your divot may point left of the target.
- Your club path may be cutting across the ball from outside to in.
- Your clubface may look square to the target but still be open relative to your swing path.
- The ball may begin online before losing distance and curving right.
Main Takeaway
A slice is not caused only by an open clubface to the target. In this specific ball flight, the face is actually square to the target, which is why the ball starts straight. The slice happens because the clubface is open relative to an out-to-in club path.
To understand and fix this shot, focus on the relationship between the clubface and the swing path at impact.
