If you're a golfer and you haven't heard of the word "slice", you're lucky. Either that, or you haven't been in the game long enough to know what a slice is.

Fades are different from a slice. When you're talking about fades, that means the ball is moving slowly from the left to the right. When you hit the ball at the center of the fairway and it moves a little to the right, but still remains on the fairway, that's called a fade. But a slice, on the other hand, is when the ball moves aggressively to the right. Your shot may start well at the center of the fairway, but the next thing you know, your ball is gearing towards the woods, or even worse, to the nearest window of a house.

If you're hell bent on fixing that nasty slice, you have to be aware that there are two things usually causing this phenomenon. One, is your grip. Two, is club face and impact. Fix these two things, and you're ready to kiss that slice good bye.

Grip - Basically, what you need to do here is to pay attention to the way your hand is positioned. Take a pen or a pencil and grip it like you would a golf club. Notice that between your thumb and index finger is an inverted V. When holding the pen, make sure the tip of the V is pointing towards your right shoulder, not your chin or left shoulder.

Second, is the club face and impact. When your club face is very open, you're most likely to hit a slice. For the right-handed golfer, your club's heel and toe would probably be pointing at 1 o'clock or 2 o'clock position. In this instance, the severe slice is caused as the heel beats the toe to the impact. To rectify that occurrence, a short practice exercise has been developed for you to take notice of your club face.

Here's the drill!

This practice exercise is for you to use 10-15 minutes before starting your game. You're going to use a 7 or 8 iron to start, and you'll be using it to make some small swings at around three quarter lengths. This would mean that your left hand should not reach parallel to the floor. With this exercise, you'll be noticing what happens to your club face as you swing. It will also make you more aware that the toe should pass the heel. What you need to do here is to notice how much rotation it takes for a club face to get it to a square position. When you get this done right, you'll be seeing that ball travel to the left rather than the right.

When practicing the drill, try to hit 10 in a row of balls that move to the left. When you achieve the 10 in a row milestone, reward yourself by moving up to longer clubs, and taking longer swings with the 5 or 6 iron. However, when you start to hit those slices again, don't hesitate to go back to the 7 or 8. Get another 10 in a row before moving up.

Using this drill will help you see how a ball can move differently from the way it usually does. This lifts some of the mystery of the game and it builds up your confidence by giving you some control of your shots. Practice your grip at the home or even at the office, and make sure to give time to the drills. You'll surely be on your way to getting rid of the wicked slice.

Matthew Seppanen is the co-host of the #1 Golf Instruction Podcast, Go Golf Tips. Click on the link for more information about how to fix your slice. To learn about how you can play better golf and be the envy of your foursome please visit Go Golf Tips.

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