Pull Slice or Push Slice? The 10-Ball Test That Diagnoses Your Golf Slice
Piece: Tee shots | Level: Break 100 | 5-minute read | Part 1 of 4 in the Fix Your Slice series
Before you change anything, find out which slice you actually hit. In ten balls you’ll know whether you’re fighting your swing path or your clubface, and that one fact decides what you fix first. Everything here is written for right-handed golfers; lefties, mirror it.
The leak: not every slice has the same cause
Most golfers treat every slice the same: swing more from the inside, release the club harder, or aim farther left. Those fixes help one type of slice and make the other worse, because “slice” describes the curve, not the cause.
At impact, the direction the clubface points sets most of the ball’s starting direction. The gap between the face direction and your swing path sets the curve. A slice happens when the face is open to the path. That can come from a path that cuts far across the ball with a face only slightly open to the target, or from a decent path with a face that’s wide open. Same curve, different fix.
On the scorecard, that’s a tee shot in the trees or out of bounds on the right, a punch-out, and a double bogey. Fixing the right problem is the fastest way to stop it.
| Pattern | What you see | What’s happening | Fix first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pull slice | Starts left of target, curves right | Path is far left (out-to-in); face is open to that path | Path (Part 4) |
| Push slice | Starts right of target, curves farther right | Face is wide open to the target | Grip and face (Part 3) |
| Weak fade | Starts at or just left of target, curves gently right, loses distance | Small face-to-path gap | Setup (Part 2) |
The fix: a 10-ball diagnosis
- Set up the test. Pick one specific target at 7-iron distance. Lay an alignment stick on the ground pointing at it so your start line is easy to see.
- Hit 10 balls with your normal swing. No adjustments. After each ball, write down the start line (left of, on, or right of the target) and the curve (small, medium, or big).
- Read your tally. If most balls start left and curve right, you have a pull slice, so path is the big fix. If most start on target or right and curve a lot, you have a push slice, so grip and face come first. If it’s a mix, start with setup, because aim errors hide the real pattern.
If you can, film one swing face-on and one down the line from hip height. A launch monitor that reports face angle and club path settles the question in minutes.
The drill: the tally test
Hit 10 balls with a 7-iron, then 10 with your driver, and keep a separate tally for each. It takes about ten minutes. Success: at least 7 of 10 balls in each set share the same start line. If fewer than 7 do, your face control is inconsistent, so go to Part 3 first.
Your 7-day game plan
- Day 1: run the 10-ball test with a 7-iron and record the tally.
- Day 2: run the same test with your driver.
- Day 3: film your swing face-on and down the line, and compare it to the table above.
- Days 4-5: spend 15 minutes each day on Part 2: setup, since it helps every pattern.
- Day 6: repeat the 7-iron test and compare it to Day 1.
- Day 7: play nine holes using the rule below.
Your rule for the next round
After every tee shot, write the start line (L, O, or R) and the curve (S, M, or B) on your scorecard. Two rounds of notes will tell you more than any swing video.
The measure
Track fairways hit out of 14 and your start-line tally. Record your baseline this week, and aim to add two fairways per round within four weeks. That’s a target, not a guarantee.
Next piece on the path
Next is Part 2: Fix your slice at setup, the fastest fix and one that helps every pattern. See the full Fix Your Slice guide and the Path 2 Par blueprint.
