Why Do I Slice My Driver but Not My Irons?

Why the driver slices more than your irons

Sidespin comes from the angle between where the face points and which way the club is moving. Backspin comes mostly from loft. A 7-iron has plenty of loft, so much of the energy goes into backspin and a slightly open face shows up as a gentle fade. A driver has roughly 9 to 12 degrees, so there is little backspin to hold the ball straight and the same error turns into sidespin.

Three things make it worse with the driver:

• The ball is on a tee, so you cannot hit down on it. A downward strike with an iron masks some of an out-to-in path. The driver exposes it.
• It is your longest, widest swing, and most golfers swing hardest with it. Rushing the start of the downswing throws the club outside the line.
• Many golfers set up differently with the driver: ball far forward, shoulders open to the target. That points the body, and the swing path, left of target.

The two things that cause the slice

A slice needs a face that is open to the path, and usually a path that moves from outside the target line to inside (out-to-in). Common causes:

• A weak grip: you see fewer than two knuckles of your lead hand at address and the face tends to stay open through impact.
• Aim and alignment: feet and shoulders aimed left of the target while the face is aimed at it.
• An over-the-top transition: the upper body starts the downswing and the club moves outside the line. See our guide to the over-the-top swing.
• Ball too far forward or tee too low, which encourages swinging across the ball.

How to see which one is yours

Watch the ball flight. If it starts left of your target and curves right, the path is out-to-in and the face is open to that path (a pull-slice). If it starts right of the target and curves further right, the face itself is very open to the target (a push-slice).

Then film yourself. Put a phone on a tripod down the line (behind the ball, looking at the target) and another face-on. Check your grip and alignment at address, and watch whether the club moves outside your hands as you start down.

A quick equipment check

A driver with more loft or a slightly shorter shaft is easier to keep straight. It will not fix the path, but it can take some of the curve out while you work on the swing. A club fitter or coach can check loft, length, and shaft flex.

Headcover gate

1. Place a headcover a few inches behind the ball and about a clubhead-width outside the target line (farther from you than the ball).
2. Make smooth swings, trying to pass the clubhead inside the headcover.
3. If you clip it, the club is coming from outside the line. Start the downswing with your lower body and let the club drop inside.

What you should feel: The club approaches from the inside, like swinging toward the back of the ball from a little behind you.

Two-knuckle grip check

1. Set the club in your lead hand so you can see about two knuckles at address.
2. Let the trail hand sit so the V between thumb and finger points toward your trail shoulder.
3. Hit ten balls with three-quarter swings and note the ball flight before changing anything else.

What you should feel: The clubface feels like it closes more easily through impact. Grip pressure stays light.