Fortunate is the golfer who has never learned the meaning of slicing and hooking the ball. The average golfer is quite satisfied with the world in general when he sees the ball travel straight down the course in an undevi-ating line, for that is the result he has played for. If, however, the ball sheers off to the right or left, gloom settles down upon him, and he knows by either token that his swing has not been faultless. Something has gone wrong, although he is probably at sea as to just what this may have been.

Of course a slice or hook may be either intentional or unintentional. An accomplished golfer in order to drop the ball in a certain spot will often intentionally play a slice or hook. And when a man knows exactly what he is doing, and the precise manner of getting this desired result, hooking and slicing cannot be classed as evils.

Fig. 69

A grip that will slice the ball

The fact remains, however, that with the average golfer slicing and hooking are distinct evils, and they remain such just so long as they pop up when not wanted. As a matter of fact, neither slicing nor hooking have any place in the entirely natural game of golf. If one sticks strictly to the game as nature intends it should be played, you will not do either of these.

If you know the reasons for certain faults in golf it is fairly easy to overcome them. The faults that play all the havoc are those which you cannot find the reasons for, with the result that you keep on with them and they become more and more of a habit and just so much more difficult to break in the end. On the other hand, if you know that a certain definite action will bring about a certain result and have the whole thing clearly in mind, you can intentionally bring these actions in play now and then as you wish without the disadvantage of making them a habit. Slicing and hooking are excellent examples of what I mean.

Fig. 70

A grip that will hook the ball

Fig.71

The slicer's left-hand grip

Fig. 72

The puller's left-hand grip

Among the most common reasons for slicing is that of rolling the forearms too soon. This is sometimes incorrectly referred to as turning the wrists. As a matter of fact, it is not the wrists that turn; it is the forearms. A great many beginners are erroneously taught to roll the forearms too soon and this is one reason why slicing is so general (Figs. 27-28).

Remember that in swinging back and then down upon the ball you want to make as large an arc as is conveniently possible. In the back swing the club should travel directly back from the ball for some distance instead of being lifted up from the line of flight. In hitting any object, the natural thing is to start directly away from it.

In the case of the back swing in golf, the forearms of course roll naturally of their own accord, but if you will examine the point at which they start rolling during the course of a perfect swing, you will find that it is farther back than you probably supposed. Take Vardon's swing for example. Vardon's club travels back about a yard before perceptibly leaving the line of flight. Likewise, it is not until then that the forearms begin rolling over to any extent.

Fig. 73

Finish of a slice

Fig. 74

Finish of a hook

Both slicing and hooking may come from the manner in which you grip the club. In the case of the chronic slicer's grip, the face of the club turns upward at the time of impact with the ball. The fault in this instance is usually with the left hand; the fingers of this hand are in plain view when in reality they should be just hidden. With the chronic hooker, however, the left hand is turned to the opposite extreme, while the fingers of the right hand are too much in view (Figs. 69-70-71-72). Half-way between these two extremes is the correct grip.

Slicing is often associated with hitting the ball with the heel of the club. When you find yourself heeling, you instinctively draw the club toward you and a slice is the natural result. In this matter of heeling you have combating you both the centrifugal force carrying the club head outward and the fact that your arms naturally try to straighten at the moment of impact. It is wise to make allowances for these.

Fig. 75

The way to finish without slicing or hooking

As a matter of fact this centrifugal force will pretty well take care of itself if you will simply address the ball with the toe of the club. As a result of this you will be likely to hit the ball exactly in the centre of the club.