Vocabulary for this post: Thin – Hitting the ball low on the clubface. The shot flies low like a line-drive and rolls out a long way. Top – An extreme thin shot where only the top of the ball is struck, causing it to shoot forward and immediately dive into the ground.

“Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing.” 

-Ben Hogan

Introduction

What do you do when you're slicing the ball? What if you're hitting it thin or topping it? Believe it or not, many of these issues can be self-diagnosed—and often, the fix is the opposite of what you think.

The Core Idea

• Swing up, and the ball dives down.
• Swing right, and the ball moves left.
• Swing left, and it moves right.
• Swing down, and the ball goes up.

How Does That Work?

In a word: physics. (And in my case, some very humble physics.)

It’s all about spin. Take a topped shot:

Like a baseball player trying to hit a high fly ball, many golfers instinctively swing up.

But when your club travels upward at impact, you often strike the ball low on the face—or even on its top half.

This imparts heavy forward spin, which forces the ball to dive into the ground.

Think of a Clayton Kershaw curveball—forward spin pulls the ball down.

So paradoxically, if you're hitting the ball down, it’s likely because you're swinging up.

Slices, Hooks, Fades, and Draws

Professionals hit fades and draws—gentle curves used with intention. We hit slices and hooks—uncontrollable curves that end up in the woods.

Let’s break it down (for right-handed golfers):

• Fade – Curves gently to the right. Intentional. Controlled. Pretty.

• Slice – Curves sharply to the right. Unintentional. Into the hazard.

• Draw – Curves gently to the left. Intentional. Controlled. Also pretty.

• Hook – Curves sharply to the left. Unintentional. Also into the hazard.

Ironically, a hook often means you're close to a good swing—it just needs refinement. But a slice? That’s our common nemesis.

Most of us try to fix a slice by closing the clubface or swinging more left. And what happens? Another slice.

Let’s use a simple “V” shape to visualize it:

One line = your swing path

The other line = your ball flight

(Yes, I’ll work on embedding real diagrams soon!)

The truth: ball flight is more about swing path than clubface angle.

A slice comes from an outside-in swing path—your club is moving toward your body at impact. That path creates side-spin that sends the ball dramatically away from you.

Professionals use this same principle, but subtly, to hit a fade.

Conversely, a hook or draw comes from an inside-out path—your club is moving away from your body at impact, creating the opposite spin.

Yes, the clubface angle still matters, but it’s often not the primary issue.

The Ideal Ball Flight

So what does an ideal shot look like?

A high, soaring ball that seems to hover before falling gently to earth.

To achieve it? Swing down.

That’s right—if you want the ball to go up, you need to swing down.

The concept I like to share: pinch the ball between the clubface and the grass. Watch a pro’s divot—it’s in front of the ball. That’s because the club is still descending even after impact.

A quick exception: When hitting a driver off a tee, you do want an upward swing. That’s because the ball is teed up and positioned forward in your stance. But if you are having trouble topping or thinning the ball, it's good to continue to think about hitting down even with driver.

Conclusion

It may feel counterintuitive, but understanding these opposites helps you read your ball flight and correct your swing.

If your ball slices, your swing path is moving across your body—from outside in. To fix it, you need to work toward swinging more in-to-out.

We’ll cover drills in detail in later posts, but here’s one to get you started:

Slice Drill: Place a tee about 2 inches in front of the ball and half an inch farther from you. Address the ball normally, but when you begin your swing, shift your focus toward the tee. Make your normal swing, but your target should now be the tee (obviously swinging through the ball). This can help rewire your path to go more in-to-out and start correcting that slice.