Golf tip: Keep water in the glass to fix slice

Many of the students on my lesson tee struggle with the dreaded slice.

For the right-handed golfer, the golf ball slices when the clubface is open or pointing right in relation to the direction the club is swinging.

What that means is that if you swing "over the top," your club is traveling to the left through impact while the clubface is pointing to the right, which is causing there to be a glancing blow, producing the dreaded slice spin.

If you only fix the path, the clubface would still be pointing to the right and you would still have a problem with slicing the ball.

If you fix the clubface and start to gain understanding of where the face needs to be, then that makes the changes to the path easier to achieve and maintain.

To fix your slice, get the clubface in a more closed position in the backswing, which will result in a different clubface position coming into the ball.

A great drill to work on involves a Solo cup or something similar. Fill the cup one-quarter of the way with water. Take your setup position with both hands around the cup. Place the opening of the cup so that it is facing away from you at an angle, toward where the ball would be, making sure the water is close to the edge but does not spill. From there make slow practice swings to the halfway back position. The objective is to keep the opening of the cup facing in the same direction as it was at the starting position.

By doing this you are limiting the amount of rolling or turning of the clubface in the backswing.

From the backswing position, swing the cup through impact and up to the halfway through position. At the halfway through position the opening of the cup should now be facing straight up so that the water is no longer in jeopardy of spilling.

By practicing this drill, you are starting to get a better understanding of how the hands should move in the backswing, transition and finish. This will result in a more closed clubface position and will stop that slice for good.

• DiNino is a certified professional through the PGA of America and a certified U.S. Kids Instructor. Visit stevedininogolf.com.