Ah.. the dreaded slice (or power fade as we like to drunkenly call it), the common mistake for former baseball players and those who love taking hell hacks.  So how can a beginner fix a slice with your Driver, Woods, and Hybrid clubs? All have similar swings, so try the advice on all three. Now like with most swing problems there could be a multitude of issues, but here are 5 common mistakes that you can focus on:

Mistake 1: Left arm too rigid (right arm for lefties)

You bring back your swing and keep your left arm as straight as possible for this long, sexy backswing and as you come through to contact, your left arm prevents your right arm from rotating over - this produces an open clubface at contact 

Fix it: less rigid left arm - allow it to fold a bit on the down swing and follow through. 

Mistake 2: Swing ends abruptly

You are stopping your swing short.  Basically, you are not following through which keeps you from squaring your club face at contact. 

Fix it: finish your swing.  Try to look like the top of a golf trophy you probably will never get. 

Mistake 3: Hands aren't square at impact

From the top of your swing, to impact, you are leaving your hands open instead of squaring them (for baseball players.. you are driving the ball to right instead of a base hit up the middle). 

Fix it : Drill - Go into a practice bunker and draw a three-foot straight line in the sand.
• Without hitting balls, take a 6-iron and hover the club above the line, making that your address position.
• Take a swing — if you come over the top, you'll bottom the club out behind the line and start the divot there. That's an early release, in which your hands don't rotate the clubface closed until it's too late. You want the divot to start at the line and go forward, meaning the clubface lags behind and then catches up to the hands right at impact.
• Repeat the drill until you can make 10 divots in a row that start at the line.
—Mike Bender operates the Mike Bender Golf Academy at Timacuan Golf Club in Lake Mary, Fla.

Mistake 4: Swing is too steep 

When you take your club back, there is little turn on your hips, and your arms are taking the club back straight, instead of rotating around the spine. 

Fix it: flatten your swing out -  Think if you were in room with a low ceiling.. you should be able to swing without hitting the ceiling (may be dramatic, but it will help conceptualize it).

Mistake 5: Over swing

You have had a few suds and you are trying to teach the ball a lesson and you leave your hands wide open! 

Fix it- take a nice smooth swing and don't try and kill it

Those are some of the common mistakes we see when you are producing a slice.  

Interested in learning more fundamentals? Download our Fundamentals for Beginner Golfers Tip Sheet