Do Woods Built with a Closed Face Really Help Fight a Slice?

Do Woods Built with a Closed Face Really Help Fight a Slice?

Question: Do Woods Built with a Closed Face Really Help Fight a Slice?

Answer: Yes, as long as you let the closed face angle of the woodhead do its job without any interference from the golfer!

Let's use the example of the effect of a more hooked or closed face angle on the driver (a k a, draw bias) as a way to counteract a slice. The golfer slices the ball because, due to a number of swing errors, they deliver the clubface to impact with the ball with the face open to the intended target. This causes the ball to slide, then roll, across the face from the heel toward the toe, which in turn causes the ball to leave the face with a slicing sidespin action.

By changing to a woodhead with a more closed face angle (in which the face points to the hook side of the target when you set the wood flat on its sole), the number of degrees that the golfer delivers the face open to impact with the ball is reduced. Less open face at impact = less slice sidespin on the ball.

However, remember we said that the closed face angle only works when the golfer does not interfere with it? There is a tendency among many golfers using a woodhead with a closed face angle for the first time to push the hands forward in the stance. They do this in an effort to make the face point straight at the target, rather than pointing to the hook side of the target (as a woodhead with a closed face should do when it is set flat on its sole). Doing this will negate the effect of the face angle change.

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