Up-the-Hill Drill Fights Slice, Grooves Inside-to-Outside Swing Path

Do you fight a slice in your golf game? Most recreational golfers do. Or, at least, they suffer from a weak fade they'd prefer to turn into a draw. A common cause of both issues is the over-the-top swing that produces an outside-to-inside swing path, leading your club to swipe across the face of the golf ball. The "Up the Hill Drill" can help correct these issues.

The "Up the Hill Drill" is one favored by golf instructor Michael Lamanna, Director of Schools at The Phoenician Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. It's a very simple drill that doesn't even require a golf ball. You just need to find a side slope, any gentle slope will do. Then, take your stance next to the slope and swing in a way that makes it feel like your clubface is going up that slope as you swing through.

The "Up the Hill Drill" is great for grooving an inside-to-outside swing path that produces power and draws. And if you fight a slice, then this drill will fight that slice for you.

Practically all the best golfers in the world create an inside-to-outside swing path. At the top of their backswing, as they transition into the downswing, their back shoulder dips, their hands drop and the club flattens out.

The "Up the Hill Drill" helps recreational golfers learn what an inside-to-outside swing path feels like.

Take Your Stance at the Base of an Incline

Take a stance at the base of a slight incline, a gentle upward slope. The lines on the grass in the small photo represent the path that you will feel the club is taking. The club is not actually traveling straight (white line), but it feels that way on a normal takeaway and follow-through.

To make yourself swing on an inside-to-outside swing path, try to swing "up the hill" (as if you are following the red line).

Follow the Incline on the Downswing

In order to feel as if you are swinging up the incline (red line), you will have to bring the club down inside the plane. Your back shoulder will dip, your hands will drop and the club will flatten out. If these things don't happen, you won't have the feeling that you are swinging up the hill.

Feel the Club Going "Up the Hill"

A rear view: The back shoulder dips, the hands drop and the club flattens out. It's clear that the club is now on the inside and ready to come through the downswing on an inside-out path with the club feeling as if it is going "up the hill."

Practice swinging "up the hill" on the side of a driving range, the side of a tee box or anywhere else you can take a stance next to a gentle upward slope. Swing up the hill on the side of a tee box several times before each of your tee shots during a round to remind yourself of the feeling.

More reading:

• Explaining the sidehill lie
• Circle putting drills improve confidence, fundamentals
• How to grip a club: Lessons from the best