Golf tip: Quick feet will stop you slicing

Weight on the back foot promotes a slice (left) but drawing the left foot towards the right promotes a draw

PGA pro John Hoskison, who plays on the European Seniors Tour, offers some quick tips to help golfers improve their game.

WHEN A RIGHT-HANDED golfer slices, the left-hand side of their body opens up too much and stops the weight from transferring onto the front foot.

Think of the classic finishing position of someone in your regular group who slices. Their weight is trapped on the back foot with the right foot firmly planted on the ground.

Note how Greg Norman slides his right in behind his left at impact to keep his shoulders square

There are two ways to control a slice, either by disciplining the shoulders to stay square, which I'm sure most of you have probably tried, or by changing the way the feet work which stop the shoulders from spinning open.

If you can copy the foot action of a natural drawer of the ball - like Tom Watson or Greg Norman - it will tend to make the shoulders stay squarer for longer.

As Norman comes into the ball his right foot starts to slide towards the left. Rather than being trapped on the back foot, this foot action drives the weight forward stopping the shoulders from spinning open.

When you next hit some balls try sliding the right foot directly towards the left along the ground so that at the moment of impact it actually touches the left foot.

It will require only a few shots to understand the feel but when you do, you will find your shoulders working in a much better way.

John Hoskison is attached to the Newbury Golf Centre and plays on the European Seniors Tour, having earned a conditional card after finishing 10th at Qualifying School at the Pestana. He returned to the UK to rebuild his career in tournament golf after spending time in China, where he was instrumental in the building a driving range for underprivileged children Fuzhou. He won the 2005 Jamega Tour Order of Merit with six victories from 12 starts. For further information visit John's website at www.johnhoskisongolf.com.