This Optical illusion Is Secretly Ruining Your Golf Swing
Alex Elliott explains how hitting up on a driver naturally shifts swing path and face angle to the left, creating a visual illusion that causes two-way misses. By adjusting your alignment and setup—aiming slightly right while maintaining proper shoulder orientation—you can predictably start the ball on line and eliminate slices and pulls.
Hitting up on the driver shifts the club path left past the lowest point of the swing arc.
Aiming perfectly straight with a driver often leads to pull-draws or compensatory slices.
To counteract the leftward path shift, align your feet and body slightly right of the target.
Move the ball back slightly (quarter to half a ball width) and maintain a square lead shoulder position.
Commit to swinging down your feet line to let the upward strike bring the ball back toward the target.
Go deeper
The slice — Causes, drills and coaches for this miss