The Complete Guide to Fixing Every Golf Swing Fault

The Slice: Ball Curves Hard Left-to-Right (for right-handed golfers)

What our data shows: The slice is the most complained-about fault, but it is rarely a hand or clubface issue. In 73% of the sliced swings we analyzed, the root cause was an over-the-top downswing path caused by the upper body initiating the downswing before the pelvis.

The biomechanical cause: When the chest starts rotating toward the target before the pelvis has led the way, the club gets thrown outward. The clubface arrives open relative to this out-to-in path, producing side spin. Most golfers instinctively try to fix this by manipulating their hands, which makes the problem worse.

The fix pathway: The correction is not about the hands or the clubface. It is about establishing proper sequencing in the transition. The pelvis must begin moving toward the target while the upper body is still completing the backswing. This creates the stretch across the torso that GOATY calls the "sling" — stored elastic energy that naturally squares the clubface without hand manipulation.

What to feel: At the top of the backswing, your lower body should start shifting toward the target while your trail shoulder still feels like it is going back. This momentary stretch is the single most important sensation in fixing a slice. GOATY's G4 gate (pelvis-leads-chest sequencing) directly measures whether you are achieving this.

Practice protocol: Focus on the transition. Make slow-motion swings where you consciously feel the lower body lead. Do not hit balls until you can consistently feel the stretch in your torso. GOATY's live lesson will tell you in real time whether your pelvis is leading your chest.

The Hook: Ball Curves Hard Right-to-Left

What our data shows: Hooks typically appear in golfers who have some swing speed but whose body stops rotating through impact. The arms and hands have to take over to square the face, and they over-rotate it.

The biomechanical cause: The body stalls. Specifically, the pelvis stops clearing through impact, which forces the arms to flip the club closed. In 68% of analyzed hooks, the pelvis rotation was less than 35 degrees open at impact, compared to 45+ degrees in the GOAT Model.

The fix pathway: The hook is actually a sign that your swing has some good elements — you are generating speed. The fix is to keep the body rotating through impact so the arms do not have to rescue the clubface. Think of your body as the engine and your arms as passengers. If the engine keeps running through impact, the passengers (arms and club) are carried along naturally.

What to feel: At impact, your belt buckle should be pointing left of the target (for right-handers) and still turning. If it stops facing the ball, your arms will take over. GOATY measures this through pelvis rotation at impact.

Fat Shots: Hitting the Ground Before the Ball

What our data shows: Fat shots are the clearest indicator of excessive lateral sway. In 81% of the fat-shot patterns we analyzed, the golfer's head moved more than 2 inches away from the target during the backswing. This shifts the low point of the swing arc behind the ball.

The biomechanical cause: When your head and sternum drift away from the target during the backswing, the bottom of your swing arc moves with them. To make solid contact, you would need to shift everything back by exactly the right amount on the downswing — a timing-dependent compensation that fails under pressure.

The fix pathway: Minimize head sway during the backswing. This does not mean keeping your head perfectly still — some rotation is natural. But lateral drift must stay under control. GOATY's G3 gate measures head sway in shoulder-widths, and the threshold is calibrated from the GOAT Model's remarkably stable head position.

What to feel: During the backswing, feel like your head stays centered over the ball. Your shoulders should turn around your spine, not slide away from the target. A useful image: imagine your head is pinned to a wall behind you. It can rotate, but it cannot slide sideways.

Thin Shots & Topping: Contact Too High on the Ball

What our data shows: Thin shots and topping share a common root cause with fat shots — the swing arc bottom is in the wrong place. However, thin shots specifically correlate with early extension (standing up through impact) in 64% of cases.

The biomechanical cause: Two scenarios produce thin contact. First, the same lateral sway that causes fat shots can cause thins when the golfer over-compensates by hanging back. Second, and more common in mid-handicap golfers, the hips thrust toward the ball on the downswing (early extension), raising the entire body and pulling the club up through impact.

The fix pathway: If thin shots come with occasional fat shots, focus on minimizing head sway (same fix as fat shots above). If thin shots are your primary miss with rarely any fat shots, focus on maintaining your spine angle through impact. The hips should rotate around a relatively fixed spine angle, not thrust forward toward the ball.

What to feel: At impact, your belt buckle should be the same distance from the ball as it was at address. If it gets closer to the ball, you are extending early. GOATY's sternum tracking directly measures whether your upper body maintains its position through the hitting zone.

The Shank: Ball Shoots Hard Right Off the Hosel

What our data shows: Shanks are terrifying but mechanically simple. The hosel (where the shaft meets the clubhead) contacts the ball instead of the center of the face. This happens when the club path moves outward toward the ball, typically because the body moves toward the ball during the downswing.

The biomechanical cause: In 77% of analyzed shank patterns, the pelvis moved toward the ball (toward the target line) between the top of the backswing and impact. This pushes the hands and club outward, moving the hosel into the ball's position. Sometimes the cause is the arms collapsing inward while the body extends outward.

The fix pathway: Maintain your distance from the ball throughout the swing. The pelvis should rotate around the spine, not drift toward the target line. Many golfers find that simply placing a headcover just outside their ball (between the ball and their feet) and trying to miss it inward provides the spatial awareness needed.

What to feel: During the downswing, feel like your hips are moving back and around, not forward toward the ball. Your trail hip should feel like it stays deep (behind you) while your pelvis rotates. GOATY monitors this through sternum and pelvis drift measurements.

Pulls (Ball Starts Left) and Pushes (Ball Starts Right)

What our data shows: Pulls and pushes are path problems. The ball starts in the direction the club is traveling at impact. A pull means the club is traveling left at impact. A push means it is traveling right. Unlike slices and hooks, there is no curve — the face is square to the path, but the path itself is off.

The biomechanical cause: Pulls usually come from the same over-the-top move that causes slices, but with a square face. The upper body dominates the downswing, pulling the club across the target line. Pushes come from the opposite — the body gets too far ahead of the arms, leaving the club trailing and moving outward.

The fix pathway: Both faults trace to sequencing. For pulls, work on letting the lower body lead the downswing so the club approaches from inside. For pushes, work on the body staying connected to the arms — the body should not race so far ahead that the arms cannot keep up. GOATY's G4 and G5 gates measure the pelvis-to-chest relationship that controls path.

Casting: Releasing the Club Too Early

What our data shows: Casting is the premature release of wrist angles on the downswing. Instead of maintaining lag (the angle between the forearm and the club shaft) until near impact, the golfer throws the club outward from the top. This costs significant clubhead speed and usually produces weak, high shots.

The biomechanical cause: Casting is almost always a reaction to poor sequencing. When the body does not lead the downswing properly, the arms and hands have to generate speed on their own. The most natural way the hands can create speed is to throw the club — releasing the wrist angles early. Fix the sequencing, and the casting usually disappears on its own.

The fix pathway: Rather than trying to hold lag (which creates tension), focus on starting the downswing with your lower body. When the body leads correctly, the arms naturally lag behind — you do not have to think about holding anything. The lag becomes a byproduct of proper sequence, not a conscious hand position.

What to feel: Think of cracking a whip. You do not consciously try to keep the tip behind the handle — the tip trails naturally because the handle moves first. Your arms are the whip tip. Move the handle (your body) first, and the tip (your hands and club) will follow with maximum speed delivered at the right moment.

Early Extension: Standing Up Through Impact

What our data shows: Early extension (the pelvis thrusting toward the ball on the downswing) is present in over 55% of golfers with handicaps above 15. It is one of the most stubborn faults to fix because it often compensates for other issues in the swing.

The biomechanical cause: Early extension typically happens when the golfer has no room to rotate through impact. If the pelvis did not create depth (separation from the ball) during the backswing, it has nowhere to go but forward on the downswing. The result is the body thrusting toward the ball, changing spine angle, and forcing the arms to compensate.

The fix pathway: Create hip depth during the backswing. The trail hip should move back (away from the ball) and slightly down during the backswing, creating the space needed to rotate through impact without thrusting forward. GOATY measures this through pelvis position tracking relative to the setup position.

What to feel: During the backswing, feel your trail hip pocket moving behind you. At the top of the backswing, you should feel like you are sitting slightly into your trail hip. This depth creates the room your body needs to rotate freely on the downswing without pushing toward the ball.