Full Swing
 

If you slice the ball a possible reason could be poor arm rotation or a "release" through the impact zone. This drill may help you feel a release better.

Without a club, hold your hands in front of you. Make a fist with your back hand and keep your target hand palm open or facing the target. Swing your back arm to the top of your swing and then forward.  When moving your arm forward try to rotate your hand so that the top of your fist smacks into the palm of your target hand.

This exaggerates a rotation and helps you capture the sensation of rotating your arms or feeling a "release".  Now take a few practice swings with a club.  Start with a short swing and move to a full swing.

Try to feel that same rotation when you hit balls and you'll soon be squaring up the clubface at impact.

When we sway on the backswing we are not creating torque or resistance that will give us more power in our golf swing. 

How do you open up a jar?  You hold the bottom and twist the top. Basically, you need to do the same thing but with your body.  You hold your lower body and twist your upper body against it. A key to more power is building that resistance (a.k.a. torque, coil, and pivot) between your upper and lower body.

Try to get away from the thought of laterally moving away from the ball on the back swing, think more of twisting or coiling your weight to the inside of your rear foot.  Imagine your rear kneecap is actually a headlight that shines a light beam towards the back of your golf ball.  Try to keep this light beam steady throughout your backswing.

This will help you feel your lower body resisting your upper body in your torso while also diminishing your tendency to sway.

Finding the right grip pressure can be difficult at times because you don't want to hold on too tightly or too loosely. At the top of your golf swing, if you feel that the club is moving in your hands or has shifted from the original position you had at address, then try this test.

Take the cellophane wrapper off a piece of candy or pack of cigarettes and place it between your top and bottom hand. Now take some practice swings.  If the wrapper falls or significantly moves out of position then your hands are separating at the top of your backswing.

Once you adjust your grip pressure, try to see if you can keep the wrapper in place when you hit some shots. Your grip pressure should be more solid as a result.

On full shots ignore the ball altogether.  Concentrate on swinging the club in the direction of the target, not on the ball itself. Without worrying about "hitting" the ball, you'll make a better swing.

Take a foam coffee cup and place it over a ball teed up. Now try to make a swing through the coffee cup.  You may find yourself pleasantly surprised at your results!

When you "sway" during your backswing this is often due to an improper or misunderstood weight transfer. Most golfers will try to transfer their weight on the backswing from their rear foot and then to their front or target side foot.  Unfortunately while doing so they may actually transfer too much weight to the "outside" of their rear foot which leads to swaying. Ideally, the weight should be kept on the "inside" of their rear foot enabling the body to coil or pivot on the backswing.

Next time you're on the range practicing, try to make some swings while turning your rear foot in slightly as if you were pigeon toed.  This will help you feel where the weight should be on the backswing. You will probably feel more restricted and sense a tension in your knee.

Try to get away from the thought of laterally moving away from the ball on the backswing, think more of twisting or coiling your weight to the inside of your rear foot.

Let this tip be your first step to a better weight transfer for more consistency in your ball striking.