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How Much Distance Does a Slice Really Cost You? (The Math Will Hurt)

/ Golf Swing
Illustration of a golfer hitting a sliced driver shot, showing how a golf slice reduces distance through lost carry, too much spin, poor rollout, and off-line ball flight, with estimated yardage loss for amateur golfers.

Every slicer has done the mental math on the tee: “If I could just hit it straight, I’d be 20 yards farther up there.” You’re underestimating it. Considerably. A slice takes distance away through four separate mechanisms, and they stack. Then it takes strokes away through a fifth mechanism that never shows up on a […]

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Ball Position and Stance Fixes for Slicers: What to Change Before Saturday’s Round

/ Fix Your Slice
Before-and-after golf slice correction image showing a golfer fixing a slice before Saturday by changing setup fundamentals, including moving from an open stance, open clubface, and poor ball position to a square stance, stronger grip, optimal ball position, and straighter ball flight for more distance, accuracy, and fairways.

Article-At-A-Glance: Fix Your Slice Before Saturday A golf slice is caused by a combination of an outside-in swing path, an open clubface at impact, and poor pre-shot setup — and most of it starts before you even take the club back. Ball position and stance alignment are the two most overlooked slice fixes, and you

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TaylorMade RSi 1 vs Performance Golf RS1: Why These Are Completely Different Clubs

/ Golf Equipment
Featured image comparing TaylorMade RSi 1 irons and wedges with the Performance Golf RS1 putter, explaining the search confusion between the two golf clubs and showing that TaylorMade RSi 1 is an older iron set while Performance Golf RS1 is a modern putter with a completely different purpose.

If you’ve searched “TaylorMade RS1” or “RS1 golf club” and ended up looking at a confusing mix of iron sets, putters, and wedges from completely different manufacturers, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common search confusion problems in the current golf equipment market — and it costs golfers real time as they

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Open Clubface vs. Out-to-In Path: Which One Is Actually Causing Your Slice?

/ Fix Your Slice
Featured image for a golf slice diagnosis article, showing a golfer hitting a driver with visual breakdowns of the two main slice causes: an open clubface and an out-to-in swing path, plus a 60-second checklist for reading ball flight, checking curve, reviewing divot direction, and checking grip to fix the correct problem.

Article-At-A-Glance: What’s Really Causing Your Slice Your slice comes from one of two causes — an open clubface at impact, an out-to-in swing path, or a combination of both — and fixing the wrong one wastes your time on the range. Clubface angle is the dominant factor in where your ball starts and curves, accounting

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Putter Lie Angle Explained: How It Affects Your Setup, Stroke, and Which Putter to Buy

/ Golf Putting
Infographic explaining putter lie angle and how it affects setup, eye position, stroke path, and face control, showing the RS1 putter’s 74-degree lie angle, examples of too-flat, correct, and too-upright lie angles, and a quick check for whether the putter sits flat on the ground at address.

Article-At-A-Glance: What Lie Angle Actually Does to Your Putting Putter lie angle is the angle between the shaft and the sole of the putter — and getting it wrong quietly causes left and right misses on every single putt. Most putters ship with a lie angle of around 70 degrees, but that number is just

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The Traffic Light Method: How to Read Your Ball Flight and Diagnose Your Slice

/ Golf Instruction
Featured image for a golf instruction article about the Traffic Light Method, showing a golfer hitting a shot with red, yellow, and green ball-flight visuals that explain how start line reveals clubface angle, curve reveals swing path, and golfers can diagnose a slice before changing their swing.

Article At A Glance: Stop Guessing Why Your Ball Curves Right A slice is caused by one of two things: an open clubface at impact, an out-to-in swing path, or a combination of both — and each has a different fix. The Traffic Light Method gives you a simple, repeatable system to diagnose exactly what

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Best Putters for Mid Handicappers in 2026: 7 Options That Actually Lower Your Score

/ Equipment Reviews, Golf Putting
Featured image for an article ranking the 7 best putters for mid handicappers, showing multiple mallet and blade-style putters on a golf green with callouts for more forgiveness, better alignment, fewer three-putts, high MOI design, stroke matching, and saving 3–5 strokes per round without changing your swing.

Mid handicappers (index 10–20) lose more shots on the green than anywhere else — the right putter can realistically save 3–5 strokes per round without changing your swing. Mallet putters dominate for mid handicappers because their high MOI forgives the off-center strikes that are common at this skill level. Zero-torque putters like the L.A.B. Golf

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Why You Slice Your Driver But Not Your Irons (And What It Tells You)

/ Fix Your Slice
Featured image for a golf instruction article explaining why golfers slice their driver but not their irons, showing a golfer hitting a driver with a ball flight curving right, a comparison inset of a straighter 7-iron shot, and visual callouts for low loft, longer shaft, forward ball position, faster swing speed, and increased side spin.

It’s one of golf’s most common — and most confusing — patterns. Your 7-iron flies reasonably straight. Your hybrid is fine. But put the driver in your hands and the ball peels off into the right rough like it’s magnetized. Golfers usually draw one of two wrong conclusions from this: either “my driver is broken”

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RS1 vs S7K Putter: Which Alignment Technology Actually Helps More?

/ Equipment Reviews, Golf Putting
RS1 vs S7K Putter: Which Alignment Technology Actually Helps More? Both the Performance Golf RS1 and the S7K Stand Alone putter are marketed to the same broad audience — recreational golfers who are losing strokes on the green and want technology to help. Both are sold primarily through direct-to-consumer channels with aggressive video advertising. Both claim to solve alignment and consistency problems that conventional putters don't address. But they solve fundamentally different problems, and understanding that distinction is what separates a purchase that genuinely improves your putting from one that addresses the wrong thing entirely. This guide breaks down exactly what each putter does, where each one wins and loses the comparison, and which specific player profiles benefit most from each technology. For the complete RS1 product breakdown including configurations and pricing, see our main RS1 buying guide. What Each Putter Actually Does Before comparing them, it's worth being precise about what problem each putter is engineered to solve — because they're not the same problem. The S7K Stand Alone Putter The S7K's defining feature is its ability to stand upright on the green without support. The engineering behind this — a heavy head paired with an extremely light shaft and grip — shifts the overall balance point of the club so dramatically that it stands independently when placed on a flat surface. The intended benefit is alignment at address. When the putter stands on its own, it acts as a visual plumb line — a reference for checking your eye position, face angle at setup, and target line before you pull the trigger on the stroke. The theory is that better setup alignment produces more consistent results, even if the stroke itself isn't mechanically assisted during the swing. The S7K addresses the problem of setting up incorrectly before the stroke begins. The Performance Golf RS1 The RS1's Forward Axis Weighting places over 75% of its 360-gram head mass in the front 25% of the clubhead. This shifts the center of gravity forward of the shaft axis, creating an active gravitational force that pulls the face back toward square throughout the stroke arc. The intended benefit is face angle control during the stroke — specifically, reducing the involuntary face rotation that occurs between setup and impact. The RS1 doesn't assist your setup alignment; it corrects the mechanical errors that occur after you've started moving. The RS1 addresses the problem of face rotation happening during the stroke. Why This Distinction Matters More Than Anything Else in This Comparison Here is the honest framework for choosing between these two putters: If your missed putts come from setting up misaligned — aiming left or right of your intended line before you even start the stroke — the S7K's setup alignment assistance addresses your specific problem and the RS1 does not. If your missed putts come from face rotation during the stroke — the face arriving open or closed at impact despite a reasonable setup — the RS1 addresses your specific problem and the S7K does not. Most golfers, if honest with themselves, miss putts for the second reason more than the first. Setup alignment is visible and correctable through practice, instruction, and the use of alignment aids during practice sessions. Face rotation during the stroke is often invisible — it happens faster than conscious perception, feels square even when it isn't, and is extremely difficult to correct through willpower or technique alone without mechanical assistance. This is why the RS1 addresses a more pervasive putting problem for a larger segment of recreational golfers. But it's not a universal truth — if you genuinely know your miss comes from setup rather than mid-stroke rotation, the S7K deserves serious consideration. Feel and Build Quality: An Honest Assessment This is where the comparison becomes considerably less balanced, and we want to be direct about it. S7K Feel and Acoustics The S7K's engineering requirement — an extremely heavy head balanced against an extremely light shaft and grip — creates specific material constraints that have a significant impact on feel. The head construction necessary to achieve the stand-up balance point produces an impact sound that verified purchasers and independent reviewers consistently describe as hollow, harsh, and high-pitched. Comparisons to hitting a ball with an aluminum softball bat appear repeatedly across forum discussions and review platforms. This isn't a minor aesthetic complaint. Feel and acoustic feedback are functional components of putting, particularly for experienced golfers who use sound as distance calibration input. A putter that produces feedback described as hollow and harsh is actively working against the tactile information experienced golfers rely on. The light shaft and grip combination also produces a swing weight profile that feels unfamiliar and sometimes described as "floaty" or disconnected — a consequence of the extreme head-to-shaft weight ratio required for the stand-up feature. RS1 Feel and Acoustics The RS1 Standard produces a bright, high-pitched sound at impact due to its steel face and steel shaft combination — firmer than many recreational golfers are accustomed to from insert putters, but a sound profile that reviewers generally describe as crisp and informative rather than harsh or hollow. The RS1 Plus, with its graphite shaft, shifts this profile considerably toward a deeper, more controlled "tock" that independent reviewers from Plugged In Golf and Breaking Eighty have described as genuinely premium. The multi-material construction — steel face, carbon composite crown, aluminum T-wing tail — produces a solid, substantial feel that reads as quality engineering rather than budget compromise. The feel comparison is not close. The RS1 in either Plus or Standard configuration is a significantly more refined tactile experience than the S7K across every dimension reviewers have addressed. Setup Assistance vs Stroke Correction: The On-Course Reality The S7K's alignment benefit is real during practice and during the deliberate pre-shot setup routine on the green. But it raises a practical question worth considering: how much of your putting time is actually spent in that static pre-shot alignment phase? On a typical putting green, the setup alignment moment lasts three to five seconds out of a total stroke duration of perhaps ten to fifteen seconds. The mechanical events that determine where the ball actually goes — face angle through impact, stroke path, contact quality — occur in the one to two seconds of the actual stroke movement. The S7K helps you start in a better position. What happens after you start moving is entirely up to your stroke mechanics, without any mechanical assistance from the club. The RS1 doesn't assist your pre-shot alignment. But it actively corrects mechanical errors throughout the stroke arc — the one to two second window where the ball's fate is actually determined. For golfers who consistently set up well but lose accuracy during the stroke, the RS1's in-stroke correction is directly relevant to the problem. For golfers who know their setup is the issue, the S7K's pre-shot assistance matters more. The honest reality is that most recreational golfers have some degree of both problems — but mid-stroke face rotation is typically the larger contributor to missed putts at handicap levels above 10. Price Comparison Performance Golf RS1S7K Stand AlonePrice$399 (Standard) / $429 (Plus)Approximately $149–$179Return Policy365 daysVaries — typically 30 daysBuild QualityMulti-material premium constructionBudget-tier materialsFeel ProfileCrisp to refined depending on configurationHollow/harsh per verified reviewers The S7K is meaningfully less expensive, and that's a legitimate consideration. If budget is a genuine constraint, the price difference is real. But the return policy difference matters significantly here. The RS1's 365-day guarantee converts a $399 purchase into a year-long risk-free trial. The S7K's typical 30-day return window gives you one month to evaluate a technology that can take several sessions to properly calibrate to. The risk-adjusted cost of the RS1 is considerably lower than the sticker price difference suggests. Who Should Buy the S7K The S7K makes the most sense for a specific, relatively narrow buyer profile: Golfers whose primary putting problem is verifiably setup-related. If a teaching professional or stroke analysis session has confirmed that your face angle at address — not mid-stroke — is the primary source of your missed putts, the S7K's visual alignment assistance directly addresses your specific issue. Very budget-conscious buyers who want any form of alignment assistance. At roughly $150, the S7K is a much lower financial commitment. If you're not ready to spend $399 on a putter, the S7K offers a different kind of alignment help at a fraction of the cost. Golfers who do a lot of solo practice on the green. The stand-up feature has genuine utility during practice sessions for checking alignment and eye position without a physical training aid. As a practice tool, its value proposition is cleaner than as a primary on-course putter. Who Should Buy the RS1 The RS1 makes more sense for a considerably broader buyer profile: Golfers who miss putts consistently to the same side. A repeatable directional miss almost always indicates face rotation during the stroke rather than a setup alignment problem. The RS1's gravitational correction directly addresses this pattern. For a deeper look at this technology, see our Forward Axis Weighting explainer. Golfers who feel like they're set up well but still miss. If your practice stroke looks square and your setup feels aligned but putts still miss, mid-stroke face rotation is the most likely culprit — and the RS1 is engineered specifically for this scenario. Golfers who want a putter they can use seriously in competition. The RS1 is a USGA-conforming putter designed for legitimate on-course use. Its feel profile, particularly in Plus configuration, is competitive with premium putters from established manufacturers in the same price range. Senior golfers managing grip strength or wrist stability changes. As we cover in detail in our RS1 for Senior Golfers guide, the demographic whose physical changes most closely match the conditions under which Forward Axis Weighting delivers its strongest benefit is senior recreational golfers. Golfers who value feel quality as part of their putting experience. The RS1 Plus and Founder's Edition offer a tactile experience that independent reviewers have described as genuinely premium. The S7K does not. Can You Use Both? An interesting question that comes up occasionally: could you use the S7K during practice sessions for alignment work and the RS1 on the course? In principle, yes — there's no rule against using different putters in different contexts. Some golfers use practice-specific training aids and then switch to their game putter for actual rounds. If the S7K's alignment assistance is valuable to you as a practice tool for identifying setup tendencies, and the RS1 is your on-course playing putter, the two aren't mutually exclusive. That said, for most recreational golfers this approach introduces more variables than it resolves. Adapting to the RS1's distance calibration — as we cover in our adjustment guide — is best done by using the RS1 consistently rather than alternating between two putters with very different weight and balance profiles. Our Verdict For the majority of recreational golfers comparing these two putters, the RS1 is the stronger, more broadly applicable solution — because it addresses mid-stroke face rotation, which is a more pervasive and more scoring-impactful putting problem than setup alignment for most players. It does so with meaningfully superior build quality, a better feel profile, and a return policy that dramatically reduces purchase risk. The S7K is the more appropriate choice for a narrower, more specific buyer profile — primarily budget-conscious golfers with a verifiable setup alignment problem and limited interest in a premium feel experience. If you're genuinely unsure which problem your putting actually has, the RS1's 365-day return policy makes it the lower-risk way to find out. See our subscription and returns guide for full details on how to purchase the RS1 cleanly without subscription enrollment risk. Frequently Asked Questions Is the S7K putter legal for tournament play? The S7K is USGA conforming and legal for competitive play. The standing feature does not violate any current equipment rules. Does the RS1 help with alignment at address like the S7K does? Not directly — the RS1's 74-degree upright lie angle naturally promotes a more consistent eye-over-ball position at address, which has indirect alignment benefits, but it doesn't provide the visual plumb-line reference of the S7K's stand-up feature. Is the S7K's hollow sound as bad as reviewers say? Acoustic feedback is subjective, but the hollow, harsh impact sound is among the most consistently reported negatives in S7K reviews across multiple independent platforms. Golfers who are sensitive to impact sound and feel should weigh this seriously before purchasing. Which putter is better for a 20 handicap golfer? For most 20-handicap golfers, the RS1 addresses the more impactful putting problem — mid-stroke face rotation — and will produce more measurable scoring improvement than setup alignment assistance alone. That said, individual variation exists, and the RS1's 365-day return policy allows for personal evaluation. Can I try the RS1 before committing? The 365-day return policy effectively functions as a one-year trial period. See our complete RS1 buying guide for the full details on purchasing and the return process.

Both the Performance Golf RS1 and the S7K Stand Alone putter are marketed to the same broad audience — recreational golfers who are losing strokes on the green and want technology to help. Both are sold primarily through direct-to-consumer channels with aggressive video advertising. Both claim to solve alignment and consistency problems that conventional putters

RS1 vs S7K Putter: Which Alignment Technology Actually Helps More? Read More »

I Strengthened My Grip and Now I Hook It: Fixing the Over-Correction

/ Golf Tips
Featured image for a golf instruction article about why a stronger grip can create hooks, showing a golfer hitting an iron shot with a red hook ball-flight path, plus callouts for checking your knuckles, improving clubface control, using proven drills, and stopping hooks to hit straighter shots.

Strengthening your grip closes the clubface at impact — but too much rotation turns a fix into a hook factory. The difference between a productive strong grip and an overcorrected one comes down to knuckle count and forearm rotation through the ball. Your swing path, ball position, and forearm roll all need to sync with

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