All rights reserved. Do not think you need to explode the left hip to get your right side through the ball. (This becomes left of the ball for left-handers.) Try to do this without using your hands or arms. From impact into the follow-through, you should feel that your arm is fully extending toward the target as noted in the example above. It is rare that a complete swing overhaul would be needed to correct such a basic problem. If you are struggling with making solid contact in the short game, the most likely cause is head movement. A quick fix for those that start with their hands is to set up to the ball and start the backswing with the left side of the body. If you strike the ball well, but it is out on the toe, you are likely coming across later in your downswing. Use the tips below to make the changes necessary to work through this swing fault. Required fields are marked *. Shoot Lower Scores (opens in new tab) is an online course from Golf Monthly designed to help you find power in your swing and hole more putts as well as how to avoid falling foul of the more challenging rules of golf. Simply apply impact tape to the face of one or more of your clubs and hit a few balls on the range. -- Junior Golf Leader, Tri State section PGA You may also want to practice softening your left elbow and allowing your right elbow to lead through impact. If you can do a good job of boiling the game down to its most basic elements, you will be on the right track for better and better results. As your body lifts up, it moves the club slightly away from the ball, causing impact to occur off the toe instead of right on the sweet spot. While your swing is likely from the inside there is still plenty of work to do to get the ball closer to the middle of the club face. Pick out a target that is roughly 40-50 yards from where you are standing. If you are ready to learn how to stop hitting golf shots off the toe, lets get started. GOLF DIGEST MAY EARN A PORTION OF SALES FROM PRODUCTS THAT ARE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR SITE AS PART OF OUR AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH RETAILERS. Airy, NC While doing this, both arms should be straight and pointing out towards the target with a feeling of space in-between the front arm and the chest. The ball begins right of the goal and turns left. However, that would be getting ahead of yourself. It doesnt take much movement from your body to throw off an otherwise good swing, so carefully review your video for even minor movements up and away from the ball. This typically shuts the face at the top, and forces golfers to reverse rotate their arms into the ball. If youd like me to analyze your swing, go to my Facebook page or contact me ([emailprotected]) about my online swing analysis program. Copyright 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc. What causes a golf ball to hit off the toe of the club? Now, it would be natural to jump into an attempt to fix the problem. where can i find a range with a sidehill lie?? A shot struck here will produce a lack of distance and accuracy as the club head twists through impact. The left side is used to brace on the downswing. Causes and Cures: Golf Shots Off the Club's Heel - Golf Info Guide When you are struggling hitting golf ball on toe of the club, that is a sure sign there is a mechanic issue somewhere hiding within your swing. You cant make either one of those mistakes and hit a good punch shot, so it is the perfect drill to solve your golf swing toe hits problem. Why is it called a "double cross" in golf? THE MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED, TRANSMITTED, CACHED OR OTHERWISE USED, EXCEPT WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF DISCOVERY GOLF, INC. 2023 DISCOVERY GOLF, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. It is okay (for now) if you arent hitting great shots. If this sounds familiar and youre specifically plagued by toe hits, we have the perfect drill to help you start hitting flush shots more often. Remove that ball from your sight and enjoy some great ball striking! Ive been known to cast and am working on changing my swing. CHUCK COOK is ranked fifth on Golf Digest's list of America's 50 Greatest Teachers. A second cause of toe hits is the body raising up before impact; in other words, failing to maintain your spine angle. Thats the good news. Instead, you should next think about what it is that is likely to be causing this problem in the first place. Turn your shoulders to the right as you would when making a backswing; rotate back to the left in the same manner, all while remaining in an upright position. The amateurs that are double digit handicappers that hit that 215 yard lazy fade that turns into a slide likely start coming over the top as soon as they start the backswing. If you are, you can then apply the instruction offered later in the article to hopefully get your game back on track. Many golfers like to look for complicated solutions to their swing problems, but more often than not the issue is something basic that can be corrected with minimal time and effort. To start, set your club aside and take a few arm swings while focusing on stretching your trail arm out as far away from your body in the downswing as possible. If you are able to get into a good address position, make a controlled turn, and maintain good posture throughout the swing, you should be fine. To fix you need to feel as though you have more weight in the arches of your feet at address. Try to feel as athletic as possible at address to avoid this mistake. When working on your driving stick a tee in the ground about an inch right of the ball as below. All of the content below is written from the perspective of a right handed golfer. Below are three common causes for hitting shots off the heel of the clubface and an easy way to fix this. And when youconsider the fact that the heel and toe are less than than 1inch from the center of the club face, it gives you an idea of how hard our game can be. This will reveal your impact pattern and give you feedback as you work towards becoming more adept at finding the middle of the face. Sure, you would like to be able to hit the ball long distances, but that concern should be secondary to the goal of a clean strike. If one or more of the signs above is regularly popping up in your golf game, it is relatively safe to say that you are struggling with the problem of hitting the ball off the toe. He's been an agent for over 10 years and his favorite thing to do is negotiate contracts for professional athletes. Some of the best ball strikers in the world will explain that if feels like their forearms are touching and their body throws their arms to the right of the target and away from the body after impact. Required fields are marked *. So, how can you fix it and hit the sweet spot? Driver: Ping Sam Saunders whats in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Adjust the lie if your strike is good, but your digging the heel or toe. Your email address will not be published. After watching my online Instagram and YouTube content, he came for several golf lessons and has now joined a local golf club. He is also is a seven-time PGA award winner who has earned the following distinctions: As you look down at your grip from the address position, you should see between two and three of the knuckles on the back of your left hand. Thanks. If you are currently frustrated by your inability to hit the ball off the sweet spot of the club, dont worry. The even better news? Once you figure out exactly why you are making a specific mistake (hitting the ball off the toe, in this case), you may find that making the fix is actually a quick and easy process. You should feel as if your navel is turning towards the target and to the left of the target after impact. Clark: How to stop hitting the toe - GolfWRX Countless players move their heads early in order to look up and see if the ball is on track, but that movement is to blame for significant issues when chipping, pitching, and putting. Rectifying toe shots is a simple as straightening your trail arm in the forward swing. Again, that raises the handle and stands the club up. Try putting a tee inside the ball youre hitting and hit IT. Tighten up your backswing. Standing too close to the ball: From this position you'll extend the arms on the downswing past their address position, pushing the club outward and initiating heel contact. Most average golfers struggle finding the center of the clubface consistently, and are often accustomed to hitting the ball everywhere buton the center of the face. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Golf is a game that is about control and precision first and foremost. Fortunately, there are a number of signs you can look for to determine if you are hitting the ball off the toe. Using this same idea, I'll sometimes have a student visualize two balls and try to hit the outside ball. Some swing coaches like to say that all golfers come over the top at one point or another. What Causes a Slice? To hit the outside tee, you must extend your arms. Moving through your bag with partial swings will take some patience, but you should be rewarded in the end with some of the best contact you have ever made. To avoid this shot, use this exercise to straighten the front arm (left arm for right handed golfers and right arm for left handed golfers) through and after the impact area. Reaching for more power. Again if clubs are too upright, the heel is going to grab the turf before contact is made. For example, if the left foot is turned in while hitting with the right side of the club, then the ball will be hit with the outside edge of the clubface. Leaving it up to hand-eye coordination at impact to get the club centered on the ball is not a strategy that is going to pay off because there simply isnt enough time to manipulate the club effectively as it rips through the hitting zone. Of course, you should be focused on maintaining your balance nicely, and do your best to swing with a smooth rhythm. It will cause many more problems. The golf club face has three distinct areas that the ball can be contacted with the middle, the 'heel' and the 'toe'. 9 Common Causes and How to Fix Your Slice 1. It is common for amateur golfers to make this mistake, as it is a mistake that can arise for a number of reasons. Of course, if you are still unsure, you can take the guesswork out of the equation by using some impact tape to check on the point of contact for yourself. The point I am making is that we instinctively swing the shaft at the ball. When the upper body moves upward, the club is pulled away from the ball, delivering the toe rather than the sweet spot at impact. Most significant influences on your teaching: Mike Bender's book, 'Build The Swing Of A Lifetime', which I read during my PGA qualifications. The difference is that a slice is generally caused by delivering an open club face at impact. Not only can this drill quickly solve the problem of poor contact, it will also help you get more comfortable hitting punch shots which can definitely come in handy in a variety of situations on the course. This is when the right side needs to keep traveling and the right lat needs to drive under and around. By this point, you should already have a great idea of what needs to be done, thanks to the information that has been included above. This helps you maintain the radius of the swing so you bring the club to a fully extended impact position for center-face contact. If you are like most golfers, it's probably been a while. Hitting the ball off the toe of the club is one of the most common ball-striking problems. The middle is the centre of the club face and is where a golfer is aiming to strike the golf ball. A personwith a more rounded swing should stand farther from the ball than a person with a more upright, or verticaluprightswing. With golf shots, the center of the club face is where all the good stuff happens, but it is elusive to say the least. What's the good news?