Driver face at address

[iGolf]

Hi guys, I’ve been trying to work on my driving recently and I was wondering how the driver should sit at address. Should the face be slightly closed?

I read Sergio Garcia’s article in the mag a couple of months ago where he says he positions the ball inside his left heel and keeps his hands hanging centred which result in the shaft leaning away from the target.

If the shaft is leaning away from target the face must be slight closed right? However when I set myself up like this the face seems to be severely closed and I was thinking that I might need to move my hands slightly to the left.

Any help on how I should be setting myself up and how the driver should look at address would be much appreciated.

Note - I’m simply trying to get the ball to fly straight not shape it in anyway.

 

[drawboy]

I would move the ball forward to just inside the right toe,this will lead to an upward attack on the ball helping to get it airborne easier,also helping to close the face through impact as the club will be closing at the strike. This should help with the dreaded slice as well. Try it, if it starts to go too much left bring the ball back a little at a time until you find your ideal set up position.

 

[iGolf]

Thanks for the tips. but should the club be closed at address or square?

 

[Ethan]

Depends what you do with it. I like the face to be open at address because I tend to close it during the downswing. Find whatever address position results in the most consistent drives and use that.

 

[iGolf]

Find whatever address position results in the most consistent drives and use that.

sounds good.

 

[CrapHacker]

I would move the ball forward to just inside the right toe, this will lead to an upward attack on the ball helping to get it airborne easier,also helping to close the face through impact as the club will be closing at the strike. This should help with the dreaded slice as well. Try it, if it starts to go too much left bring the ball back a little at a time until you find your ideal set up position.

I'd worry that this would lead to too much of a descending blow for most right handers, and might cause too much backspin.

The general concept is that the ball will leave the clubhead in teh way the clubhead is facing, so if you can get the clubhead back to exactly where it was facing at address, then a closed face will start the ball off to the left of target ( unless you have allowed for that with your setup and stance ).

However, if you don't get back to the same position, eg too little wrist action/ too much body movement might keep the clubhead miles behind your body, so the face will be open at impact causing a high short fade.

Which is a shot I can play irrespective of how I set up, and no matter how much I tell myself I don't want to.

If your swing is good, set up with the clubface square.

If your swing is bad, work on your swing.

 

[Parmo]

 

[JustOne]

Thanks for the tips. but should the club be closed at address or square?

There is no right or wrong.

It depends how you like to set up, what you do through the ball and what your intended shot is.

It's fairly normal to set up a certain way but by impact you're actually in a totally different position altoghether, eg: hands are much further forward at impact than they were at address.

 

[iGolf]

Thanks for the tips. but should the club be closed at address or square?

There is no right or wrong.

It depends how you like to set up, what you do through the ball and what your intended shot is.

It's fairly normal to set up a certain way but by impact you're actually in a totally different position altoghether, eg: hands are much further forward at
impact than they were at address.

this is what I was thinking must be happening, it's good to have it confirmed by those in the know though.

I was playing around with my setup yesterday and seem to have found something that works for me anyway.

 

[Lindyhop67]

I would move the ball forward to just inside the right toe, this will lead to an upward attack on the ball helping to get it airborne easier,also helping to close the face through impact as the club will be closing at the strike. This should help with the dreaded slice as well. Try it, if it starts to go too much left bring the ball back a little at a time until you find your ideal set up position.

I'd worry that this would lead to too much of a descending blow for most right handers, and might cause too much backspin.

I think he meant to say just inside the left toe.

I find a ball position inside my left heal a good opne. I had toyed with a ball position on my left toe but found I was dragging the ball left and also sometimes over-compensated for the ball's forward position and came down too steep causing a Tony Benn.

I always say that, with a decent swing, your club face should face the direction you want the ball to finish. So aiming straight with closed face, ball will go left; aim right with closed face, ball will land straight after drawing somewhat.