hitting the driver out the toe

[patricks148]

Ive noticed the last few months ive hit most of my drives out the toe.

suffer from blocks and a hooks in the last year.

any idea what this could be or tips for stopping it.

Ive been to my pro a few times and every time i go I hit the ball really well and no matter what, just hit good drives when he is watching.

 

[bobmac]

Very hard to tell why without seeing the swing. Start with the simple.......are you addressing the ball out of the toe?
You may not think so but get someone to check

 

[patricks148]

Very hard to tell why without seeing the swing. Start with the simple.......are you addressing the ball out of the toe?
You may not think so but get someone to check

could be. will have a look tomorrow.

could there be any other reason?

 

[ruff-driver]

Early extension ?

 

[patricks148]

Early extension ?

whats that?

 

[ruff-driver]

whats that?

[video=youtube;jGrrLTGvbbA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGrrLTGvbbA[/video]

 

[upsidedown]

Very hard to tell why without seeing the swing. Start with the simple.......are you addressing the ball out of the toe?
You may not think so but get someone to check

Could well be this as it was pointed out to me at last lesson. Thought I was addressing the middle of the ball with the arrow on the top ( that's how it looked from my eyeline ) but I was actually very "Toey " I now address the ball with the arrow just on the front third of the ball :thup:

 

[Smiffy]

Start with the simple.......are you addressing the ball out of the toe?
You may not think so but get someone to check

I do this on every shot. Always have done. I must be compensating somewhere in my downswing because "most" of the strike marks are from the middle of the club, but it's very (very) noticeable that I do it.

 

[patricks148]

nope not lining it up with the toe. tried staying down. hit a couple of really good drives, but also some of the same toey drop kicks as well.

 

[the_coach]

nope not lining it up with the toe. tried staying down. hit a couple of really good drives, but also some of the same toey drop kicks as well.

what's the general shot flight pattern of reasonably centered strikes through the bag 6i upwards? is a draw shape the norm with sometimes centered strike pushes, no real left to right flight issues?

no real issues with toe strikes with hybrids/metals when ball on the ground?

been any recent work on the set-up, or swing motion - on path, or AoA (driver)?

ball position hasn't moved back any? or ball been placed higher on the tee box?
at set-up is the driver clubhead hovered with ball opposite face center, or clubhead grounded?

lead hand hold on the handle slipped counter-clockwise on the handle any?

at set-up with driver are the very upper part of the arms lightly in contact with the upper chest wall? so lead hand/butt of handle is approx a trail hand span + thumb from the lead thigh or are the upper arms not in contact with the chest wall at all?

has balance been an issue - difficulty holding a finish on lead leg without some recoil back onto trailside?

driver toe strikes has the weight been onto the balls of feet/or toes into the strike with a feeling of being blocked to the throughswing?

 

[patricks148]

what's the general shot flight pattern of reasonably centered strikes through the bag 6i upwards? is a draw shape the norm with sometimes centered strike pushes, no real left to right flight issues?

no a slinging hook was my shape with the driver, struggle to hit a fade, though i cam just about do it with a change to set up/hands/swing path. irons a slight draw on all shots

no real issues with toe strikes with hybrids/metals when ball on the ground?

slightly with the 3 wood, but the 2 hybrid can be a bit heely if anything

been any recent work on the set-up, or swing motion - on path, or AoA (driver)?

maybe a bit, hitting down on my irons more and hitting the irons really well at the moment

ball position hasn't moved back any? or ball been placed higher on the tee box?
at set-up is the driver clubhead hovered with ball opposite face center, or clubhead grounded?

No

lead hand hold on the handle slipped counter-clockwise on the handle any?

no

at set-up with driver are the very upper part of the arms lightly in contact with the upper chest wall? so lead hand/butt of handle is approx a trail hand span + thumb from the lead thigh or are the upper arms not in contact with the chest wall at all?

has balance been an issue - difficulty holding a finish on lead leg without some recoil back onto trailside?

always struggled a bit with balance, didn't take the sport up till over 40 and have flexibility issues due to injury's from other sports

driver toe strikes has the weight been onto the balls of feet/or toes into the strike with a feeling of being blocked to the throughswing?[/QUOTE]

hard to say, trying to take the weight onto my toes and feel the balls of my feet

 

[the_coach]

my take on a possible way forwards given we can't see what's goin down (assuming, - grip, ball position, posture - & weight pressure - so through the mid point of the feet so feels like through the arches, plus shoulder (hip) alignment square not 'closed', - all that stuff is sound)

really a bunch of ways the issues could be happening but some stuff maybes worth considering and checking off

could be that the club is being sucked back inside some during 1st part of the takeback (if so the butt end of the club when shaft 1st parallel to the ground would be pointing back more to the ball, pointing across the ball target/line)
putting an alignment stick down mid-point between toe line & ball/target line, & parallel to, shaft at 1st horizontal would echo the stick on the ground so butt end handle pointing forwards more to target direction not pointing across/over the stick

if it's being sucked inside any then with a better player with a draw shape pattern the club often times gets to the top across the line some but the club comes down in the direction the handle(butt end) is pointing - so down behind some with the attack to the ball from inside, under the plane - often times can lead to bit extra hand action (fore-arm cross over) 'feel' to be able to square the face up - so face is rotating, closing pretty fast into impact - if you check what's happening to a driver face doing this slowly you can see how much that promotes the 'toe end' of the club as the most forwards part to contact the ball a the face is rotating/closing - only takes the timing to be out a tad for hooks, blocks/pushes, toe slaps

so a feeling of taking the club, 1st off, back parallel to stick on ground with a feeling of it still parallel to that 'line' at the top of the backswing so butt end handle pointing directly to a dtl viewpoint (to all this recording a dtl viewpoint of the swing for yourself to check this out would identify, if, this is an issue) then from a more parallel (neutral) top position the arms club unit come down feeling infront of the chest so again halfways down the same feeling of shaft parallel to the stick

maybes worth doing the above to full swings 1st at 50% (then 60,70 to max at 80) having sprayed (foot spray) the face to see strike location any fail at higher % go back to lower % that gave center strikes)

also to check at what % of effort does the balance get compromised - & is it compromised in a ways that pushes weight forwards on to the toes with a straightening up at the hips (again something that can promote toe strikes)

if balance & weight pressure moving out of balance 'forwards' to balls of feet/toes into impact - with another alignment stick, stand on it through the middle of the feet (arches) feeling the 'butt' stays back to keep weight pressure more centered over the middle keeping the flexion in the hip angle