If you have had any problems hitting the ball off the toe of your golf club, you might be what I call a "Huggy Bear." I've referenced this nickname before, but many of you may not know exactly what I mean.
In today's question, Jason Smith says he has been studying and applying the Peak Performance Golf Swing to his game but is having problems with toe hits. He's looking for an explanation as well as a remedy to fix this issue.
I have recently been studying and applying the PPGS. One problem I am seeing is toe hits. I am striking the ball more towards the toe of the face than the center. Any suggestions?
Jason Smith
There are many different reasons that could be the cause of Jason's toe hits. Usually when you hit the ball off the toe, the club is approaching the ball with an outside to in direction instead of swinging down the line. But, what causes the outside to in swing?
The first thing I would check is your alignment. You could be aimed out to the right, which will make you pull across the ball to get back to the aiming line. Make sure that you're aligned parallel left of your aiming line.
Another cause could be reaching too far with your club. This can lead to a loss in balance, which will also contribute to pulling across the ball. Just as you could be reaching too far, you could also be standing too close to the ball so be sure to check your setup.
Now, all those reasons I've mentioned could be the cause of toe hits. But, probably the most common issue is being a huggy bear. Being a huggy bear means that your arms are too close to your body when you swing. You want to clear your chest when swinging the golf club instead of crushing it. You need to have a nice lift on both sides and approach the ball on the aiming line, strike it on the line, and leave on the line accelerating. That's why you can't be a huggy bear. Your arms have to be free, so air out those armpits in the backswing and forward swing!
Hug your wife or husband and your kids, but never hug yourself when you're playing golf, otherwise toe hits are just the beginning of your problems.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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Comments
Toe hits
What a great visualization, " air out your armpits." Our course has a short, uphill par 3, with a tee box that gives you a fairly steep downhill lie, with the forward foot way below the rear foot when setting up. The common miss for me on this hole, if I don't hit it fat, is a toe shot with a short iron. When I do this, the divot is good evidence of a toe shot, because it is inside the tee. Being a huggy bear, may also be causing toe shots with short and mid irons from the fairway. I can't wait to try this correction on the course.
Huggy Bear
I fight the huggy bear thing in my follow through on occasion. Actually happened to me yesterday on a few drives. I am sure in my case it is because of going after it a little too much and going past 3/4's in the back swing and then swinging too hard with too much tension resulting and finishing with the arms going left. The solution is doing the opposite. Keeping it 3/4's and then saying to my self, "long arms" and swing up/ not around. The other thought is to slow down. If my tempo is too quick bad things happen.
Huggy bear in the backswing
My problem,apparently, was not " airing the armpit in the backswing." I tried Surges' swing thought today on the golf course and was able to hit a lot of laser straight and solid short irons and mid irons. It also worked well with the longer clubs. It's a nice feeling to consistently hit the sweet spot, instead of hitting a bit fat and off the toe of the scoring clubs. The whole feel of the swing was different, in that it felt more like the image that Surge describes, of swinging on the plane of a ferris wheel, in front of the body. Thanks once again, Surge, for another word picture that works.
Dave Everitt
Distance from the Ball at adress .
Dear Mr TRAHAN' ,
The great teacher JOE DANTE gave guidelines to establish your distance from the ball ,according to your height :
For the driver
Height 5 Feet 6 Distance 33 Inches
5 Feet 8 31
5 Feet 10. 28
6 28
6 Feet 2. 28
For the 7 Iron
Height 5 Feet 6. Distance 20 Inches
5 Feet 8. 19 Inches
5 Feet 10. 18 Inches
6 Feet 18 Inches
6 Feet 18 Inches
6 Feet 2. 18 Inches
I fit in perfectly with this fabulation for the Irons ,bit I am way further with the Driver !
I am a seasoned golfer ,I play to handicap 7 ,78 Years of âge ,5 Feet 9 ,160 pounds .
I hit the driver beautifully off the TEE ,speed of clubhead 95 MPH ,measured by the Radar ,
I am crouching too much with the driver ,and would I do Better in being closer to the ball at address ?
Your opinion would help me greatly !