Heel boy, Heel!

[leftsider]

When driving the ball, I am consistently hitting off the heel of the clubhead. I think I need some lessons. Any suggests?

[bonzi_532]

Re: Heel boy, Heel!

Move the ball away from you.

[ubizmo]

Re: Heel boy, Heel!

I tend to err in the opposite direction, hitting off the toe. The solution, to setup a little closer to the ball, works fine. BUT...this is one of those things that I find is easier to deal with at the driving range, where I can experiment til I find the right distance in the setup and then groove it. When I go to the course and play, as I did this morning, it's hard to recapture.

Does anyone have a "system" for setting up the right distance from the ball? I realize it's different for the one- and two- plane swings, but it would be nice if I could set up my shot with some confidence about this. At the moment, I have none. I'm doing a 2-plane swing (I think), so I know things are a bit more vertical. I've had lessons but they were no help with this.

[FLFINS-N-SKINS]

Re: Heel boy, Heel!

Does anyone have a "system" for setting up the right distance from the ball?

Take a look at this product http://www.dwquailgolf.com/training/playersimage.html

I was able to replicate this product with a peice of mirror. I used a tape measure and rescaled the measurements from the pic to my mirror for a good replica. As soon as I stepped up to the mirror I noticed my shoulders and hips were left of the target and that my posture was bad. I just did it today, so I will be testing it at the range tomorrow. I will post back to this thread and let you know if the measurements help my swing.

[ubizmo]

Re: Heel boy, Heel!

Let us know how you do at the range.

Concerning distance from the ball, I picked up _The Everything Golf Instruction Book_ by Rob Blumer (writer) and Dr. Rex Chaney (Head Golf Coach, Morehead State University). They suggest the following.

1. Place the club head on the ground, sqare to target line, club sole lying flat. This will leave the end of the club handle pointing somewhere to the golfer's groin, depending on his/her height. This should be the same for all clubs, since the lie angle and shaft length vary proportionally.

2. Take your stance at a distance so that your arms hang straight down (not rigid, but with a slight relaxed bend) and grip the handle.

3. Shift the hands forward a little bit, so that the back of the left hand is in line with the crease (real or imaginary!) of the left trouser leg.

And that's it. This will leave a gap of a few inches between the left hand and the thighs, but the angle of the arms will be very nearly vertical.

I haven't tried this yet, so I can't report. I can say that the way I've been setting up my shots has my hands several inches further away from my body than this, so I've been "reaching" a bit more.

[FLFINS-N-SKINS]

Re: Heel boy, Heel!

Regarding the range......

I noticed that my hips and shoulders were left of the target line. I thought this was why im hitting everything left. The mirror didnt help me straighten out. It must be something else. I also stepped on the mirror and broke it I still think a mirror on the ground is a good idea. It lets you see what you are doing.

[Mox]

Re: Heel boy, Heel!

1. Place the club head on the ground, sqare to target line, club sole lying flat. This will leave the end of the club handle pointing somewhere to the golfer's groin, depending on his/her height. This should be the same for all clubs, since the lie angle and shaft length vary proportionally.

2. Take your stance at a distance so that your arms hang straight down (not rigid, but with a slight relaxed bend) and grip the handle.

3. Shift the hands forward a little bit, so that the back of the left hand is in line with the crease (real or imaginary!) of the left trouser leg.

And that's it. This will leave a gap of a few inches between the left hand and the thighs, but the angle of the arms will be very nearly vertical.

I haven't tried this yet, so I can't report. I can say that the way I've been setting up my shots has my hands several inches further away from my body than this, so I've been "reaching" a bit more.

That is pretty much exactly how I do it, except i do it with my feet together for points 1 & 2, and then add a point 2b to widen the stance around the ball position.
This helps me stay down with the ball, because of the few millimeters you 'sink' when widening your stance compared to having your feet together.

But the 'loose' feeling of the relaxed, free-flowing arms, and the tiny angling of the shaft does the job well.

From setup, I try to pull the clubhead back in a straight line for the first 4-5 inches, make sure I got solid extension of the arms, and that the wrists are straight and doesn't start cocking until waist-high.

And the last thing I do, is try to remember not to 'rip it'. Let the back- and downswing have a nice solid tempo with no violent acceleration. Good contact and smooth rhythm will give you more distance than bad contact and ultra-high clubhead-speed anyway.