Hitting Most Shots Off the Heel

[Th3R00st3r]

Day 2 of the drill. Happy to report I am hitting the sweet spot and the mis hits are a little thin, but still centered. No more heel/hosel shanks. Here's what I figured out and what works for me.

I was standing too close to the ball essentially hitting it off the hosel/heel.

The first thing I do with the setup routine is to align the club face to the target, but not with it directly behind the ball but with the ball just off the toe when I do this alignment, then I set my feet. Now when I put the club head behind the ball, the club head is essentially is extended 1.5-2" further out than if I would have aligned the club head to the target with the club head directly behind the ball. I know it's a mental thing, but this setup allows me to hit the sweet spot instead of at the heel/hosel. I put masking tape on the club face and get immediate feedback on where it make contact with the ball.

So to sum up, I align the club face to the target with the ball off the toe, take my stance, then put the club face behind the ball putting me about 1.5-2" further from the ball allowing me to hit the sweet spot instead of standing too close and hitting the heel/hosel. Eventually I will get the feel of how far to stand where I can just put the club face behind the ball when aligning the shot.

Don't know if this is sound advice, but it works for me.

[carpediem4300]

Ddaammmnnnn ive been playing awesome golf this season, got my handicap to its lowest ever than boom, shank shank shank I had one shank on my last round, which was the first for some time,.....now its every other damn shot Things i tried that worked to some extent was a much looser grip, and making sure my right forearm wasnt higher than my left at address But oyher than that im strugglin like hell

[Rizzla]

Just tried fully extending my left arm at address, instant cure , many thanks for the tip

[retexan599]

Originally Posted by Rizzla

Just tried fully extending my left arm at address, instant cure , many thanks for the tip

I tried this tip at the range last night, along with standing about 1-2" further from the ball and was able to strike at the sweet spot consistently for a change.  Looks like a winner and will see if it migrates to the course.  My 'theory' of this is that by extending the arms at address, they can't go much further out during the swing, having been already extended...make sense?

[retexan599]

Originally Posted by retexan599

I tried this tip at the range last night, along with standing about 1-2" further from the ball and was able to strike at the sweet spot consistently for a change.  Looks like a winner and will see if it migrates to the course.  My 'theory' of this is that by extending the arms at address, they can't go much further out during the swing, having been already extended...make sense?

Brief update: have played two 9 hole rounds with this 'extended arm' swing and it is working well for me on the course.  I am hitting the sweet spot of the driver more consistently and getting more distance as well.  I have also been applying the same swing dynamic to my fairway woods (3,5,7,9,11) with also good results.  Not sure whether it will work with my irons, but plan to give them a try.  I have to avoid the urge to swing faster with this setup because that results in mis-hits.  Thanks for the tips above.

[sixonezero]

Hey guys I'm new here and thought I'd weigh in on something that has helped so far. I recently started the dreaded heel hit habit as well (which is how I found this thread).  For me it seems like it happens when my arms and upper body get too involved too quickly, which causes me to start casting the club and reaching outward.  As a result, standing further from the ball really didn't help me much because the root problem was still there, only now I had to reach FURTHER causing more miss hits, off balance swings, etc.

Yesterday I think I found the cure....I started splaying my front foot out toward the target just a little bit.  This helps me to use my legs/hips to trigger the downswing, helps me get my hips to turn through faster, and helps facilitate having my lower body drive the swing.  The lower body drives the bus, and when the hips lead, the arms naturally come through closer to the body.  Consequently  I stop casting the club outward and hit more on the center of the club face.  I also feel more in control and able to put more power into the ball.

Maybe try that if standing further from the ball hasn't worked - splay your front foot out just a touch toward the target, and if you already do this, splay a touch more.

[2406 Sahalee]

I experience this time to time. What has solved the problem for me (RH golfer) is to lift your back heel off the ground about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch before and during your swing. It will allow you to put your weight behind the ball with less effort. Its physics. Problem is I have ADHD and cant remember to do it half the time. LOL Try it on the range first. Keep in mind that you will have to choke down on the club the same distance because of physics and you will strike the big ball first. Trust me, once you hit that shot and see the ball penetrate through the air, it will change the way you play. I am not an expert by any means but I have made this recommendation to others and it has increased their distance by about 20 yards on the irons, from 3-PW, conservatively Speaking. Hitting down on the ball is similar to boxers using "Gravity Weight" to put power behind their punches. When they throw a jab or hook, their COG drops as they pivot off their right foot. Same principles apply to golf. You may not get the concept on the first try, but once you hit the shot clean, it will change how you hit the golf ball forever. If you are having a difficult time with the concept, I can send you a tool I designed that will help you keep your back heel off the ground.

[nick1998bunker]

That is usually what happens to me. Scariest thing in the world! Especially with the wedges! For me its usually because my weight gets too much on my toes. I try and start the swing like Matt Kuchar by lifting the club up and leaning back before I take the club away.

[Beachcomber]

This happens to me a lot as well...

The problem I have found is when I try and work on making a full turn in my backswing... Something that really looks like this:

When I make that left shoulder go low, and vertically under my chin - which causes my entire right side to extend... My head tends to leans into the ball on the back swing.  So on the down swing... I have to stand up - or early extend - or I hit the ball on the heel - and sometimes shank it.

It is a pain in the ass to fix... But the best thing to do is put your head on the wall, and practice your back swing.

[SHORTGAME2013]

WAY TO GET HELP AND FIX THAT SWING!! THE USE OF VIDEO IS A GREAT IDEA, ALONG WITH AN EXPERIENCED GUIDE!

[SHORTGAME2013]

Jack Nicklaus' father would hold his hair to keep the head still! Good for you on working hard to get it right!!

[saevel25]

This happens to me a lot as well...

The problem I have found is when I try and work on making a full turn in my backswing... Something that really looks like this:

When I make that left shoulder go low, and vertically under my chin - which causes my entire right side to extend... My head tends to leans into the ball on the back swing.  So on the down swing... I have to stand up - or early extend - or I hit the ball on the heel - and sometimes shank it.

It is a pain in the ass to fix... But the best thing to do is put your head on the wall, and practice your back swing.

The thing for me is, i do the same, drop the left shoulder now. But its like i automatically extend upwards in the follow through. I don't really have a problem with staying down to long.

[nick1998bunker]

I don't think it's really do do with staying down on it. For me and most its always been we lean forward into our toes because its more natural

[jmsnrth8]

One thing about always hitting on the heel is.... At least we are Consistent. Five shots ,all by the heel.. The mark by the toe is from me dragging balls to hit

[hacker100]

Here's another one. I found that at some point during the past year I started to sway ever so slightly on my back swing. The downswing from this position resulted in impact between the center and the heel of the face. Sometimes right off the heel or shank. The backswing swayed with driver because I was trying to wind up too far to swing too hard. With wedges, it was because of the narrow stance allowed a backward sway. As soon as I concentrated on maintaining the rear to front angle of my rear leg to the ground, which of course varies with the width of stance, voila! Sweet spot 95% of the time.

[randomzero]

I was looking for posts about hitting off the heel and found this thread and a few others. I just started hitting my new clubs yesterday and could easily see the ball marks on them. I hit every club on the heel. My irons weren't too bad, but still too much towards the heel. Woods and driver were pretty terrible.

So, I saw a post/s that said to try standing further away, which I had tried. What I hadn't tried was what another post/s said, which was to try standing closer. I hit 10 drives trying this, and 6-7 of them were in the center, 2 off the heel, and the other 2-3 were just off center a bit towards the toe. The off-center hits were mainly due to losing my balance. I hit pretty consistent little push-draws and straight-draws, otherwise. They were within 20 yards or less of each other, as well. It's too wet to really do anything with my irons or woods, but it definitely helped my driver.

[hacker100]

When you swing at the ball instead of the down-range target it will often result in impact towards heel. Try it in slow motion. Swing at the ball as if it was the target=heel. Swing through the ball at the range target= center hit. Shift focus to target, not the ball. Tough to do if you have been trying to hit the ball but practice, practice, practice. The trick here is between the ears.

[Stug]

Never knew where my bad shots really came from until today.

Used a foot spray down the range and every club showed impact heel side of centre with the occasional shank.

Took a photo of my driver and despite setting up with my WHOLE club face inside the ball.

Genuinely if most people had swung the club they would have completely missed the ball.

I use a "pink castle" tee.

Scary swinging when you know you should missed the ball completely yet still hit it near the heel!