Jump to content
IGNORED

Soling your Driver


m11
Note: This thread is 5724 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

I've noticed some long hitters that sole their driver with the toe up. I however like to keep it lying flat.

To me..it seems like this puts the hands lower, allowing for a flatter swing plane.

I'm pretty satisfied with my driving however i'm just curious if anyone else soles their drivers with the toe up?

TMX Carry Bag
Tour Burner 9.5*
Burner 3W 15*
Burner Rescue Hybrid 19*
r7 TP 4i-SW Dynamic Gold S300s 60* CG-14 Circa 62 #2 & Studio Stainless Newport 2 Pro V1x

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I guess I'm a little confused. Wouldn't lying the driver flat require you to raise your hands rather than lower them? I'm picturing soling the driver with the toe up, for me to do that I'd have to lower my hands. I guess I'm seeing things the opposite as how you have described them. Then again, I'm probably missing something.

Anyway, I think my toe is maybe a little off the ground, but pretty close to flat.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I guess I'm a little confused. Wouldn't lying the driver flat require you to raise your hands rather than lower them? I'm picturing soling the driver with the toe up, for me to do that I'd have to lower my hands. I guess I'm seeing things the opposite as how you have described them. Then again, I'm probably missing something.

Yea, I meant to get the idea across that i think by raising the toe, you allow the hands to drop. Yes, setting the driver flat raises the hands, and thats what i do. However, isn't the club designed to lay flat? I dont see why people raise the toe.

TMX Carry Bag
Tour Burner 9.5*
Burner 3W 15*
Burner Rescue Hybrid 19*
r7 TP 4i-SW Dynamic Gold S300s 60* CG-14 Circa 62 #2 & Studio Stainless Newport 2 Pro V1x

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Yea, I meant to get the idea across that i think by raising the toe, you allow the hands to drop. Yes, setting the driver flat raises the hands, and thats what i do.

I agree, and it does seem like a lot of people raise the toe, mostly shorter people it seems. I'm 6"3" and it lays just about flat for me naturally. I guess a shorter person would really have to raise their hands up unnaturally to get it to lay perfectly flat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I don't purposefully sole the driver with the toe up, although I think it does sit up slightly when I set up to the ball, purely because of my hands hanging naturally.

In my bag:
Driver: G10 10.5 TFC 129 Shaft
3 wood: R7 Steel
Hybrid: 585H 21 Degree
Irons 3-PW: 735.CMWedges: Vokey 52.08, 56.14Putter: White Hot XG #5

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Shaft flex may also 'flatten' the driver a bit on the downswing. Same goes for irons. Finally, address and impact positions are usually different (hips and shoulders more open, for example). So just because the toe is up at address doesn't mean the driver isn't fairly flat at impact. This is what my pro has told me, anyway.

The toe is up on my driver, but I'm only 5'7".
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I just came back from the range. I let my hands hang a little lower and the toe was up a bit....im 5'9'' for reference. I noticed that the ball was coming hotter off the face...however the shots were moving left to right a little (im right handed) and some shots actually sliced. I'm generally a straight hitter with a little bit of draw.

I can definitely get more yardage with my hands hanging lower and this might be a good tradeoff for a little bit of accuracy. It seems like if i have a wide open fairway, i might look into letting my hands hang a bit and letting one rip.

TMX Carry Bag
Tour Burner 9.5*
Burner 3W 15*
Burner Rescue Hybrid 19*
r7 TP 4i-SW Dynamic Gold S300s 60* CG-14 Circa 62 #2 & Studio Stainless Newport 2 Pro V1x

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I try to sole all my clubs the way the manufacturer intended them. But I'm quite sure they don't always return to that position at impact.
Link to comment
Share on other sites


yeh i see alot of shorter people with the toe of the club high in the air, its not bad its just what works for them..
Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Administrator
yeh i see alot of shorter people with the toe of the club high in the air, its not bad its just what works for them..

There are two factors at play.

One is the lie angle. Modern drivers, even with their longer shafts, are creeping up in lie angle. The TM Tour Burner TP (review soon) has a fairly upright lie angle at 60°. That'll cause the toe to be up in the air more than a driver that's 45" and has a lie angle of 56°. A shaft that's "too upright" will send the ball left. Two is shaft droop. A toe that's up in the air at setup will droop slightly when swinging (the shaft flexes down), and may in fact be "square" at impact when it's not at setup. I don't believe you should adjust your hands or your setup to suit your equipment - the other way around is what makes sense, though adjusting the lie angle on a driver can be tricky. More commonly done with irons, of course.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Note: This thread is 5724 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • TST Partners

    TourStriker PlaneMate
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-15%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope.
  • Posts

    • Thanks for the feedback. @StuM, we are a "club without real estate" so no facilities or pro. We have a membership of around 185 players and we only play together as a group at our tournaments, which are held at public access courses. A group of us setup the tournaments, collect the money and dole out the prizes.
    • In general, granting free relief anywhere on the course isn't recommended.  Similarly, when marking GUR, the VSGA and MAPGA generally don't mark areas that are well away from the intended playing lines, no matter how poor the conditions.  If you hit it far enough offline, you don't necessarily deserve free relief.  And you don't have to damage clubs, take unplayable relief, take the stroke, and drop the ball in a better spot.
    • If it's not broken don't fix it. If you want to add grooves to it just because of looks that's your choice of course. Grooves are cut into putter faces to reduce skid, the roll faced putter is designed to do the same thing. I'm no expert but it seems counter productive to add grooves to the roll face. Maybe you can have it sand-blasted or something to clean up the face. Take a look at Tigers putter, its beat to hell but he still uses it.     
    • I get trying to limit relief to the fairway, but how many roots do you typically find in the fairway? Our local rule allows for relief from roots & rocks anywhere on the course (that is in play). My home course has quite a few 100 year old oaks that separate the fairways. Lift and move the ball no closer to the hole. None of us want to damage clubs.
    • Hello, I've been playing a Teardrop td17 F.C. putter for many years and love it. It still putts and feels as good or  better than any of the new putters I've tried and it's in excellent condition except the face has dings in it ever since I bought it used that kind of bother me. I was just wondering if it's possible to have some really shallow horizontal grooves milled into the face on a "roll face" putter. I think I would rather spend some money on it instead of trying to get used to a new putter.  Thanks
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...