Hitting most shots off the heel

Re: Hitting most shots off the heel

I just started having this problem also, after I bought a new set of irons. Driving is fine, but this has been happening with the full range of my new Callaway irons, as well as my new Cleveland wedge.

I just got back into the game after a 15-year hiatus. I had an old set of irons which I was always able to hit relatively solidly. Anyways, I decided to spring for a new set in regular length and lie, but now when I hit the range I find that if I line myself up like I did in the past I very often hit the ball with the heel of my club, causing an awful shank. I tried fixing this by backing away a few inches from the ball and lining the ball up near the toe of the iron. Doing so allowed me to make regular contact with the ball and hit solid shots, but it right now feels a bit awkward.

So my question is, what could be the cause of this? I dont mind making the effort to adjust myself to my new clubs but I was curious as to what the reasoning behind it could be. I dont know the specs of my old generic clubs, but my new ones appear to be the exact same length. (I am 5'9" 160 lbs with 34" wrist to ground if that helps any).

Thanks for any help!

Re: Hitting most shots off the heel

Perhaps you're standing too close to the ball. Try standing even an inch back, it might make a difference.

Re: Hitting most shots off the heel

I started to do this at the range alot lately. I fixed it by like what other people have said, step back a little.

Re: Hitting most shots off the heel

I've had this same problem (and continue to have it to some extent). Be careful if you move away from the ball. I tried that and it ended up causing my balance to shift towards my toes during the swing causing me to come over the top and making the heel shots even worse.

My most successful cure so far has been to be conscious of whether my arms are completely extended at setup. Even a little bend in the arms at address can cause you to hit off the heel as your arms swing through completely straight on the downswing. Good luck figuring it out!

Re: Hitting most shots off the heel

Go with the simplest solution first. Do you find it happening more often with certain clubs?

Re: Hitting most shots off the heel

I have been struggling with this problem myself. In my case I think it's from both too quick a transition to the downswing and also coming up onto my right toe early in the downswing. This cause my right shoulder to move forward making the club closer to the ball.

Re: Hitting most shots off the heel

What is the ball doing after you hit it? (Assuming the face is sqaure at impact) If it cuts to the right, youre probably coming over the top. If youre pulling the shot, youre still probably coming over the top. If youre hooking or drawing the ball, youre probably coming too far to the inside. You're having some kind of swing path issue. Start simple first, look at your fundementals. (grip, alignment posture, and your alignment)

Id had a similar problem once and found i was hitting heel heavy because I wasnt by turning behind the ball properly.

Re: Hitting most shots off the heel

For me the ball just slices to the right like crazy and travels about 20 yards about 5 feet off the ground. This is at the range so i make sure to check my club when it happens, and I'll find a ball mark right at the heel/hosel of the club.

Again, I have been able to fix this by backing up a few inches. While it feels awkward, it has corrected my shots and I usually make good contact when I do so. I was just wondering if it had something to do with getting adjusted to a new set of irons.

Re: Hitting most shots off the heel

I second this or third this i guess.....

Re: Hitting most shots off the heel

I actually have this problem and I hate standing further from the ball. It makes me feel like I gotta reach for it and it makes me set up unnaturally. I found that I setup from my right arm hang and what was happening was that my left hand then is too close to my body, so when I swing, a few fingers width (2-3) would be the extra distance that I reach extra. I found opening my shoulders a bit actually helps my hands hang from both my shoulders, not just one and my contact is definitely more consistent to center without that reaching feeling or lining up at the toe. Then again, I don't know how you swing, but I have a huge in to out swing so I can afford my shoulders being a bit open without messing with my swing paths.

Re: Hitting most shots off the heel

I feel your pain (I tend to shank my wedges). When I begin hitting shots off the heel I set a 2x4 down parallel to my target line just outside the ball so that I must contact the ball on the center of the face or else I'll hit the 2x4.

Another trick is to try and hit 3/4 shots off the toe of the club. do this over and over, then try your full swing.

My heel contact is incurable and I am thinking of giving up the game. My subconscious keeps guiding the shaft(and my hands) towards the ball on the downswing as if I am trying to hit the ball with the end of the shaft rather than the protruding club head. So much for the hammer drill, etc. The two ball drill, the 2x4, and all the tricks work only temporarily, only while doing the drills. My ball contact is consistent. Moving closer, moving further away, same contact spot on face of club.Exactly half way between the center of the club and the hosel, with the occasional shank and of course a loss of 10-20 yards per club. Sometimes if I concentrate on swinging my hands back down as close to my thighs or address position as possible I get a firm strike but not natural and consistent. Any solutions to this head problem would be appreciated.

PS I think anyone who received instruction comparing the swing to ping pong or tennis or a hammer was led down the wrong path. With those, you stike the ball or nail with an extension or inline relationship to the handle. In golf you do not. If you do, guess what, heel strike and shanks, if your hand eye, relates the end of the shaft to the ball. Somehow the brain has to sense the contact point is in front of the shaft not in line with it.

It's when I start getting too comfortable and start crouching the ball.  I like to position the ball, at set-up, just a half ball length outside of center.  If it's not helping, adjust more outside of center.  Eventually, you'll be back on track.

I was doing this with my driver for the longest time.  Over the winter I went to see a new instructor, and after a few swings he says "I know why you are doing it, come look at the video."  On the back swing, I was moving my head towards the ball and down slightly (poor posture led to poor balance).  Then on the down swing, my head position wouldn't go back up or in.... sometimes it moved farther TOWARD the ball.  So even if I set up with the ball at the middle of the face, or even slightly out towards the toe, when my head would drop and move towards the ball on the back swing (as did my whole upper body), the club head would naturally move OUT away from the ball when it came through impact.

 

We worked a lot on turning my right back pocket back during the back swing.  By exaggerating this move at first, it also forced my head not to move toward the ball.  In fact, by exaggerating the move, it even moves back away from the ball a bit.  After hitting a lot of balls on video, we could see that this was helping.  

 

Before, I was also not turning my hips through the ball at impact, rather just an arm and shoulder swing, and I was hitting EVERYTHING right!  I don't focus on my arms and hands so much now... my arms are just kind of dead, and are just along for the ride.  So our time together was spent turning the right pocket back towards a "wall" on the back swing, then turning the left back pocket back towards a "wall" on the down and through swing.  This got me to rotate around my body, and I started hitting everything MUCH closer to the center of the face.  This has also transferred over to the rest of the bag.   

 

If he can help me fix my putting, I see my HC coming way down this year.  I am hitting the ball straighter than I have ever hit it before, even hitting a draw now and then.  VERY excited to go play now!

I have found that tight grip pressure and a jerky transition cause heel shots, especially if you have an in to out path.........relax the hands, and shoulders........my wife tells me that she can see a bad shot coming before I swing because if I'm trying too hard my face looks tense......which means so is everything else....even if I dont feel it consciously

I am having the same problem. Was working on it today. I find that I was taking the club head too far inside the hands, behind the body on the backswing in dtl view. When I brought the club back down, it was too far inside out thus extending the club more outward.

I am now bringing the clubhead back in one piece with the hands and my hands are inside on the backswing instead of the clubhead.. This has helped me not bring it too far inside and. I Am making good contact.. I put masking tape on the clubhead just to check and I was hitting them in the middle of the face. Hope my solution helps you out.