Over the past season, I felt that I hit my driver the best in years. I was hitting the center of my club face a great deal of time, but there were times when the other parts of my driver decided to join the action. Striking the heel of my driver definitely resulted in a poor, short, shot hit to the right (a bit of a slice). It is very noticeable and I have to say that I do not like it when it happens 😉 Hitting my ball off the toe is a completely different matter and sometimes the shot I am looking for when hitting the ball off the tee.
To fair to you the reader, I rarely try to hit the ball off the toe of my driver. I never try to make this shot, but it does happen from time to time. When I do, three things can happen and they are not all bad.
The first is a duck hook into the left woods or rough. It does not go far and I roll the dice as to the final destination. Most of the time (given I usually aim right center of the fairway) I am in the rough on the left. The worst part is watching the ball flight and the quacking sound it makes as it heads towards trouble.
The second result for hitting off the to is to push the ball way right. My club head never comes around to center and as such is open during contact. This means that my ball goes way right and who knows what happens when I start to search for my likely lost ball.
Lastly, I hit the ball long and in the fairway. I feel the ball strike the toe, the club head twist, and my swing path is slightly in to out. The ball jumps off the club with a baby draw and I gain anywhere from 10 to 20 yards distance from my tee shot. It is a great shot to watch and provides some confidence that this is a shot I should try and develop. The challenge I face is that the amount of time needed to develop this shot is not something I am ready to dedicate. I would have the change the fundamental aspects of my swing and I am not sure I can handle the frustration…..we shall see now that I have a practice area I can us on a regular basis.
Hitting the ball off the toe of my driver is not always a bad thing. However, at this time, contact on the outer part of my driver face is less successful than I am willing to accept. So, I will continue to hit the center of the club face and stay on the short grass 75% of the time. The extra distance gained from hitting my driver off the toe is not worth the erratic control I would experience.
How about you, do you intentionally hit the ball off the toe of your driver?
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
There is an optimal spot on the club face for our swing. It won’t be at the extremes unless you’re looking for some kind of specialty shot. And it’s not dead center. The black face on my new driver is great for being able to see where I strike the face. I wipe it after each swing to make sure there’s a clean slate waiting for the next one. For me, I know based on the best swings I’ve seen from it to date that my optimal strike zone is half a ball high of center and little (quarter ball) to the toe side of center. The center of my clubs face is clearly marked and I’ve been diligent about paying attention so I can be sure of that. So now that I’ve found it, the trick is setting both me and the ball up to find it as often as possible. That takes a little fiddling around and it requires that we care about where we want to make contact. It has to be part of our thinking process or it’s not going to happen. I can tee the ball a little higher or lower, I can adjust how close I am to the ball and where it is in my stance, I can see the alignment mark on the club is aligned with the inside edge of the ball to help and I need my brain to be participating every step of the way if I want any chance at succeeding. I need intent. The purposeful set up adjustments help provide it and I have to carry it through the swing to stand much chance of seeing it happen very often.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kevin,
You have described my thoughts exactly. I have know for years that the center of the club is not the perfect (although does produce good results) for my swing and I work on hitting the sweet spot each time. Not every manufacturer is the same and in some cases differ from club to club of the same make. That is why professionals spend so much time and money getting fitted. It is worth the time and money if you are serious about golf. Did you get your driver back yet?
Cheers Jim
LikeLike
I did get the old driver back. Guess I forgot to mention it. I had it made to 47 inches so it became illegal this month. My timing wasn’t the best. lol But that’s ok. It was an experiment and gave me a bit of fun. And I want to learn to love the new driver as much as I have that old one so the new driver is what I’ll be carrying. It’s one of my new years resolutions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am pretty sure that the driver length is fornpros and considered a local rule anyway….I will check it out.
Cheers Jim
LikeLike
I thought either hitting it off the toe or heel was regular golf. 😄. I dont try either, prefer to try and consistantly find the middle of the club. I have lost distance recently due to some surgeries and injuries and “age” however I rarely miss and fairway and hence depend on my short game which luckily is pretty good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Doug,
We all rely on our short game to take up the slack on miss hits. All part of the game I guess.
Cheers Jim
LikeLike
I never intentionally try to hit my Driver or Brassie off the toe or heel for that manner. I have embraced trying to be more consistent over seeking a few extra yards and my game has improved. Also, swinging harder brings in more potential for injury at my age.
I vote for hitting it in the middle of the club.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lorne,
We are on the same page for sure!
Cheers Jim
LikeLike