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One small adjustment to improve off the tee.

Den60

Den60

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So, I have been having issues of late getting off the tee. My shots were going from a slight fade to a dead pull. I figured it was an alignment issue. So put that in Google search and a very short 1 minute 38 second Ted Fort video came up that showed me I was setting up the club wrong at address. Used this yesterday and kept the ball in the fairway with my driver consistently and shot a PB 82:

[video=youtube;zFwIs-7R5XA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFwIs-7R5XA[/video]
 
Zach Johnson does that. A lot of guys hover. A lot of guys sole it on the ground like what is shown to be "completely unacceptable."

I'm happy it's working for you.
 
That's a great point. Never thought of that. Going to give this a try. and also Congrats on the PB...Well done!
 
blugold said:
Zach Johnson does that. A lot of guys hover. A lot of guys sole it on the ground like what is shown to be "completely unacceptable."

I'm happy it's working for you.
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I think I sole it in the wrong way and then proceed to hit it on the toe instead of the heel. One thing the video doesn't take into account is the arc of the club path.
 
GolfFest said:
I think I sole it in the wrong way and then proceed to hit it on the toe instead of the heel. One thing the video doesn't take into account is the arc of the club path.
Click to expand...
There are a lot of factors in the swing. Swing path, face angle, angle of attack, or even grip strength. It's not a bad idea, but it seems like more of a compensation to me.
 
I've also seen or heard a tip in regard to driver set up that if you tee the ball a little back in the stance the ball should be aligned more out on the toe. Conversely, if you are someone who plays the ball well forward with the driver the ball should be aligned more toward the heel. Agree? Disagree?
 
blugold said:
There are a lot of factors in the swing. Swing path, face angle, angle of attack, or even grip strength. It's not a bad idea, but it seems like more of a compensation to me.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't expect it to work for everyone but it did seem to work for me. Hit more drivers flush yesterday than I have in a long time. Had one or two come a bit off of the toe but didn't get hurt by it.
 
This is interesting because I miss on the heel at times. Totally agree with blu that there's more to it than just a simple adjustment, but I'm definitely going to give this a shot!
 
mr.hicksta said:
This is interesting because I miss on the heel at times. Totally agree with blu that there's more to it than just a simple adjustment, but I'm definitely going to give this a shot!
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Can't hurt.
 
I don't hover with a driver because I don't with any other club, but he makes a couple of very good points.
 
as I think more of this since my first post. I find that tee hight also has to do with this. I tee my ball fairly low and I also slightly graze the grass on my tee shots so I don't think I have the difference in height that this logic requires or at leat not to the degree it requires. Just a thought.
 
Thanks for posting. Great advice!


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Den60, thanks for posting.

Well, it works for me. Addressing the ball with the driver on the ground and the ball out toward the toe. I tried hovering the driver off the ground with the sweet spot directly behind the ball for a few rounds, but it was uncomfortable. So I dropped the driver to the ground and it took a position with the ball out toward the toe. Been hitting it this way for couple years now and am most well pleased with the driver/ball contact results.
 
I was taught this by my instructor and it works for me.
 
rollin said:
as I think more of this since my first post. I find that tee hight also has to do with this. I tee my ball fairly low and I also slightly graze the grass on my tee shots so I don't think I have the difference in height that this logic requires or at leat not to the degree it requires. Just a thought.
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I tee up quite high, maybe too much myself.
 
And I didn't want to create an argument here over set up, swing plane or any other such thing, All of us high handicappers have trouble duplicating our swing. I do think, though, that if we initiate our swings consistently that will help mitigate the mess we make when we complete it. Just my opinion, of course.

I still wish I could putt better...
 
Phil75070 said:
I've also seen or heard a tip in regard to driver set up that if you tee the ball a little back in the stance the ball should be aligned more out on the toe. Conversely, if you are someone who plays the ball well forward with the driver the ball should be aligned more toward the heel. Agree? Disagree?
Click to expand...

Disagree. The sweet spot of the club does not change based on any external factor. Changing the face angle slightly based on how far forward or back in your stance is the ball is valid. Is that maybe what you heard?
 
I'm a big advocate for focusing on hitting the ball on the sweet spot. If your club head does not leave a mark on its own, a little talcum powder on the face will do the trick.
 
leftshot said:
Disagree. The sweet spot of the club does not change based on any external factor. Changing the face angle slightly based on how far forward or back in your stance is the ball is valid. Is that maybe what you heard?
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The reasoning behind setting up off the center/heel if it's very far forward in your stance is because of the path of the club... You don't go straight back and straight through (like a putter stroke), you are swinging on an arc. So as the club head passes the center of your stance, it begins to curve around your body and won't be as far away from you, which means you'd naturally be striking the ball way out on the toe unless you compensate for it. I don't necessarily agree with this for everyone but I'm sure for some people it works great.
 
Den60 said:
I do think, though, that if we initiate our swings consistently that will help mitigate the mess we make when we complete it. Just my opinion, of course.

I still wish I could putt better...
Click to expand...

A consistent (yet correct) repeatable set up and address of the ball would be the first step to consistency and then the initiation of the swing. If we are not repeatable with our foundation then whatever follows will not be repeatable imo.
 
One of the best tips I've seen.


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I started to do this a little while back after experimenting with some foot spray on my driver face. Last summer maybe? I noticed that my driver strikes were consistently towards the heel, so I began setting up with the ball out towards the toe with the driver soled. That led to a lot more centered strikes and less balls lost out in the woods.
 
Suprfli6 said:
The reasoning behind setting up off the center/heel if it's very far forward in your stance is because of the path of the club... You don't go straight back and straight through (like a putter stroke), you are swinging on an arc. So as the club head passes the center of your stance, it begins to curve around your body and won't be as far away from you, which means you'd naturally be striking the ball way out on the toe unless you compensate for it. I don't necessarily agree with this for everyone but I'm sure for some people it works great.
Click to expand...

I hear what you are saying, but if you have taken your stance and put the club head just behind the ball you've already made this adjustment. Now if you had the ball forward and placed the club say a foot behind the ball, then yes you would have to re position to account for the arc of your swing. This is actually a variant of the same principle the video is trying to make.
 
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