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Missing the sweet spot on purpose

Will play a fast downhill putt off the toe at times. On full swings, I don't have the skill to dictate where on the clubface I am going to hit the ball. If I could, it would be sweet spot and greens and fairways all day!
 
The only time I ever not hit the sweet spot intentionally is on a lightning fast downhill putt. I will hit it with the toe.
 
j_sizzle9 said:
2. On a par 3, if I am between clubs, I will sometimes tee the ball higher and take the longer club. I find this helps me hit it higher on the face and about 1/4-1/2 club shorter than normal.


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this also takes spin off. carry is reduced but rollout is increased, helpful for holes with back-to-front slopes. playing for the front of the green takes the long ball (and subsequent downhill putt/chip) out of play
 
Not enough skill here to consistently hit he sweet spot, let alone purposely avoid it. That said, I always trick myself that I can. I can pretty reliable create a slice if I need to make a save and get around something on a half swing though.
 
aljaklaw said:
this also takes spin off. carry is reduced but rollout is increased, helpful for holes with back-to-front slopes. playing for the front of the green takes the long ball (and subsequent downhill putt/chip) out of play
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I would agree, however for me that is offset as I am a very high ball hitter and landing angle is relatively steep so rollout is very minimal.



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I'd like to think that I can hit it out towards the toe to deaden some short greenside shots, but that might just be a tall tale. I did almost chip a few in today so maybe it is true...

I've only heard about this for putts, never for full shots.
 
Heel strike for a fade, toe for a draw, using gear effect. You’ll find that in the old books. Jack writes about it too.

Extra spin for a wedge by hitting it heelside almost thin, engages maximum vertical gear effect for extra zip and lots o backspin. Got that from James Ridyard.

And drives you want to hit above the sweet spot, slightly toe side, to engage reverse vertical gear effect, ie low backspin.

Less spin on a wedge or chip for say a running shot you hit the same way... slightly toe side and high on the face. Less backspin.


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Parrot said:
Only on putts can I do it intentionally. I'll hit the putt toward the toe for downhill putts to dampen impact.
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Same here.

Otherwise I'm just trying to hit the ball, where it strikes on the face is just a hope and pray.
 
Rarely, but I have done it. On a dogleg of the right length, getting a little toey with the driver can use the gear effect to turn it a little more. I've done this and the opposite to get a little fade action.
 
Not really, If I want less spin I'll set up to hit it higher, if I hit it high toe as well then bingo
 
Sometimes when I am chipping I will intentionally try to get more towards the toe if I want it to run out more as it can reduce spin. At least that's what Phil recommends from one of his short game videos and it seems to work pretty well.
 
McLovin said:
Do you ever intentionally miss the sweet spot? Can be tee shots, approaches, short game, or even putts.
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I don't try but yes most shots I miss the sweet spot!
 
Every once in awhile I'll purposely miss when I'm chipping but not very often. I should start doing that more on downhill putts though, that makes a ton of sense to me.
 
Some days my sweet spot is simply on the clubface..... anywhere!

Never tried to miss, I want to hit it to the best of my ability every time, and honestly never though that an off-hit might be a better option depending on the situation.
 
fwiw I did hit a beautiful (though completely unintentional) toe shot yesterday with an iron approach that went out to the right and came in onto the green to about 10ft like nobodies business. If i had an audience they would have though this guy is good. little do they know..lol
 
BluesManDan said:
Heel strike for a fade, toe for a draw, using gear effect. You’ll find that in the old books. Jack writes about it too.

Extra spin for a wedge by hitting it heelside almost thin, engages maximum vertical gear effect for extra zip and lots o backspin. Got that from James Ridyard.

And drives you want to hit above the sweet spot, slightly toe side, to engage reverse vertical gear effect, ie low backspin.

Less spin on a wedge or chip for say a running shot you hit the same way... slightly toe side and high on the face. Less backspin.


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Jack was talking about wood drivers and balata golf balls with necking it so it starts left and comes back a bit.

The wedge stuff still works.

As far as hitting drives high on the face that is where the sweet spot is so they dial it in for that. Not sure a toed driver for draw actually goes farther than a flush draw 3w.
 
ntanygd760 said:
Jack was talking about wood drivers and balata golf balls with necking it so it starts left and comes back a bit.

The wedge stuff still works.

As far as hitting drives high on the face that is where the sweet spot is so they dial it in for that. Not sure a toed driver for draw actually goes farther than a flush draw 3w.
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The “hot spot” for a driver is actually slightly above and slightly toe side of the actual “sweet spot”. About half a cm or so iirc. The “sweet spot” is in line with the vertical and horizontal center of gravity and is where impact feels the best. But for the most distance you’re supposed to miss the sweet spot by a fraction. It’s a little off putting but when you actually hit it in the hot spot it feels a little clangy like you missed it just a bit, but the ball should go further than when you hit the sweet spot and the feeling of impact is perfect.

http://www.instantgolflesson.com/golf-driver-hot-spot.php


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BluesManDan said:
The “hot spot” for a driver is actually slightly above and slightly toe side of the actual “sweet spot”. About half a cm or so iirc. The “sweet spot” is in line with the vertical and horizontal center of gravity and is where impact feels the best. But for the most distance you’re supposed to miss the sweet spot by a fraction. It’s a little off putting but when you actually hit it in the hot spot it feels a little clangy like you missed it just a bit, but the ball should go further than when you hit the sweet spot and the feeling of impact is perfect.

http://www.instantgolflesson.com/golf-driver-hot-spot.php


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i can attest to the less-than-ideal feeling you get from hitting the hot spot. it's odd to feel like you missed it, only to look up and watch a high towering draw. the trick is to pose in the finish, and trick everyone into thinking you totally meant to do it. NEVER admit you missed it ;)
 
I’m not good enough right now to intentionally hit the sweet spot, so no to the OP question. I’m usually just hoping for some sort of 90%+ contact and in the general direction I want it to go.

But I can see why a little on the high toe would be a good shot into wind. Generally produces a draw too which helps fight wind.
 
I am pretty darned shocked to hear even some mid single digit handicappers here can miss the sweet spot on purpose for certain effects. Who would have thought a 5 or 7 would have that level of control.
 
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The only time I've ever tried it on anything close to a full swing is out of trouble. If I need to hit a very low hook I'll address the ball a bit towards the toe.

Otherwise, only for chips and downhill, breaking putts.
 
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