Driving with the ball placed at the toe of the left foot

I've realized that when I drive, my follow-through doesn't flow forward. Instead, I tend to pull the club a little too quickly which results in my shots being pulled as well (or at best, a draw).

So, to help me ensure a smooth follow-through, I tried driving by placing the ball at the toe of my left foot. This corrected my follow-through and also gave me more distance possibly because of the increased speed in the upswing. Accuracy-wise, it was also pretty good.

I wonder whether anyone plays like this. Am I being unorthodox here?

Would'nt placing the ball at the toe of your left foot hurt when u hit the ball a little heavy???

Techno, you really terror leh. Like that also can swing.

I used to do this to counter my power slice. In the end, not working then my swing got worst. So, in the end, went back to pro and get a fellow forumer for tips. I think my driver swing has improve a lot.

S70B wrote:

Would'nt placing the ball at the toe of your left foot hurt when u hit the ball a little heavy???

You know what I meant

Shiit, now i have a swollen left toe and a bruised ego.
Thanks.

It's not at the left toe, but it's aligned to the toes of the left foot.

I actually don't see anything wrong with placing the ball on your left toes. I do that too and realized that I can hit it on the up swing, which gives me a higher trajectory and lesser spin. I feel that this is really a personal choice depending on one's swing, so if it works for you, stick with it.

nutty88 wrote:

I actually don't see anything wrong with placing the ball on your left toes. I do that too and realized that I can hit it on the up swing, which gives me a higher trajectory and lesser spin. I feel that this is really a personal choice depending on one's swing, so if it works for you, stick with it.

Thanks Finally, an answer which helped

wouldn't that make your shots pull or slice?

If you draw an arc of your golf club, past the center it is actually going left (for right hander). Thus if you catch the ball square with respect to the swing, it will go left. If you catch it close, it will hook severely. If you catch it slightly open, it will go straight but then fade or slice cos you swipe it across.

Disclaimer: this is just my personal view based on how i visualise the swing path and impact position of the club. It may or may not be true and of cos there are ppl who can hit it great from this position. Just that I thought such method means something is compensating and it would require more on immaculate timing to get a good drive. Maybe those super low handicapper like S70B or the gurus can help

sunny wrote:

wouldn't that make your shots pull or slice?

If you draw an arc of your golf club, pass the center it is actually going left (for right hander). Thus if you catch the ball square with respect to the swing, it will go left. If you catch it close, it will hook severely. If you catch it slightly open, it will go straight but then fade or slice cos you swipe it across.

Disclaimer: this is just my personal view based on how i visualise the swing path and impact position of the club. It may or may not be true and of cos there are ppl who can hit it great from this position. Just that I thought such method means something is compensating and it would require more on immaculate timing to get a good drive. Maybe those super low handicapper like S70B or the gurus can help

That's what I thought too. It's not a permanent fix. I'm just trying to review my swing and correct some follow-through issues I have. I thought that this would be a good way to ensure that I swing through since I have a tendency to pull too quickly if the ball was placed more on the right of where it is now.

Sunny, yr disclaimers are longer that yr comments. ha ha ha.

Khorkar wrote:

Sunny, yr disclaimers are longer that yr comments. ha ha ha.

Like lawyer.

maybe will help if u change position of the bottom of ur swing arc??

I used to have the power slice problem too... I spent a few weeks trying to correct it.

Now I would also place my golf ball aligned to the left toe, on the outside not the inside....

It would go further if I follow through on my swing, which is easier in this position cause I always hit down on the ground even with a driver....

hmmm, I always place my ball 2-3 balls from where my left big toe is supposed to be, is that correct?

[quote="sunny"]wouldn't that make your shots pull or slice?

If you draw an arc of your golf club, past the center it is actually going left (for right hander). Thus if you catch the ball square with respect to the swing, it will go left. If you catch it close, it will hook severely. If you catch it slightly open, it will go straight but then fade or slice cos you swipe it across.
/quote]

All depends on one's swing as I mentioned in my earlier post. The swing path differs from person to person. In my case, I noticed that if I tee-up the ball aligning to the inside of my left foot, I will push it. I believe this is because I wasn't able to square the club face fast enough. By placing it a bit more left, I am able to give it another split second to square the face before impact, which also allows me to hit it on the up-swing.

If your ball goes where you want it to; then it's correct.

If the ball doesn't go where you want it to; then is incorrect.

Not everybody setup, swing, grip, or align the same way...

Thanks for the replies. I've set up an appointment with my coach. Best to get this reviewed and to see if I can fix the swing, rather than ball placement, since I reckon that my swing is where the fault lies.

Ball position is like politics - there is no right or wrong. Only different views.

I am a preacher of the same ball position for a standard shot with reference to your left foot regardless of what club. It is actually the right foot that moves and changes the width of the stance.

But for driving, I will also vary it slightly every now and then when I need to hit a drive low or high, get it to launch, cut draw. It will all be dependant on how I want to play the shot.

Only way is to experiment. Its only too far back if you keep catching it heavy or too far forward if you keep topping it.

S70B wrote:

Ball position is like politics - there is no right or wrong. Only different views.

I am a preacher of the same ball position for a standard shot with reference to your left foot regardless of what club. It is actually the right foot that moves and changes the width of the stance.

But for driving, I will also vary it slightly every now and then when I need to hit a drive low or high, get it to launch, cut draw. It will all be dependant on how I want to play the shot.

Only way is to experiment. Its only too far back if you keep catching it heavy or too far forward if you keep topping it.

Thanks, mate. That makes good sense to me