Toe strikes
This morning, I went to Hank Haney Golf Ranch to hit some balls and possibly play nine. However, like yesterday, the temperature was nearly 90F when I arrived just after 8AM and got hotter as I practiced. There was no breeze at all.
I started off hitting 7-irons to get warmed up and soon alternated hitting 9-, 7- and 5-irons. I started off a little ragged, but soon hit the balls pretty well, although my dominate shot was a draw. Next up, I got out the driver and immediately started hooking it. I alternated 9-irons and drivers, and got a little better. I put impact tape to see where I was striking the ball, and, to no surprise, found I was hitting near the toe again. I did eventually work the strike point back to the center, but had to address the ball on the hosel to get that to happen. I also put impact tape on the hybrid, with the same results of toe strikes. Again, addressing the ball on the hosel helped move the strike point back to the center. Lastly, I put impact tape on a 5-iron, and again, toe strikes. I was able to move that back to the center immediately by addressing the ball just a bit closer to the hosel.
To experiment, I went through the irons, addressing them such that the edge of the ball was at the end of the grooves on the irons. Surprisingly, all my ball striking immediately improved. I ran through the bag, hitting all the irons and wedges very nicely, except the 4-iron. I also worked on making sure that I didn’t flip my hands closed, and that helped as well with my ball striking. I think my hands have been getting a little overactive as of late.
I was pleased, though puzzled, with my practice today. I guess I don’t really mind where I address the ball, as long as I strike it well.
I decided not to play nine today, as I was beat from the heat.