Toe up for Straighter Golf Shots (Video) - by Pete Styles
Toe up for Straighter Golf Shots (Video) - by Pete Styles

So here's a great exercise that we talked about the toe up practice drill. Now it works on the principle that your golf swing should be symmetrical, both sides of the golf ball should look even. And if you got both sides even at the same time or same point then the middle would also be nice and even and consistent. Now if I take a golf club, I'm going to hold it straight and in front of me here. The toe is vertical and the club face would be square to my target line. Now rotate around my body backwards, the toe still points up, rotate around my body forwards and the toe still points up.

Now the toe up exercise works on that principle but it's on an inclined plane towards the golf ball. So it’s setting up here again with my club face nice and square and rotating around my body backwards with a nice wide take away. The toe comes up to the sky taking that club back down to the ball and extending it through the toe comes back up to the sky again. So from this angle, toe to the sky here and more importantly now to the camera toe up to the sky here. So if the toe is up above point here, it would be pointing at my target line perfectly square as I hit the golf ball.

You might be prone to hitting the ball left or right. Just watch out for these two movements if you are. If you're prone to hitting the ball right, maybe the club face is opening too much on the back swing so that the face starts the point up rather than the toe up. The face is starting the point up. That's how we describe as an open club face. Likewise if I hit through and the club is still up like this, that would still be an open face that would be hitting the ball to the right. Likewise if I have the club face too far down as a closed club face--a shot position not toe up the pointing down and coming through and a toe down position as well that would be prone to hitting some hook shots. So, feel like it is toe up to toe up and that should keep it much straighter for you out in the golf course as well.

2012-04-20

So here's a great exercise that we talked about the toe up practice drill. Now it works on the principle that your golf swing should be symmetrical, both sides of the golf ball should look even. And if you got both sides even at the same time or same point then the middle would also be nice and even and consistent. Now if I take a golf club, I'm going to hold it straight and in front of me here. The toe is vertical and the club face would be square to my target line. Now rotate around my body backwards, the toe still points up, rotate around my body forwards and the toe still points up.

Now the toe up exercise works on that principle but it's on an inclined plane towards the golf ball. So it’s setting up here again with my club face nice and square and rotating around my body backwards with a nice wide take away. The toe comes up to the sky taking that club back down to the ball and extending it through the toe comes back up to the sky again. So from this angle, toe to the sky here and more importantly now to the camera toe up to the sky here. So if the toe is up above point here, it would be pointing at my target line perfectly square as I hit the golf ball.

You might be prone to hitting the ball left or right. Just watch out for these two movements if you are. If you're prone to hitting the ball right, maybe the club face is opening too much on the back swing so that the face starts the point up rather than the toe up. The face is starting the point up. That's how we describe as an open club face. Likewise if I hit through and the club is still up like this, that would still be an open face that would be hitting the ball to the right. Likewise if I have the club face too far down as a closed club face–a shot position not toe up the pointing down and coming through and a toe down position as well that would be prone to hitting some hook shots. So, feel like it is toe up to toe up and that should keep it much straighter for you out in the golf course as well.