Toe Shots in Golf: Causes and 6 Proven Ways to Fix Them

The sweet spot of the golf club is not all that large. However, it is possible to hit shots that strike the center of the face.

Many players struggle with that strike position, moving slightly towards the toe.

These toe shots can cause inconsistencies in the ball flight and a general loss of distance. The issues with toe shots can be caused by anything from setup to poor wrist action creating an improper swing path.

If you are tired of striking the toe and feeling that vibration when you make contact, here’s some information you need to start flushing your iron shots in golf.

Toe Shots in Golf (Key Takeaways)

If you don’t have time to read all of the fixes for how to fix toe shots in golf, save this page, but at least take this information with you.

• Many times, the toe shot happens because you are standing too far from the ball at setup; make that adjustment before doing anything else.
• Pay very close attention to your spine angle throughout the swing and the extension of the club could be moving closer to you creating a higher likelihood of a toe shot.
• Adding extension to the lead wrist through impact or starting with too much of a wrist hinge moves your strike from the center to the toe.
• Practice with HackMotion to see if your radial and ulnar deviation is where it should be as your club comes into the impact position.

Why do I Hit Toe Shots?

The most common issue leading to a golf shot being struck on the toe of the club is standing too far from the ball at setup. Knowing the cause of your toe shots could help you move closer to a solution faster.

Here’s a look at the main reasons why players hit the ball on the toe:

• Standing too far from the ball and reaching for it at setup (remember the stance changes from driver to irons).
• Straightening up away from the ball during the swing and moving the club back away from the center strike.
• An outside-to-in swing path can move the club closer to you at impact and catch the ball on the toe.
• The chicken wing move or arms pulling in during the downswing can shorten the swing radius and cause you to hit the shots.
• Incorrect wrist action, such as too much wrist flexion, can change the swing path and cause you to lose control of where the clubface is.

6 Ways to Stop Hitting Toe Shots in Golf

Now that you have a general idea of why you may be hitting golf shots off the toe, here are six ways to stop and get your game back on track.

Adjust How Far You are Standing from The Ball

Here is the simplest way to fix toe shots and the one you should attempt first before getting more involved with an aggressive swing change or fix.

Simply make sure you are not reaching for the ball when you set up to hit. If you struggle with how far away from you the golf ball should be, keep this rule in mind:

Have one hand span between your lead thigh and the top end of the grip of the club.

If this position feels very close to you, you may be reaching for the ball. It’s pretty easy to see this when you take a video or practice in a mirror. Your back will look bent, and your hands will be pushed away from your leg.

One way to test if you have moved the ball too close is to pay close attention when a golf ball starts striking the heel. Until then, play around to make sure you are setting yourself up to hit the center on each swing.

Improve Your Balance Throughout the Swing

Focus on maintaining balance throughout your golf swing. Many golfers straighten their spine and stand up as they take the club back. Sometimes, it can feel powerful to stand up as the club moves back.

It’s not.

Focus on staying level and centered in your golf swing. Your weight should be centered under your shoelaces, and you should not move back toward your heels in the backswing. In addition, work on stability. Don’t let yourself lose that; it could make you stand up and hit the shots.

A great way to work on making a proper turn, keeping that spine angle and staying stable is to swing standing on a balance board.

Fix Your Wrist Action

The position of the wrist at impact directly controls the clubface of your golf club.

Pay very close attention to your wrist action in the golf swing, particularly ulnar and radial deviation. Adding too much hinge at the beginning of the swing can lead you to a difficult position at impact.

Wearing the HackMotion will allow you to check the exact amount of radial and ulnar deviation you have in your swing. You can track these numbers as you make your way into impact.

Golfers who hit toe shots have a hard time maintaining the club handle slightly higher just after impact. You’ll notice tour professionals have a bit more flexion in the lead wrist, and they keep that handle high through impact.

This allows the ball to strike the center of the face and get more distance and accuracy.

Get the Swing Path Right

The inside to inside swing path is ideal for fixing these toe shots. When you come over the top, you’ll have to cut across the ball, which means the strike will happen closer to the toe. Swing path work is best to do with a few alignment sticks on the ground.

You’ll want to get to the top of your swing and feel like you don’t let the club get away from you.

One drill you can use is to place a headcover under your trail arm. As you swing down, see if that head cover drops, and you end up with a toe strike.

Keep that head cover in place, and then feel the club move left (right-handed player) just after you make an impact.

Prevent the Chicken Wing

One of the best ways to think about the chicken wing is to consider how the golf club moves close to you as you swing through impact.

It’s almost as if you are scrunching your arms through impact. This happens when the lead arm starts to collapse and is not extended through impact.

Avoid pulling your arms in during the downswing.

You want to remain extended so that you strike the ball in the center and not on the toe.

One of the best ways to think about this concept is to try and feel like you create width through impact. We also wrote an entire post on how to fix the chicken wing; take a look if this is your main issue.

Check Your Lie Angle

Club fitting is important for distance and accuracy of your golf shots but most golfers don’t understand the importance of the lie angle and how that can contribute to the types of golf shots that you hit on the course.

Get your golf clubs custom-fitted to your height, swing speed, and angles.

Doing this is going to improve your chance of striking the center of the club. Sometimes great players are doing all the things right and still hitting toe shots. This usually comes down to an issue with the lie angle.

Three Drills to Fix Toe Shots

Try these additional drills if you are still struggling with fixing these toe shots.

Turf Striking Drill

Sometimes, you have to work on precision when you strike the ball to fix these toe shots. Try practicing with two golf balls on the ground, one just ahead of the toe of your club and one just inside the heel.

Try striking the center of these two golf balls (with or without a golf ball there). You’ll train your body to move less and to strike the ball in this precise spot.

Ankle Band Drill

This unique drill will help you get your weight loaded properly, and stop getting the driver on the wrong path.

Toe shots are often thought about more often with the irons but if you are struggling to strike your driver in the center of the face, give this a try.

Uphill Lie Drill

This unique uphill lie drill helps you get more of an inside swing path without coming over the top.

You’ll work on feeling the correct downswing motion and striking the clubface’s center. You’ll need a board and your club to do this drill.

Final Thoughts

As frustrating as toe strikes are, they are not all that far off from center strikes.

By following some of these recommendations, getting your clubs checked for the right lie angle, and ensuring your wrist action is correct, you should have no trouble moving your strike closer to the center of the club.

Use your HackMotion to record wrist action in the swing, and you’ll end up with really good data on when your ball striking is at its best.