How to Stop Blocking Golf Shots

Would you believe me if I told you that if you are blocking golf shots, your swing is not far off from a Tour pro’s? When I played professional golf full time, a blocked shot to the right occurred when I did not want my ball to go left. Subconsciously, I’d over compensate by guiding the clubface through impact instead of allowing it to turn over.

Today, when I see one of my students blocking golf shots, whether I witnessed their swing or just caught the ball flight, I have a good idea of what happened in their swing. Here's what causes blocked golf shots, and how to turn them into perfect draws and straight shots.

A blocked shot is caused by an open clubface at impact. Before we dive into what creates an open clubface at impact, we need to ensure you are set-up correctly.

First, check that your aim and alignment are correct. The simplest way to do this is to lay two alignment sticks on the ground parallel to each other with the ball between them. Have one stick pointing directly to your target, the other parallel on your toe line. This will help confirm your clubface is aimed at your target and your body is aligned parallel to your target line.

Second, examine your hands to see if you have light enough grip pressure. On a scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 is a death grip), you should be around a five. If there is too much tension in your hands, you will not be able to release or turn over the clubhead through impact (a requirement to hitting the ball straight or with a slight draw).

Third, make sure your ball position at address is not too far back in your stance. If it is, the club will strike the ball too early on in the impact zone when the clubface is still open to the target.

Your ball position should be in the middle of your stance for low irons and gradually move toward your lead foot for longer clubs.

If adjusting your set-up does not cure hitting blocked shots, then one of the following issues may be causing an open clubface at impact.

Let’s identify the difference between a block, a draw and a straight shot:

• Blocked shots happen when the clubface meets the ball in an open position and the club has come down to impact on an inside out swing path - the ball is pushed right (for right-handed golfers) and follows a straight line in that direction.
• A draw is when the clubface meets the ball in a closed position relative to the path, and the club has come down to impact on an inside out swing path - the ball starts right and curves slightly left (for a right-handed golfer).
• In a straight shot, the clubface meets the ball in a square position and the club follows an inside-square-inside path down to impact - the ball flies straight without curving in either direction.

To turn blocked shots into functional shots, you need to either adjust your set-up, the clubface at impact, alter your swing path, or a combination of these.

To adjust your clubface to a square or closed position your hands need to turn over through impact. Rotating your hands as you hit through the ball, squares up or closes the clubface and leads to proper extension of your arms and the club.

Your swing path is determined in part by your takeaway and weight shift. Properly-sequenced weight shift begins with a backswing that rotates your torso back and loads your trail glute. It then continues with a downswing that rotates your torso through impact completely turning your hips and shoulders until your belt buckle faces the target. With a closed club face, your arms should fully extend and swing the club inside on your follow through.

A practical way to feel the proper loading of your trail side is to put a wedge under your trail heel and push down on the clubface with your heel. At the same time, feel your trail glute activating. The sensation should be similar to what you feel in your glute when you begin to sit down.

As you swing, maintain the pressure on the wedge's clubface as you swing down to the ball. Release the pressure of your trail heel once you get into your follow though.

This drill prevents you from shifting your weight too soon to your lead side ahead of the club. Instead, it encourages the club to enter the impact zone in sync with your body.