Favorite Practice drills

[JKilgore44]

I'm intrested in hearing about peoples favorite practice drills and what they will help benefit in your game.

For me, I like taking half swings with my 7-SW, focusing on getting "loaded" in my back swing, making square contact with the ball, and "shaking hands" with the target on the follow through. This drill focuses on the most important part of the swing, the "hit zone". Making sure that your club is square at contact will ensure a straight shot and help improve consistency. This drill is great for beginners and veterans as well. Any time my swing gets out of tune, I will go buy a large bucket and do this drill for an hour. Then I will slowly move to a 3/4 swing, and eventually a full swing. Give this drill a try if you're struggling with consistent ball striking.

Does anyone else have a favorite practice drill that can help with various aspects of the swing?

[powerhitter]

Despite the name I like to spin the ball, which is where I get in trouble but nothing is more satisfying that hitting a 300+ drive and sticking your wedge within 5 feet of the hole for a birdie. Anyways back on topic, my favorite drill is taking half swings with my wedges always remembering to accelerate through the ball with a pinch putting on lots of awesome backspin

[bigD728]

I'm intrested in hearing about peoples favorite practice drills and what they will help benefit in your game.

My high school golf coach told us to do that shot to warm up also. He says that when your under pressure in a match you can use that shot to ensure that you will keep the ball out of trouble. He called it the "cover shot". And this is always what i do to warm up.

[JKilgore44]

Yeah it's my favorite drill, it should be taught to all young players to help form good swing fundamentals.

Another good one for balance is the putting your feet together drill. You simply put your feet together and make a full swing. If you're swinging to hard and throwing your balance off, you will feel it in your body. If you fall over, you know that you're trying to hard! When you can hit smooth shots like this, and can implememnt the same swing into your proper stance, you'll be hitting perfect shots in no time!

[CG031]

Yeah it's my favorite drill, it should be taught to all young players to help form good swing fundamentals.

Thanks for those two drills. I'm gonna try them at the range next time I go.

[doublesuited77]

Yeah it's my favorite drill, it should be taught to all young players to help form good swing fundamentals.

i tried that for the first time today. really really helped. thanks alot.

[RunOfTheDill]

I'm gonna give that a try at work when I get bored tomorrow. Really like both drills. Anybody else got anything.

[tdinneen]

I like the two baseball drills.

Baseball drill 1 - hold club straight out in front of you, swing back and forward. Swing plane is parallel to ground (just like baseball swing). Add 10 to 15 degrees every couple of swings until you reach normal address positions. Good warm up and helps establish the correct plane to take the club back on. You should fell the same relative arm swing to upper torso. You just bend at hips to angle the plane more and more.

Baseball drill 2 - normal backswing, at top of swing bring left leg in to meet right calf. This makes sure you've got good weight shift to right on backswing. Then down swing and simultaneously move left leg back to address position (just like a baseball swing). This makes sure you've got weight shift back to left on downswing.

[Dent]

I do a putting drill, take a club and put it 1-2 feet behind the hole horizontally. Putt 5 balls and award yourself points for putting the ball

2 points for getting it in the hole
1 point for getting it inbetween the Shaft and the Hole
0 Points for Hitting the shaft
-1 For coming up short.

It will teach you to not putt it long, neither putt short. It really helps me.

[Mhinderaker]

I do a putting drill, take a club and put it 1-2 feet behind the hole horizontally. Putt 5 balls and award yourself points for putting the ball

I would say it might be slightly more helpful if you have a competition with a buddy, say first to get to 30 or something like that.

[JKilgore44]

A great putting drill that my buddy used to practice on his college golf team was even more simple than that. It is used to teach you to keep your putter square through impact and to keep your eyes down and prevent you from pulling putts. It's really simple. Stick your putter in the cup and measure it out to the end of the shaft. It should be ~3ft long (unless you have a belly putter). Then place a tee in the ground to mark the spot. Putt 50 three footers, and never watch one go in the hole. Keep your eyes down and listen for the putt to hit the cup. After you make 50 in a row, extend your tee another putter length and try to make 50 six-footers. It's harder than it sounds, but it will help you develop good putter form.

[powerhitter]

You must have some pretty deep holes if you putt 50 in a row in
lol but yea ive done that before, its helpful if you think you are looking up at the putt, leaving it out on the right side.

[lamebums]

A great putting drill that my buddy used to practice on his college golf team was even more simple than that. It is used to teach you to keep your putter square through impact and to keep your eyes down and prevent you from pulling putts. It's really simple. Stick your putter in the cup and measure it out to the end of the shaft. It should be ~3ft long (unless you have a belly putter). Then place a tee in the ground to mark the spot. Putt 50 three footers, and never watch one go in the hole. Keep your eyes down and listen for the putt to hit the cup. After you make 50 in a row, extend your tee another putter length and try to make 50 six-footers. It's harder than it sounds, but it will help you develop good putter form.

Add more pressure on yourself. Give your buddy (or anyone willing to spend a half an hour watchin you make three foot putts) a $20 bill. If you miss even one, he keeps it, if you make them all, you get the cash back. Nothing like being on putt number 50, realizing that your other 49 made putts will be useless if you miss this last one.

This can work on the course in a close match, or you have a putt to break 80, 90, 100, or whatever.

[Gregormendel]

For practicing on the range with irons, I have to have a club between the ball and my feet for alignment reasons. It is so important to know where you are hitting it.

Otherwise, when I practice putting, I start out at 1 foot, make the putt, go to 2 feet, make it, go to 3 feet... etc until 5 feet. When I make the 5 footer, I go back down to 1 foot like a pyramid... 123454321
Any time I miss a putt, I have to start all over back at 1 ft. I do this as the last thing I do before I go in for the day.

It really helps with my focus and concentration

[nyjets2806]

i agree about the half swing and feet together drill, both of those work really well. another one i like to do on the range is the pump drill where you take your full swing and stop halfway down, go back up stop halfway, go back up and go all the way through. this helps me with my wrist cock retention when i start hitting the ball a little fat.

[mikelaw]

Drill I love for working on clean and crisp iron shots...especially if you use blades:

wood ruler or tee in the ground 2-3" behind the ball and dont hit it while you hit the balls! keep moving the object closer and closer to the ball. you would be surprised how close you can get it if you are covering the ball and hitting crisp irons.

[mikelz]

Putting quarters on a linoleum floor.

[joseywales]

Ok, I have a couple. First, on the green. To help keep your putter going straight back and straight through: Lay a 2X4 down horizontally in front of your feet and make putting strokes with your putter against the board straight back and straight through. This is a good one to do in your house during the winter while watching tv.

For full shots, if you are having trouble releasing your wrists too early in your swing. This one gives instant feedback: Take a popsicle stick and put in between your glove and top of your left wrist. Take full swings and it will force you to hit the ball with the back of your left hand/wrist.