Favorite Practice drills

[x-forged]

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

you could even lift your back foot at address and swing with only one foot. that will really test your balance.

a drilll my pro taught me is called the "impact fix". its hard to explain but i'll try my best. this is a drill that helps with ball contact and having the correct rotation and technique when swinging through the impact zone. what you do is set up pretending that you have completed youre backswing and have brought the club down to the ball. So, your hands should be leading the clubface with the clubface square, and your hips should be rotating. Then just swing and try to create that same feel when hitting the ball. if this makes no sense at all, i apologize. ask any questions and ill try to clarify. it really helped me to hit the ball pure. here is a link that describes the same drill. the picture shows how to set up. i have no clue who this guy is but he describes it pretty well. give it a try let me know how it works for ya! http://www.tomstickneygolf.com/Tips/Impact%20Fix.htm

[Avid Golfer]

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

Drills I like include:

For setup posture: Holding a golf shaft across my thighs pushing down slightly using my arms and shoulders, and having a feeling of my thighs pushing back with some resistance. (You can find more details and a picture of this drill in Ernie Els' The Complete Short Game book.) For spine tilt: Hang a club shaft from the top center of my chest, and the tilt away from the target until the shaft touches my front leg. For arm and body sync: Trapping a towel under my armpits and making 3/4 swings. (If I'm on the range I'll hit shots with the towel in place). For left arm position during and at the top of the swing: Grip a club in my left hand, and take my right hand and grip my left wrist. Swing back to the top of the swing. (I have a tendancy to have my arms continue to swing as my shoulders stop turning on the backswing. This drill helps me get the feel and idea of where I want my arms to stop swinging. You may be able to find a video clip or pictures of Rick Smith doing this drill on the Golf Channel website). For body motion and level shoulder rotation: Put a club across the top of my shoulders and make a level shoulder rotation around my spine. For reassurance on what I'm doing: In a mirror or window reflection I'll check my setup (ball position, alignment, posture), hip high (backswing) position, left arm parallel position (backswing), top of swing position, left arm parallel position (downswing), hip high position (downswing), impact, and finish position. I'm confirming that what I feel I'm doing and what I am physically doing is the same, and I like to mentally compare my positions to the positions I know the pros get into . (If you're doing this indoors make sure you have enough room and don't hit the mirror, furniture, or roof. Grip down on the club so you don't hit the ground).

[Richie3Jack]

I do a Craig Farnsworth putting drill where from about 3 feet I put a coin away from the ball. Then a foot behind the coin I put an additional 3 coins in a line behind the ball. The goal is to be able to hit the first coin while not going past the coins in the back. A lot tougher to do than you think, but is a great way to get used to the green's speed and helps sharpen your alignment.






3JACK

[thedub]

i learned a drill for irons and drivers, woods, hybrids..whatever:
its like the backswing drill stated earlier, but what you do is swing half way thru your backswing. The club and thumbs should be pointed up with your hands at a 45* angle. Then follow thru with the club face square and in your follow thru the club and thumbs should be pointed up with your hands at a 45* angle. its a cool little drill try it sometime!

[DavidFehertysBike]

i learned a drill for irons and drivers, woods, hybrids..whatever:

Ah, the ol' toe up to toe up drill. I still do that one when im hitting my shots thin.

[tm22721]

Here is a good exercise to improve the consistency of your iron shots.

Find a flat area in a bunker. Draw a line down the middle of your stance and envision a ball sitting on the line. Practice hitting down at the line with your hands ahead of the clubhead .

Most will be surprised that they are hitting behind the line, ie they are trying to scoop instead of hitting downward. Goal is for your swing to bottom out 2-4" in front of the line.

[andre112]

For spine tilt:

I noticed if I tilt this much. I hit all my shots fat.

what could I be doing wrong? is my stance too wide? I this stance is a major factor here. how wide is your stance?

[Avid Golfer]

I noticed if I tilt this much. I hit all my shots fat.

If your hitting it fat posibilites include:

You be setting up with too much weight on your back foot (even though your spine is tilted away from the target your weight distribution should still be 50-50, or 40-60 for the driver). Your ball position may be too far forward. You may be shifting wieght outside your back foot on the backswing. With your spine tilted away from the target you don't need to worry about making a weight shift in the backswing. Simply turning your shoulders around your tilted spine will move your weight onto the back leg. As far as stance width the generally accepted width with tour pros and instructors is inside of the feet as wide apart as the shoulders with a driver, and the outside of the feet as wide apart as the shoulders for a 5-iron.

[MrKadash]

Some good drills in this thread. My favorite is to put my feet together and/or place my right foot back a step directly behind me and take full swings, then do the same while hitting full shots. Absolutely impossible to slice or come over the top. Great drill to get you to come from the inside for more solid contact.

[thedub]

Some good drills in this thread. My favorite is to put my feet together and/or place my right foot back a step directly behind me and take full swings, then do the same while hitting full shots. Absolutely impossible to slice or come over the top. Great drill to get you to come from the inside for more solid contact.

intereseting, will have to try this one!

[tm22721]

An instructor showed me this move to help my body to pivot. Beware it can be addictive.

"In the setup, flare or angle the left foot to the left. Better players flare the foot some 20 to 25 degrees, which allows a freer and fuller turn of the left side in the downswing and a balanced finish. Keeping the left foot perpendicular to the target line blocks that movement. "

[negcx]

I like to hit balls with my eyes closed. Helps keep balance and allows you to feel where your body is positioned throughout the swing. When I'm hitting it pure like this, my swing is on track and I can just swing naturally.

[BASHERBAKER69]

on the practice tee, get an umbrella or a stick and place it 40 yards ahead of you. Take 50 balls and hit 1 draw then one fade then one draw..and so on


Its great for your shot making skills and it helps to bind your swing together whilst using your imaginbation at the same time.

Beware, ..don't try to put a marker out on the driving range as you'll get hit and end up in hospital..lol!

[Avid Golfer]

An instructor showed me this move to help my body to pivot. Beware it can be addictive.

Actually flaring the front foot allows for lateral hip motion. If you flare the left foot too much the left leg can bow out instead of forming the left side wall. The left leg wall or post as it is called turns the left hip movement into a rotational motion, and helps the power transfer from the legs into the next segment of the swing. I agree that it is good to flare the front foot, and that most really good tour players you see flare the foot. People just need to be careful about flaring it too much, and not bow the front knee toward the target on the downswing as a result of the freedom it permits.

[Keith5698]

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

This is a great suggestion. I've tried it, and it has shown me that I tend to swing too hard. But I guess most hackers do that. Otherwise, they couldn't call us 'hackers'.

[r7 425]

Heres something you can take in for a better clubhead line coming through the ball...Put a tee about 8-10 inches directly in front of your ball...try to hit both tees square through the shot...works fantastic and helps you hit it solid

[TheSnapHooker]

I get bored very easily at the range, so I imagine I`m playing a course I know very well.

I hit my first shot with my driver or hybrid if it`s a short par 4, just as I would on the course. Then I imagine where the ball went and play the next shot accordingly. When I figure I`m on the green, I add two shots for putts and take that score. I take a one putt if I hit a VERY straight approach or accurate chip. I play all 18 holes and have an imaginary score at the end! It`s a good way to practice all shots, including low draws around imaginary trees

This routine also has the advantage of replicating whats going to happen when you actually go for a round - your first shot of the day is likely to be your tee-off on the first hole.

[irspow]

A great drill to get your sequencing down is to try hitting your driver in fifty yard increments. You develop a great appreciation for how fast your torso needs to rotate in order to generate clubhead speed. It's much slower than most think. This drill is great, you will find that a relatively slow torso rotation (between 4 and 5 mile per hour) will generate considerable clubhead speed and distance. The purpose of starting at 50 yards and working your way out is to keep the arms and hands quiet.

I use this often to keep my body rotation from getting faster than my relaxed arms and hands can handle. Once they tense up you will lose distance.

Tom